Freshwater Fishing.
The Thousand Islands stretch of the St. Lawrence River off Gananoque sits within Ontario Fisheries Management Zone 20 (Lake Ontario / St.
Lawrence River) — productive water for smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, and the muskellunge fishery the Thousand Islands area is known for. Inland, the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority's Gananoque River watershed lakes carry the same warmwater species under regional regulation.
The brief.
FMZ 20 bass season opens the third Saturday in June for largemouth and the first Saturday in July for smallmouth; muskie season opens the third Saturday in June with a 54-inch minimum length, and catch-and-release is strongly encouraged. From January 1 to May 10, both bass species are catch-and-release only; bass fishing is closed from May 10 to the seasonal openers.
Anglers 18 and over need an Ontario fishing licence (Canadian residents 65+ or 17 and under are exempt). Inland watershed lakes — Charleston Lake, Gananoque Lake, Lyndhurst Lake, Lower and Upper Beverley Lakes, Red Horse Lake, Singleton Lake — are managed under Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority lake fact sheets.
2. places.
- 01
St. Lawrence River and Thousand Islands waters off Gananoque (FMZ 20)
Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge.
- 02
Gananoque River watershed lakes
Charleston Lake, Gananoque Lake, Lyndhurst Lake, Lower Beverley Lake, Upper Beverley Lake, Red Horse Lake, Singleton Lake — bass, walleye, pike under regional FMZ regulation.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.
By the book.
- 01FMZ 20 bass season opens the third Saturday in June (largemouth) and the first Saturday in July (smallmouth); January 1 to May 10 is catch-and-release only for bass; closed May 10 to seasonal openers.Source ↗
- 02Muskie season opens the third Saturday in June with a 54-inch minimum length; catch-and-release strongly encouraged.Source ↗
- 03Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority manages the Gananoque River watershed; lake fact sheets are published per lake.Source ↗