Bowmanville salmon run and fish ladder 2026

The fish ladder on Bowmanville Creek is one of the easiest places east of Toronto to see Chinook salmon jump. The Bowmanville Valley Trail follows the creek.

Chinook salmon start running in late August, peak through September and are mostly done by mid October. The day or two after a good rain is usually the best time to see fish moving.

Where to watch the salmon run in Bowmanville

The fish ladder on Bowmanville Creek is one of the easiest places east of Toronto to see Chinook salmon jump. The Bowmanville Valley Trail follows the creek. Stay on public paths, watch from the bank, and keep off the spawning gravel.

What you'll see

Most of the big fish are Chinook salmon: heavy, dark fish that turn bronze and develop a hooked jaw as they near spawning. Coho are smaller and often brighter, and silver steelhead and brown trout follow the salmon in to feed on eggs. Fish rest in the deeper pools between pushes, then charge the falls and fish ladders in bursts.

Tips for a good visit

• Go the morning after a good rain, when fresh fish are moving.
• Overcast days are better than bright sun for seeing fish jump.
• Polarized sunglasses help you see fish holding in the pools.
• Weekdays are quieter than weekends at the popular spots.

The run, week by week

• August: Chinook gather off the mouth of the Bowmanville Creek and in the harbour. Very few fish are in the river yet.
• Early to mid September: the first good rain pulls the first fish upstream. They move mostly at night and early in the morning.
• Mid September to mid October: the peak. Fish stack below barriers and run the ladders in waves, often a day or two after rain.
• Late October: most salmon have spawned and died. Spawned out fish with pale, frayed fins and carcasses on the gravel are a normal end to the run.
• November: steelhead and lake run brown trout move in behind the salmon to feed on loose eggs.

Every year is different. A dry September can hold fish in the lake for weeks, then one heavy rain brings them all in at once.

Watching responsibly

• Stay behind railings at fish ladders and dams, where banks are steep and slippery.
• Keep dogs leashed and back from the water.
• Do not throw anything at the fish or try to touch them. They are exhausted.
• Leave the gravel alone. The pale, cleaned patches are spawning beds (redds) with eggs in them.
• Park only in marked lots and respect neighbours on residential streets.

Can you fish for salmon here?

In Durham Region, waters below the CNR tracks are open all year for trout and salmon, and waters between Highway 2 and the CNR tracks are open to December 31.

Where fishing is allowed, snagging is not. Ontario's rules say a fish hooked anywhere other than the mouth must be released right away. Atlantic salmon, which are being restored to Lake Ontario, must be released in these rivers.

From the official Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary. Full stretch-by-stretch rules are on the Bowmanville Creek fishing guide.

Frequently asked

More places to see the run

• Port Hope salmon run and fish ladder
• Humber River salmon run at Old Mill
• Credit River salmon run in Mississauga: Erindale and Port Credit
• Duffins Creek salmon run in Ajax and Pickering
• Owen Sound salmon run on the Sydenham River
• Oshawa salmon run on Oshawa Creek
• Oakville salmon run on Sixteen Mile Creek
• Sauble Falls salmon run

Ontario salmon run guide → · Fishing spots in Oshawa and Bowmanville → · Zone 17 regulations →