High · Low
Solid today
river / Durham, ON / FMZ 16Saugeen River at Durham
The Saugeen at Durham is moving water, not a lake. The river slides through town and drops over McGowan Falls beside a flood-control dam in the Durham Conservation Area — over 3 km of frontage, 61 hectares of Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority ground, a shallow swimming reservoir held above the falls.
Target Species
Today's read.
Quick Summary
Cool, with a high of 11° and a low of 2°. Breezy, gusts to 43 km/h. Falling pressure often fires up the bite.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · NW · gusts to 43 km/h
falling · -5 hPa/24h
10h 18m daylight
Lunar phase
Peak 0.2 mm/h · 1 wet hr
B+
Solid today
Choppy — a 11 km/h average over 0.7 km of fetch keeps you on the southeast shore with short runs. Gusts spike to 43 km/h at times — check the hourly and time your launch. The bite should be firing — a falling barometer often trips a pre-front feed. Fish the southeast shore where wind stacks bait and keep it tight to cover.
Craft Verdicts
No trailer launch in seed dataCarry-in launch0.7 km max fetchPressure falling (-4.7 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
No trailer ramp here — a powerboat can't launch.
Kayak
Clear to launch — a 11 km/h NW average over 0.7 km of fetch stays well within a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 43 km/h at times — time your launch.
Canoe
Launchable but exposed — a 24 km/h average gust and 0.7 km of fetch will test an open canoe's shallow draft; put in on the southeast shore and stay tight to it. Gusts spike to 43 km/h at times — time your launch.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
7°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
Fish On!7:00 a.m.
7°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
Fish On!9:00 a.m.
7°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW10kph
Gust20kph
Launch ReadFishable
11:00 a.m.
9°Temp
UV2
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · NW10kph
Gust39kph
Launch ReadCaution
1:00 p.m.
10°Temp
UV2
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW13kph
Gust43kph
Launch ReadCaution
3:00 p.m.
11°Temp
UV2
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · NW16kph
Gust41kph
Launch ReadCaution
5:00 p.m.
9°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW14kph
Gust33kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 p.m.
7°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW11kph
Gust11kph
Launch ReadFishable
9:00 p.m.
5°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW8kph
Gust8kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
Fish On!Weekly Outlook
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchAll Clear
BiteFair
LaunchFishable
BiteHigh
LaunchAll Clear
BiteHigh
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
01
How it fishes
The Durham Conservation Area protects over 61 ha (150 acres) and more than 3 km of Saugeen River frontage.
SourceMcGowan Falls, a cascade in the conservation area, sits beside a flood-control dam that holds a shallow recreational reservoir upstream and helps control ice for the town of Durham.
SourceThe Durham reach is coldwater trout water — brook trout above the dam, with brown and rainbow trout in the river below — its headline fishery, which falls outside this profile's six-gamefish scope.
SourceWarmwater gamefish on the Saugeen (smallmouth bass, pike, musky) are documented downstream from Walkerton, not at the Durham reach.
Source02
Regulations snapshot
This is a summary, not the legal regulation — confirm current rules with the official source before fishing.
Smallmouth & Largemouth Bass
Season: fourth Saturday in June to November 30
Limit: S-6 / C-2
Official source03
Access notes
Durham Conservation Area
Durham, Ontario (Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority)
Over 3 km of Saugeen River frontage; carry-in / paddle-friendly access with a listed boat ramp. Day-use parking fee ($5.00/day; annual pass available). Flood-control dam and moving water — flow and level vary seasonally.
Access source04