High · Low
Grind 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
Mild, with a high of 21° and a low of 10°. Windy, gusts to 55 km/h. Rising pressure can make for a slower, pickier bite.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · S · gusts to 55 km/h
rising · 7 hPa/24h
12h 31m daylight
Lunar phase
Peak 0.3 mm/h · 2 wet hrs
C+
Grind today
Choppy — a 14 km/h average over 0.7 km of fetch keeps you on the north shore with short runs. Gusts spike to 55 km/h at times — check the hourly and time your launch. Good bite potential — the rising barometer leans toward a pickier bite. Fish the north 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 rising (6.7 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
No trailer ramp here — a powerboat can't launch.
Kayak
Clear to launch — a 14 km/h S average over 0.7 km of fetch stays well within a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 55 km/h at times — time your launch.
Canoe
Launchable but exposed — a 26 km/h average gust and 0.7 km of fetch will test an open canoe's shallow draft; put in on the north shore and stay tight to it. Gusts spike to 55 km/h at times — time your launch.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
13°Temp
UV0
Precip0.2mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SE14kph
Gust14kph
Launch ReadFishable
7:00 a.m.
14°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S14kph
Gust32kph
Launch ReadCaution
9:00 a.m.
14°Temp
UV0
Precip0.1mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S13kph
Gust13kph
Launch ReadFishable
11:00 a.m.
16°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S15kph
Gust31kph
Launch ReadCaution
1:00 p.m.
18°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S15kph
Gust31kph
Launch ReadCaution
3:00 p.m.
20°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S16kph
Gust32kph
Launch ReadCaution
5:00 p.m.
20°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S10kph
Gust10kph
Launch ReadFishable
7:00 p.m.
21°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW13kph
Gust27kph
Launch ReadCaution
9:00 p.m.
19°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW11kph
Gust11kph
Launch ReadFishable
Weekly Outlook
LaunchCaution
BiteHigh
LaunchAll Clear
BiteMaximum
LaunchAll Clear
BiteMaximum
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchFishable
BiteHigh
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