Thornbury Fishway & Fishing

The Thornbury Fishway is a passive fishway that consists of an open channel with a relatively natural appearance that allows for excellent fish viewing opportunities. Rainbow Trout and Chinook Salmon are readily visible as they swim or jump over each of the steps and pass up through the pools of the main portion of the fishway. The fishway retains the capability for fish capture, sampling and automatic counting to help monitor the health of fish populations. While allowing better fish passage, the fishway has been designed to exclude lamprey from entering the Beaver River watershed.

Fish passage to suitable spawning grounds is critical to the survival of Rainbow Trout and Chinook Salmon. The location of physical barriers, such as dams, may prevent the upstream movement of adult fish to spawning areas. The fishway provides migrating salmon and Rainbow Trout with access to several kilometers of cold water streams in the Beaver River watershed. Upstream, the migrating trout and salmon pass through three other fishways located at the Clendenan and Slabtown Dams. Easier access to the spawning areas results in greater numbers of Rainbow Trout and Chinook Salmon in Southern Georgian Bay. This allows increased opportunities for sport fishing and viewing.

The Fishway is active with fish migration in the spring and the fall. From late August to late October, adult spawning Chinook Salmon begin showing up in the area rivers. They are aggressive jumpers and provide exciting viewing as they migrate upstream and make their way up the Fishway to find suitable areas in gravel river beds. Once they’ve spawned upstream, however, that concludes their life cycle. After the eggs hatch the young salmon return to the lake the following spring.

The exact time varies but typically during April, watch for Rainbow Trout making their way up the Fishway. Adults enter the streams in early spring to spawn in clean, rapid water.

The fishway is owned and operated by the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry's Owen Sound field office. For more information about the fish ladder, please contact NDMNRF Staff directly at 519-376-3860 or visit their field office located at 1450 7th Avenue East, Owen Sound.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has installed an underwater camera and sensor at the Fishway to track the type and number of fish, along with data on the peak times of fish passage through the Fishway.

You can receive 'real time' and archived information about the number and type of fish travelling through the Fishway by visiting the Biotactic website.

Explore the rich history of the Thornbury dam, discover what a Fishway is and learn more about the types of fish you can find in the spring and fall, check out the video series below:

If you're looking to obtain a Fishing Licence you must first get your Outdoors Card. Both are available locally at Gyles Sales & Marine in Thornbury. 

There is an indoor fish cleaning station located at the Thornbury Harbour, which is available for public use. To protect the disposal equipment from vandalism, access to the facility is controlled by key access. Keys are available from the Harbour Office for a fee.

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There is a seasonal boat launch ramp at the Thornbury Harbour, which is available for public use. Launch ramp passes are available for purchase from the Harbour Office.

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