High · Low
Marginal today
reservoir / FMZ 16Kelso Reservoir
Kelso Reservoir is a small warm-water impoundment — about 30 hectares — bolted onto Sixteen Mile Creek where it drops off the Niagara Escarpment at Milton. Conservation Halton threw the dam up in 1964 to keep the creek from flooding downtown Milton every spring thaw, and the flood-control basin it left behind is the water you fish today.
Target Species
02 - Conditions
Today's read.
Quick Summary
Rainy and mild, with a high of 24° and a low of 17°. Breezy, gusts to 44 km/h. Steady pressure should keep the bite consistent.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · S · gusts to 44 km/h
steady · -1 hPa/24h
14h 56m daylight
Lunar phase
Peak 6.4 mm/h · 9 wet hrs
C+
Marginal today
Choppy — a 13 km/h average over 1.8 km of fetch keeps you on the north shore with short runs. Good bite potential — with bright sun, dawn and dusk are your windows. Fish the north shore where wind stacks bait and keep it tight to cover.
Craft Verdicts
Trailer launchCarry-in launch1.8 km max fetchPressure steady (-1 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
Clear to launch — a 13 km/h S average over 1.8 km of fetch stays well within a powerboat's weight and power; easy to hold position.
Kayak
Launchable but exposed — a 30 km/h average gust and 1.8 km of fetch will test a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; put in on the north shore and stay tight to it.
Canoe
Too rough — a 30 km/h average gust over 1.8 km of fetch overwhelms an open canoe's shallow draft; not a safe launch today.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
20°Temp
UV0
Precip1.4mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW14kph
Gust31kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 a.m.
19°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW14kph
Gust30kph
Launch ReadCaution
9:00 a.m.
21°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW12kph
Gust26kph
Launch ReadCaution
11:00 a.m.
21°Temp
UV1
Precip1.3mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW10kph
Gust24kph
Launch ReadFishable
1:00 p.m.
24°Temp
UV5
Precip1.5mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW13kph
Gust40kph
Launch ReadCaution
3:00 p.m.
22°Temp
UV7
Precip0.9mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityFair
Wind · W7kph
Gust15kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
5:00 p.m.
21°Temp
UV4
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityFair
Wind · SW13kph
Gust34kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 p.m.
20°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · NW11kph
Gust30kph
Launch ReadCaution
9:00 p.m.
19°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · W9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadFishable
Weekly Outlook
LaunchCaution
BiteHigh
LaunchCaution
BiteHigh
LaunchAll Clear
BiteFair
LaunchAll Clear
BiteFair
LaunchAll Clear
BiteHigh
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchAll Clear
BiteMaximum
01
How it fishes
Kelso Dam and Reservoir opened in 1964 by the conservation authority to control flooding on Sixteen Mile Creek.
SourceThe Sixteen-Mile Creek Authority bought the land in 1961 for $40,000 and built a $325,000 water-control dam; Milton's main street previously flooded every spring thaw.
SourceThe reservoir doubles as the cold-water source for snow-making at Glen Eden Ski & Snowboard Centre.
SourceKelso is one of the few Conservation Halton reservoirs where boat fishing (non-motorized or electric) is permitted, alongside Mountsberg.
Source02
Regulations snapshot
This is a summary, not the legal regulation — confirm current rules with the official source before fishing.
Largemouth Bass
Season: fourth Saturday in June to November 30
Limit: S-6 / C-2 (combined with Smallmouth)
Official sourceYellow Perch
Season: open all year
Limit: S-50 / C-25
Official source03
Access notes
Kelso Conservation Area
5234 Kelso Road, Milton
Small boat ramp plus gravel-beach carry-in. Non-motorized boats only, with an exception for electric trolling motors. Canoe/kayak/SUP/pedal-boat rentals on site. Paid day-use admission (reservations recommended via parkvisit.ca); park hours 8:30 am–9:00 pm. Shoreline fishing permitted except off the beach, boardwalk, pump house and its lot, Kelso Cove Waterpark, the boat-rentals beach, and the dam.
Access source04