High · Low
Marginal today
river / 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
02 - Conditions
Today's read.
Quick Summary
Rainy and warm, with a high of 25° and a low of 14°. Windy, gusts to 51 km/h. Steady pressure should keep the bite consistent.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · S · gusts to 51 km/h
steady · -2 hPa/24h
15h 00m daylight
Lunar phase
Peak 4.0 mm/h · 3 wet hrs
C+
Marginal today
Choppy — a 13 km/h average over 0.7 km of fetch keeps you on the north shore with short runs. Gusts spike to 51 km/h at times — check the hourly and time your launch. Good bite potential — steady pressure keeps it predictable. 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 steady (-1.8 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
No trailer ramp here — a powerboat can't launch.
Kayak
Launchable but exposed — a 32 km/h average gust and 0.7 km of fetch will test a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; put in on the north shore and stay tight to it. Gusts spike to 51 km/h at times — time your launch.
Canoe
Too rough — a 32 km/h average gust over 0.7 km of fetch overwhelms an open canoe's shallow draft; not a safe launch today. Gusts spike to 51 km/h at times — time your launch.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
18°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S19kph
Gust38kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 a.m.
19°Temp
UV0
Precip0.1mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW12kph
Gust12kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
9:00 a.m.
21°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW10kph
Gust27kph
Launch ReadFishable
11:00 a.m.
22°Temp
UV5
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW12kph
Gust27kph
Launch ReadFishable
1:00 p.m.
23°Temp
UV7
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · W13kph
Gust33kph
Launch ReadCaution
3:00 p.m.
25°Temp
UV7
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · W14kph
Gust38kph
Launch ReadCaution
5:00 p.m.
18°Temp
UV5
Precip4.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityFair
Wind · NW17kph
Gust32kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 p.m.
19°Temp
UV2
Precip0.1mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · NW13kph
Gust32kph
Launch ReadCaution
9:00 p.m.
16°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureSteady
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · NW19kph
Gust51kph
Launch ReadDo Not Launch
Windy!Weekly Outlook
LaunchCaution
BiteHigh
LaunchCaution
BiteHigh
LaunchAll Clear
BiteFair
LaunchAll Clear
BiteFair
LaunchFishable
BiteHigh
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchAll Clear
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