Fishing & Exploring Bronte Creek
At one time, the mention of Bronte Creek brought me images of gutted and rotting salmon, hoards of anglers, stream degradation, and massive amounts of garbage. These impressions were formed during my first two visits to Bronte Creek at Petro Park, and they’ve stayed with me to this day. However, since getting involved with Trout Unlimited Canada’s Bronte Creek Renewal Project, I have seen just how beautiful the creek can be in other sections, and Darrell and I chose to spend a day fishing and exploring this wonderful waterway.
The restoration work done in Lowville Park by Trout Unlimited Canada has created a much healthier ecosystem, and in turn, has created a more natural area for visitors to enjoy. With the recent return of Brook Trout to the creek, and the presence of several other fish species, it’s a fun destination for anglers. As always, we encourage catch and release, especially in this area that is just starting to work properly once again.
**Warning, this post contains a lot of pictures**
There are many great sections along the creek to fish. It was chilly when we started our morning.
Take a walk through the ferns.
Wildflowers were abundant and kept distracting me throughout the day. This Jack-in-the-Pulpit was just one of them.
The restoration work in Lowville Park included planting thousands of trees and shrubs. They are coming along nicely and will provide the wildlife with necessary habitat and food, while helping to prevent erosion, stabilize banks, and improve water quality.
First fish of the day! A creek chub.
I came across a small pond surrounded by at least eight green frogs sunning themselves.
The frogs were good luck. After spotting them, the fish started biting.
A decent little rainbow trout. We caught several of these little guys on spinners. They wanted flash that day so we gave it to them.
So caught up in the magic of the river and the forest, we didn’t realize just how busy the park was getting. By the time we had fished our way back up the creek, the park was full of families and other social groups gathering for a spectacular day in Lowville Park. It is a very popular place.
Leaving the throngs of people behind us, we set out to explore more of the area, as much along the creek as possible. Our drive took us to a section of the Bruce Trail that went right down to the water, so we set of on an unplanned hike.
The trail leading down to the river was spectacular – trilliums and other wildflowers filled the vista. It didn’t seem quite so spectacular on the walk back up when my legs were starting to burn!
Trilliums provide a magnificent view.
Sharp Lobed Hepatica
We found a side trail that was labeled “River and Ruins” and it took us to the remains of an old farm house.
Another look at the ruins.
Toothwort
Sarsaparilla
The trail did indeed wind up along the river. I took no pictures at that point, as I was too busy alternately looking at the water and trying to stay out of the deeper mud. What we found though, was what I hoped Bronte Creek would actually look like – a wild stream with riffles, runs and pools. There was no garbage, no anglers. Seeing as the trail runs through private property, this may have been the reason for the nicer landscape.
Those early memories of Bronte Creek have now been pushed to the back of my mind, replaced by all the natural beauty, and fish, we found on this day of exploration. If you find yourself near Burlington and get the chance to explore Bronte Creek, do it. It is a beautiful way to spend the day.
argosgirl
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I love those little trout. I could look at them allday long.
I agree, I could look at them all day. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for helping to make the resurrection of Bronte Creek a real event!