The “Grand River Rafting Company” offers guided drift boat fishing on platformed rafts down the Grand River in Paris, Ontario. Fishermen will find abundant smallmouth bass, fall/spring rainbow trout… as well as pike, walleye and big carp. All trips are very reasonably priced. A five hour guided fishing trip for two with lunch is $200 total with a platform raft.

Drift boat rafting is the most satisfying experience for fishing the Grand & Nith Rivers.

Two fishermen can stand on the platforms and do trout fly fishing or fly fishing for bass with lots of space. Or for those that bait cast, they can sit in deck chairs elevated above the water level to easily see striking fish.

The best thing about raft platform fishing is that the speed of the raft allows excellent casting opportunities at each fishing pool. Often people get frustrated at missing good fishing holes as they drift by… but lots of time with the rafts to cast every spot.

Part of the Grand River has been zoned Exceptional Waters to preserve the fish populations. This is a barb less, bait less, catch & release zone with some very healthy fish populations.

In April to mid-May rainbow trout or steelhead are abundant in the river… as the river gets warmer they head back to Lake Erie… but these steelhead-rainbow trout return in September with lots of action. There is also some excellent resident rainbow trout fishing and brown trout fishing in the cold waters of Whiteman’s Creek which joins the Grand River.

In July August the smallmouth bass fishing dominates this Paris section of the Grand River.  To catch 40 bass in three hours of raft drift boat fishing at the beginning of the bass season is average.

Pike and pickerel are present in the Paris section of the Grand River but they are minor species in comparison to the trout and bass populations. The local Nith River actually offers some very good fishing opportunities for these two species as well.

If people are traveling and need to rent tackle & poles… the Big Catch fishing shop in Paris can fully equip for the day at a price of twenty dollars.

Platform raft fishing on the Grand River offers some of the best fishing opportunities in Southern Ontario… it is rare to leave without a catch. Definitely a great river to discover for a day trip fishing experience