Kemptville Creek – South Nation

About this water

A sleeper creek fishery south of Ottawa with surprisingly good smallmouth bass and spring pike runs that locals keep quiet about.

Slow-moving creek system with deep pools and weedy stretches. Stained water. Spring flooding brings walleye and pike upstream.

FMZ 18 regulations — Eastern Ontario — Rideau & inland southeastern watersheds

Southeastern Ontario, built around the connecting lakes and rivers of the Rideau waterway, with the Canadian Shield at its heart and the St. Lawrence Lowlands to the east and west. It covers the Crowe, Mississippi, Napanee, Cataraqui, Rideau, Salmon, South Nation and Raisin River watersheds. It ends at Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to the south (FMZ 20) and follows the Ottawa River (FMZ 12) to the north and east — the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers themselves are not in FMZ 18.

• Walleye: 3rd Saturday in May – March 15; S-4/C-2.
• Muskie: 3rd Saturday in June – Dec 15; 137 cm min, S-1/C-0.
• Bass (large & small): 3rd Saturday in June – Nov 30; S-6/C-2.
• Lake trout (Big Rideau, Charleston): Jan 1 – Sept 30; S-2/C-1.

Zone check: FMZ 18 confirmed from this water's coordinates against the official Ontario zone boundaries (reviewed 2026-08-12).

Summary only — always confirm current seasons and limits on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 18 page before your trip.

Seasonal availability

Open-season windows for the species found at Kemptville Creek – South Nation, taken from the FMZ 18 regulation summary. Green months are within a published open season — they are not a prediction of how well fish will bite.

No FMZ 18 season line published in our summary for: Northern Pike, Panfish, Carp. Check the official page before keeping these species.

Summary only, and seasons change annually. Confirm dates on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 18 page before your trip.

Fishing tips

• St. Lawrence smallmouth relate to current — drop-shot the drop-offs.
• Thousand Islands muskie respond to figure-8s at boatside — always finish the retrieve.
• Wade the creek in summer and target the deeper pools with small crankbaits. Pike move in from the South Nation River in spring — cast spinnerbaits at flooded creek mouths.
• Access: Free roadside pulloffs along County Rd 44. Small gravel lot at creek access points.

Gear setup

Setup:

Light-medium spinning for bass; medium for pike

Rod:

6'6" light-medium spinning rod

Reel:

Size 2000–2500 spinning

Line:

6–8 lb fluorocarbon

Best bait:

Worms, Minnows, Leeches

Best lures:

Small crankbait (crawfish), Ned rig, In-line spinner (Mepps #2), Jig and worm