You can't do any fishing at the Big Otter Creek's Black Dam until April to protect the Rainbow Trout.
TILLSONBURG - The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry will be implementing a fish sanctuary in Tillsonburg.
Management Biologist Kyle Stanley with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Aylmer District says the goal is to protect rainbow trout in Big Otter Creek. "The sanctuary is in place to help sustain a valuable natural resource - sensitive spawning area and nursery habitat for Lake Erie rainbow trout. It's right in the town of Tillsonburg: it was always closed for trout fishing however there were incidental catches from people fishing for other species that were negatively impacting the trout."
The sanctuary reaches from Black’s Dam downstream to the north side of Simcoe Street and includes an area on Big Otter Creek according to Stanley. "It will restrict all fishing activities for all species in that area between January 1st to the Friday before the fourth Saturday in April for that habitat that will prevent any fishing activities or impacts from those activities from affecting spawning or staging fish."
In the past the Ministry has received reports of people accidentally catching spawning rainbow trout as well as disrupting spawning activities by walking in the creek and destroying the eggs.

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