Fishing at The Franklin Club
Your All-Inclusive, Four-Season Ontario Fishing Club Getaway
For over a century, The Franklin Club has been known as “Fishing at its Finest.” Set on a private 200 acre property just 65 km north of the GTA, the Club offers members and their invited guests access to three peaceful bodies of water, including Franklin Lake, Harrison Pond and Douglass Pond.
Located within the Lake Simcoe watershed and protected by the Oak Ridges Moraine, The Franklin Club offers a quiet and private fishing experience that feels like a true getaway, without being far from home. Members can enjoy spring fed trout waters, more room to cast, and a peaceful alternative to the crowds often found on public lakes.
Fishing here is part of a larger private Club experience built around tradition, natural beauty, outdoor enjoyment, and time well spent with family, friends and fellow members. Whether visiting for a morning, an afternoon, a full day, or a weekend, The Franklin Club gives members a private place to fish, relax, and return to throughout the year.
Where Fishing Meets the Private Club Experience
Fishing at The Franklin Club is reserved strictly for members and their invited guests, giving each visit a quiet and private feel. This exclusivity is part of what makes the fishing experience so meaningful, protecting the water, the grounds, and the rhythm of the day for those who belong to the Club.
By bringing together pristine nature and exclusive access, we offer an unmatched year-round experience:
More Space, Less Interruption: With access limited to those connected to the Club, members can enjoy the water with more space, fewer crowds, and the freedom to fish at their own pace.
A True Four-Season Retreat: Whether you are casting on a quiet spring morning or visiting in the heart of winter, the Club is a dedicated sanctuary open to members 365 days a year.
A Worry-Free, All-Inclusive Escape: Everything is prepared and ready for your arrival, allowing you to focus entirely on the catch, the relaxation, and the natural beauty of the property.
Deeply Rooted Traditions: Beyond the water, this is a private club community built around outdoor enjoyment, conservation, and making memories with family, friends, and fellow members.
The result is a personal, relaxed fishing experience deeply connected to the traditions of The Franklin Club in a setting that remains distinctly private.
Family Friendly Fishing for All Ages
At The Franklin Club, we make it easy and comfortable for generations to connect on the water. With safe, private waters, beautifully maintained shorelines, and a welcoming clubhouse environment, families can enjoy the great outdoors with absolute confidence and peace of mind.
Our community is built to bring families closer together, offering a rich experience for everyone!
- Inclusive Family Memberships: A single membership extends to your immediate family, including your spouse and children, providing endless opportunities to fish, learn, and grow together year round.
- A Supportive Start for New Anglers: For children, grandchildren, and beginners, the Club is a calm and supportive environment to practice, build confidence, and fall in love with the sport.
- Passing on the Tradition: For parents and grandparents, our peaceful lakes offer the perfect, distraction-free backdrop to share stories, pass down skills, and create lifelong memories.
- Enjoyment Beyond the Water: For family members who prefer to relax on land, the Club offers plenty of ways to enjoy the day by exploring our scenic trails, relaxing on the patio and in the lounge, or enjoying a meal at the clubhouse.
Whether you are teaching a child to cast their very first line or catching up over dinner at the lodge, The Franklin Club is a private sanctuary where family traditions are made.
Rainbow Trout & Brook Trout Fishing
The Franklin Club is renowned for its premier private trout fishing, supported by pristine spring fed waters and a carefully managed on site hatchery program. This hands on stewardship ensures a strong and active fishery that is true to the classic spirit of the sport.
Our dedicated trout hatchery program allows us to provide an unmatched experience on the water.
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A Sustainable On Site Hatchery: We raise both rainbow trout and brook trout, which are also known as speckled trout, to stock Franklin Lake, Harrison Pond, and Douglass Pond each year.
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An Authentic Sport Fishing Challenge: Once the trout are released, they are not artificially fed. They must adapt, forage, and survive within the natural aquatic ecosystem of the Club, creating a rewarding and genuine experience for our members.
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An Abundant and Thriving Fishery: With over 100,000 fish typically in our hatchery system and a goal of stocking at least 10,000 new trout annually, members can count on an exceptionally consistent and active season.
By carefully managing our waters and protecting the natural environment, we ensure that every visit offers a rewarding day of fishing in a peaceful, private setting.
The Styles of Fishing at The Franklin Club
Fishing at The Franklin Club is built around variety, tradition, and exclusive access to private, trout filled waters. Across Franklin Lake, Harrison Pond, and Douglass Pond, members can enjoy several distinct styles of fishing suited to the changing seasons, different skill levels, and the unique character of each area.
Fly Fishing
As the heart of the angling experience at the Club, fly fishing makes up roughly ninety percent of the fishing enjoyed across the property. Members can cast from the shoreline, designated casting platforms, or traditional British style punts on Franklin Lake for a peaceful and memorable day on the water.
Spin Fishing
While fly fishing is the primary focus, spin fishing is also permitted to give members, families, and younger anglers another approachable way to enjoy our private waters. To help protect the health and quality of our fishery, all baits and lures must have single barbless hooks.
Ice Fishing
The fishing season continues straight through the winter with a turnkey ice fishing experience. With cozy huts and heaters provided, members can enjoy time on the ice in total comfort while taking in the quiet beauty of the Club in the winter months.
A Map of Our Private Trout Fishing Waters
Franklin Lake, Harrison Pond & Douglas Pond
Fishing at The Franklin Club is built around three private bodies of water, all stocked with vibrant and energetic trout raised through the Club’s private hatchery program. This careful fishery management supports consistent fishing opportunities across the property and helps maintain the quality of trout fishing our members have enjoyed for generations.
Harrison Pond is a fly fishing only water located near the outflow of Franklin Lake. With casting platforms and moving water influenced by the outflow, it offers members the opportunity to swing flies, drift patterns and practise different fly fishing techniques. Harrison Pond is also a popular area for demonstrations and instruction. With a bubbler helping keep the water open through winter, members can enjoy fly fishing here 365 days a year.
Franklin Lake is the main lake on the property and gives members the choice to fish by boat or from casting platforms positioned around the shoreline. This allows anglers to access different areas of the lake, adjust to changing conditions and enjoy a varied stillwater trout fishing experience throughout the season.
Douglass Pond is also fly fishing only and offers a quieter, more deliberate fishing experience. Its clear water rewards a stealthy approach, where anglers slow down, watch their movement and avoid alerting fish before making a cast. Under the right conditions, sight fishing is possible, making Douglass Pond a rewarding water for members who enjoy patience, observation and a more refined approach to trout fishing.
Fly Fishing Lessons & Instruction
Access to our professional Club Pros is a cornerstone of the member experience at The Franklin Club. Our accomplished instructors help anglers of all backgrounds build skill, gain confidence, and develop a much deeper understanding of the sport in a supportive and knowledgeable environment.
From holding a fly rod for the first time to perfecting your technique, our tailored instruction makes our expert guidance invaluable:
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Tailored for All Experience Levels: We offer introductory lessons for those completely new to the sport as well as advanced coaching on the finer points of casting, presentation, fly selection, reading the water, and fishing tactics.
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Private Lessons and Group Events: Members can book personalized one on one sessions to sharpen their technique or arrange custom group events for family, friends, and colleagues to learn together on the water.
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Invaluable Professional Insight: Our Club Pros share seasoned expertise on reading the water and mastering the subtle details that turn a good day of fishing into an exceptional one.
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A Supportive Learning Environment: Every lesson is designed to be approachable and encouraging, providing members with a dedicated space to practice, ask questions, and steadily level up their abilities.
With professional coaching right at your fingertips, mastering the art of fly fishing becomes an incredibly rewarding part of your club journey.
Enjoy Fishing 365 Days a Year
Membership gives you year round access to exceptional fishing at The Franklin Club. As a private Club fishery, members and their invited guests can enjoy our private waters without a provincial fishing licence, with fishing available 365 days a year.
Our property offers distinct ways to enjoy the water as the year unfolds:
- Spring: As the ice clears, our pristine, spring fed waters experience a rapid rise in trout activity. This is the ultimate time to target energetic rainbow and brook trout as they actively rise to feed on early season hatches near the surface.
- Summer: The deep, cold flows of our spring fed lakes keep water temperatures cool, allowing trout to remain active even on warm days. Members can enjoy long, peaceful evenings casting dry flies during legendary summer insect hatches.
- Fall: As water temperatures cool down, brook trout take on spectacular spawning colours and highly aggressive feeding behaviour. The crisp autumn days offer some of the most exciting, visual fishing of the year for trophy sized trout.
- Winter: Unlike public waters where trout season is closed, our private club status allows for year round action. You can target trout through the ice from a cozy, heated hut or experience winter fly fishing on Harrison Pond, where our bubblers keep the moving water open all season.
The Franklin Club gives members the privilege of returning to the water throughout the year, making fishing a regular and seamless part of Club life throughout every season.
Featured Fishing Videos at The Franklin Club
Explore a collection of moments filmed right here at The Franklin Club, highlighting the excellent fishing, pristine scenery, and outdoor experiences that make our property such an exciting and memorable place for anglers of all skill levels.
For a closer look at life on the water, you can also browse our video gallery.
The Franklin Club Fishing at its Finest!
A cinematic look at the Club, showcasing fishing, dining and friendships.
A Day Fishing at The Franklin Club
SoFly Podcast visits the Club and goes fishing with one of our Club Pros.
Rick Mercer Fly Fishing at The Franklin Club
A fun and lighthearted day with the Mercer Report Series from years ago.
Toronto’s Hidden Fishing Destination
The Club was featured on Fish’n Canada’s Outdoor Journal Radio.
Ready to Visit or Need More Info?
Contact Us Today.
Come see The Franklin Club for yourself and explore the grounds, fishing, and amenities firsthand. If you have any questions before your visit, please give us a call at (905) 473-1469
We look forward to welcoming you soon!