The East Don River winds through the urban and suburban landscape north of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, serving as one of the Don River's primary tributaries. This stream-sized waterway flows through Vaughan and surrounding communities, carrying with it both the challenges and surprising opportunities that define urban fisheries in southern Ontario. Despite its urban setting and a history of water quality concerns — including elevated phosphorus, nitrates, and chloride from fertilizer runoff, wastewater, and road salt — the East Don continues to support a diverse community of fish, including some species that will genuinely surprise visiting anglers.