Manitoba’s fishing is Lake Winnipeg and the rivers that feed it. The lake’s walleye, called greenbacks for their emerald colour, draw ice anglers, and the Red River between Lockport and Selkirk is fished for channel catfish in summer and walleye in fall. Both pages carry live Water Survey of Canada gauges.
Reports current for Monday, November 9
Every one of the 2 Manitoba waters we cover has a live read this morning. They are all sitting in the middle of the scale today. Water is around 4 °C. Pressure is holding steady on most of them, so the day comes down to water temperature and wind.
Best right now: Lake Winnipeg 3/5, Red River at Selkirk 3/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
Lake Winnipeg at Gimli: walleye and sauger in open water and through the ice on the world’s 10th largest freshwater lake by area, with a live level gauge.
The Red River at Selkirk: channel catfish below Lockport and a fall run of walleye from Lake Winnipeg, with a spring closure and a live gauge.
Species activity across the covered waters, written for the Canadian year. Peak of the year: May.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for the dominant water type here, in degrees Celsius (estimated, not a reading).
Read from the agency page named on each row, on the date shown, and calculated for 2026 from the rule as written: a date written as a day of the week is computed, not copied. Species with no published closure are not listed, which is not the same as open.
| Fishery | 2026 | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger, Lake Winnipeg | Closed 2026-04-06 to 2026-05-15 | Walleye and sauger on Lake Winnipeg close with the Southern Division and reopen a week later; walleye and sauger under 35 cm are released. Limestone Bay is closed all year. | Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, Manitoba Anglers’ Guide 2026, read 2026-09-27 |
| Other species, Southern Division | Open all year | All species other than walleye, sauger, lake sturgeon and lake trout are open year-round in the Southern Division. | Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, Manitoba Anglers’ Guide 2026, read 2026-09-27 |
| Red River, Lockport Dam to Lake Winnipeg: all fishing closed | Closed 2026-04-06 to 2026-05-08 | The Red River between Lockport Dam and Lake Winnipeg, with its tributaries up to Highways 9 and 59, is closed to all fishing in spring; walleye and sauger under 35 cm are released all year. | Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, Manitoba Anglers’ Guide 2026, read 2026-09-27 |
| St. Andrews Lock and Dam pelican conservation area | Closed 2026-04-01 to 2026-11-15 (part of the water) | Closed to all fishing and to possession of fishing gear from 1 April to 15 November at the St. Andrews Lock and Dam. | Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, Manitoba Anglers’ Guide 2026, read 2026-09-27 |
| Limestone Bay, Lake Winnipeg | Closed all year (part of the water) | Limestone Bay is closed to fishing all year. | Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, Manitoba Anglers’ Guide 2026, read 2026-09-27 |
| Water | Type | Live data | Peak month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Winnipeg Water Level and fishing report | Lake | Water Survey gauge | Jun |
| Red River Level at Selkirk and fishing report | River | Water Survey gauge | Jun |
The south is the Red River valley and the great lakes of the Manitoba lowlands, Winnipeg, Manitoba and Winnipegosis; the east and north are Shield country with countless lakes. Walleye, pike and perch are the everyday fish, with channel catfish in the Red.
The Manitoba angling licence runs from 1 May to 30 April; Manitoba residents under 16 or 65 and over, resident military and veterans, and Status Indians need none. The 2026 anglers’ guide allows four channel catfish with none over 60 cm, and closes Lake Winnipeg walleye and sauger from 6 April to 15 May and the Red River below Lockport Dam to all fishing from 6 April to 8 May.
The Gimli gauge shows Lake Winnipeg’s level, which rises and falls with the wind as well as the inflow; the Selkirk gauge shows the Red River’s spring flood. No agency certifies the ice on the lake or the river.
Yes, unless you are an exempt Manitoba resident. See our Manitoba licence page.
The name Travel Manitoba and local anglers give Lake Winnipeg’s walleye, for the emerald-green colour of their backs.
Lake Winnipeg at Gimli and the Red River at Selkirk.
The facts on this page were checked against these pages, from the agencies, park services and operators that manage the water on September 27, 2026; anything we could not verify was taken out.