Manitoba angling licence. Read from Manitoba on 2026-09-29, schedule 2026-04-01.
An adult Manitoba resident pays C$29.40 for the annual angling licence and C$13.65 for a day, other Canadians C$45.15 and non-Canadians C$72.45, with GST included. Manitoba residents 65 and over, under 16, and serving members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces fish without one. The licence year runs from 1 May to 30 April.
| Licence | Manitoba resident | Canadian resident | Non-Canadian resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual licence | C$29.40 | C$45.15 | C$72.45 |
| One-day licence | C$13.65 | C$18.90 | C$27.30 |
Prices in CAD as the agency publishes them; residency categories, and whether tax is included, vary by province and are noted below. The fee schedule lists the licences above from 1 April 2026; the 2026 anglers’ guide lists the same licences at C$28.00, C$43.00 and C$69.00 a year and C$13.00, C$18.00 and C$26.00 a day, with GST added at purchase, which gives the same totals. The annual licence runs from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027.
Pick your residency and how many days in a row you will fish. The cheapest combination of day, multi-day and annual licences comes first; stamps can be added.
Cheapest: Annual licence, C$29.40, before tax.
| Option | Licence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual licence | C$29.40 | Every day until 31 March. |
| 3 × 1-day licences | C$40.95 |
Fees as Manitoba’s e-licensing fee schedule publishes them, from 1 April 2026; they equal the anglers’ guide prices plus 5% GST. The annual licence runs to 30 April 2027 whatever the purchase date.
| Days in a row | Manitoba resident, 16 to 64 | Canadian resident | Non-Canadian resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C$13.65 1 × 1-day | C$18.90 1 × 1-day | C$27.30 1 × 1-day |
| 2 | C$27.30 2 × 1-day | C$37.80 2 × 1-day | C$54.60 2 × 1-day |
| 3 | C$29.40 annual | C$45.15 annual | C$72.45 annual |
| 4 | C$29.40 annual | C$45.15 annual | C$72.45 annual |
On a Family Fishing Weekend anyone may fish without a licence, across Manitoba except in federal parks; every other rule applies. The province’s two official sources disagree on the winter date.
| Weekend | Dates | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Free Fishing Days (move to the new licensing system) | 27 March – 5 April 2026, past | e-licensing key dates |
| Summer Family Fishing Weekend | 12–14 June 2026, past | Both sources |
| Winter Family Fishing Weekend | 13–15 February 2027, Saturday to Monday | e-licensing key dates, read 29 September 2026 |
| Winter Family Fishing Weekend | 20–22 February 2027 | Anglers’ Guide 2026 |
Manitoba residents 65 and over, Manitoba resident youth under 16, and Manitoba residents who are serving members or veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces fish without a licence, carrying proof of age or residency and, for the Forces, their ID card. Status Indians need no angling licence. Canadian and non-Canadian youth under 16 fish with a licence holder, or with someone exempt, and their catch counts against that person’s limit, unless they buy their own licence.
| Who fishes without buying one | What to carry, and the limits |
|---|---|
| Manitoba residents 65 and over | Proof of age and Manitoba residency. |
| Manitoba resident youth under 16 | Their own limit; proof of age. Six months’ residence in Manitoba. |
| Manitoba resident Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans | Proof of residency and Forces ID NDI 20, or Record of Service / Veterans’ Service Card NDI 75. |
| Status Indians | Proof of status; exempt from angling regulations when fishing for food. |
| Canadian and non-Canadian youth under 16 | With a licence holder or an exempt person, on that person’s limit; or their own licence. |
| Everyone, on Family Fishing Weekends | No licence needed; all other rules apply. Not in federal parks. |
Manitoba requires barbless hooks for all angling; using a barbed hook is a C$220 fine.
A Manitoba licence is not valid in national parks, which need a Parks Canada licence. On Lake of the Prairies above the Shellmouth Dam a Saskatchewan licence is also valid, and on several border lakes with Ontario an Ontario licence is.
Online at manitobaelicensing.ca, at one of the 167 vendors and government offices on the province’s issuer list, including 8 Canadian Tire stores, or by phone at 1-877-880-1203. Licences are not transferable or refundable.
A new system in 2027. Manitoba moved to a new e-licensing platform, built by Online Business Systems (now part of CGI), on 1 April 2026. Accounts now need only an email address rather than government ID, and an old account carries over when you sign in with the same email.
Buy from the agency or its official portal, linked in the sources below. A site that adds a processing fee on top of the agency price is a reseller.
Manitoba’s licence year runs from 1 May to 30 April, so a licence bought for the spring walleye opener covers the following winter’s ice fishing on Lake Winnipeg and the Red River. The flip side is the calendar: an annual licence bought in March lasts only until the end of April. One-day licences for the new season go on sale on 1 April and annual licences on 15 April.
Manitoba exempts several groups of its own residents: seniors, children under 16 and serving members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces who live in the province need no licence, and neither do Status Indians. Children from other provinces and countries fish on an adult’s limit unless they buy their own licence.
For a Manitoba resident three one-day licences cost more than the annual licence, so the year is cheaper from the third day of fishing. For another Canadian and for a visitor from the United States it is cheaper from the third day as well: C$56.70 against C$45.15, and C$81.90 against C$72.45.
Every hook used for angling in Manitoba must be barbless or have its barbs pinched flat against the shank, a rule that surprises visitors more than any other. The province publishes set fines: C$220 for a barbed hook, C$298 for fishing without a licence and C$174 for not carrying it.
The winter Family Fishing Weekend is the one date on this page where Manitoba contradicts itself. The e-licensing key dates page gives Saturday 13 to Monday 15 February 2027, the long weekend of Louis Riel Day, while the 2026 anglers’ guide gives 20 to 22 February. This site lists both and will update the page when the province corrects one.
C$29.40 a year or C$13.65 a day for Manitoba residents, C$45.15 or C$18.90 for other Canadians and C$72.45 or C$27.30 for non-Canadians, GST included. The annual licence runs from 1 May to 30 April.
Not if they live in Manitoba and are 65 or over: they carry proof of age and residency. Seniors from elsewhere pay the Canadian or non-Canadian price.
Yes. The province’s issuer list has 167 vendors and government offices, 8 of them Canadian Tire stores, and the licence is also sold online and by phone at 1-877-880-1203.
The winter Family Fishing Weekend in February 2027: the e-licensing key dates page says 13–15 February, the 2026 anglers’ guide says 20–22 February. Check the province’s page before relying on either.
Yes. Licences may be printed or carried on an electronic device, and must be shown to an officer on request.
Not a Manitoba one: fishing in national parks needs a Parks Canada licence and follows federal park rules.
Every Manitoba water on this site carries a daily report and links back to this page. The Manitoba hub has today's verdicts side by side; all Canada waters are filterable by type and species.