Manitoba is divided into four fishing divisions. Most species are open all year everywhere; the closed seasons that exist protect spawning walleye and sauger, lake sturgeon and, in the Southern Division, lake trout in the fall. Today, Nov 9, 2026, no general closure is in force. The 2027 walleye closures will be in the 2027 anglers’ guide; Manitoba publishes them as dates each year.
As printed in the Manitoba Anglers’ Guide 2026. The guide’s division map, on page 16, draws the boundaries; waters with their own rules are listed division by division on pages 17 to 23.
Includes Lake Winnipeg and the Red River. In Area A of eastern Manitoba every walleye over 45 cm and lake trout over 55 cm must be released; in Area B of southwestern Manitoba every walleye under 35 cm must be released.
| Species | Closed season, as published | Open season, as published | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger | April 6 to May 8, 2026 | May 9, 2026 to April 4, 2027 | Open to Apr 4, 2027 |
| Lake sturgeon | May 1 to June 15 | June 16 to April 30 | Open to Apr 30, 2027 |
| Lake trout | September 15 to October 31 | November 1 to September 14 | Open to Sep 14, 2027 |
| All other species | — | Open year-round | Open all year |
No live bait fish.
| Species | Closed season, as published | Open season, as published | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger | May 1 to May 15, 2026 | May 16, 2026 to April 30, 2027 | Open to Apr 30, 2027 |
| Lake sturgeon | May 1 to June 30 | July 1 to April 30 | Open to Apr 30, 2027 |
| All other species | — | Open year-round | Open all year |
No live bait fish. The listed stocked trout lakes are open all year, except for walleye during the walleye closure.
| Species | Closed season, as published | Open season, as published | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger | May 1 to May 15, 2026 | May 16, 2026 to April 30, 2027 | Open to Apr 30, 2027 |
| Lake sturgeon | May 1 to June 30 | July 1 to April 30 | Open to Apr 30, 2027 |
| All other species | — | Open year-round | Open all year |
Generally open to angling all year. No live bait fish; only single barbless hooks on the waters the guide lists.
| Species | Closed season, as published | Open season, as published | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| All species | — | Generally open all year | Open all year |
Manitoba’s general limits apply to most waters; possession limits are the same as daily limits, and they include fish at camp, in transport or at home. Waters and divisions with their own limits are listed in the guide.
| Species | Possession limit | Size restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger, combined | 4 | None may exceed 55 cm |
| Northern pike (jackfish) | 4 | None may exceed 75 cm |
| Yellow perch | 25 | — |
| Lake trout | 1 | None may exceed 65 cm |
| Largemouth bass | 4 | None may exceed 45 cm |
| Smallmouth bass | 4 | None may exceed 45 cm |
| Black crappie | 6 | None may exceed 35 cm |
| Channel catfish | 4 | None may exceed 60 cm |
| Lake whitefish | 10 | — |
| Goldeye and mooneye | 10 | — |
| Burbot | 6 | None may exceed 70 cm |
| Arctic grayling | 3 | None may exceed 40 cm |
| Brook trout (not stocked waters) | 1 | None may exceed 45 cm |
| Stocked trout, splake and Arctic char, combined | 3 | Only one over 45 cm; none over 60 cm |
| Lake sturgeon, muskellunge, bigmouth buffalo | 0 | Catch and release only |
Each water’s own page shows today’s status for its species, including the special regulations below.
Manitoba’s regulations are simpler than most: nearly every species is open all year in every division. The closed seasons are targeted at spawning fish, walleye and sauger in spring, lake sturgeon into early summer, and in the Southern Division lake trout from mid-September to the end of October. Everything else, from northern pike to perch and channel catfish, can be fished twelve months a year under the general limits.
Unlike Ontario, which writes its openers as a rule, Manitoba prints the walleye closure as dates for each licence year: 6 April to 8 May 2026 in the Southern Division and 1 to 15 May 2026 in the three northern divisions. This page shows those dates as published and does not guess the 2027 ones; they will be added when the 2027 guide is out.
Manitoba manages its walleye with size caps as much as closures. The general limit is four walleye, none over 55 cm; in Area A of eastern Manitoba every walleye over 45 cm must go back, and in Area B of the southwest every walleye under 35 cm. Under the general limits pike over 75 cm and lake trout over 65 cm go back too, and sturgeon and muskellunge are catch and release only.
Lake Winnipeg, the Red River, Dauphin Lake and the Assiniboine River carry their own closures and limits in the Southern Division, and each division lists stocked trout waters, closed streams and special lakes. The two Manitoba waters with a report on this site, Lake Winnipeg and the Red River at Selkirk, show their own rules below and on their pages.
The status column is worked out from the published dates in Manitoba time, so a closure starts and ends on the day the guide says. Where a season runs across the new year, such as the lake trout closure, the page carries the dates forward because the guide prints the same days every year. The division boundaries are the ones on the guide’s map, and near a boundary the map decides.
In 2026 walleye and sauger reopened on 9 May in the Southern Division and on 16 May in the Northwest and North Central divisions; the Northeast Division is generally open all year. The 2027 dates will be in the 2027 anglers’ guide.
Lake trout are closed in the Southern Division from 15 September to 31 October and reopen on 1 November. In the other divisions the general regulations keep them open all year.
The Southern, Northwest, North Central and Northeast divisions, mapped on page 16 of the anglers’ guide. Each has its own closed seasons and special waters.
Four, none over 55 cm, under the general limits; some areas and waters are stricter, such as Area A, where every walleye over 45 cm must be released.
Yes, for all angling in the province. Using a barbed hook is a C$220 fine.