Walleye (pickerel)
Good
Through the ice where it is safe: jigging spoons and a dead-stick minnow near the bottom at first and last light. Open rivers: slow jigs in the deep holes.
Tobin Lake Fishing Report
Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live weather and water data
Tobin Lake on the Saskatchewan River: walleye and pike under slot limits, barbless hooks only, and a live gauge at the E.B. Campbell spillway.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
313.55 m
Air / High
1 °C / 9 °C
Wind
WSW 12 km/h
Sources: Water Survey of Canada station 05KD004, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Tobin Lake is a cold-water proposition today: small baits, slow presentations and a long soak. The gauge reads 313.55 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 13 km/h, rising pressure near 1006 hPa and a high of 9 °C. Water sits around 4 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:39 PM-1:39 AM and 11:57 AM-1:57 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Northern pike (jackfish)
Good
Under the ice where it is safe: tip-ups with dead bait in the shallow bays.
Yellow perch
Good
The ice season where the ice is safe: small spoons and tungsten jigs tipped with minnow heads, moving hole to hole to find the school.
Tie on: Jigging spoon through the ice · Dead-stick minnow · Tip-up with dead bait · Tungsten jig and wax worm. Prime windows: 11:39 PM-1:39 AM, 11:57 AM-1:57 PM, 8:47 AM-9:47 AM. Cooler at 3 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Saskatchewan requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from C$15.00. Saskatchewan fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing walleye (pickerel) here? Check the size and bag limits with Saskatchewan before you keep anything; the Walleye (pickerel) page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Tobin Lake today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (08:09), sunset (17:05), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:39 PM-1:39 AM and 11:57 AM-1:57 PM; minor 8:47 AM-9:47 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Water Survey of Canada station 05KD004 (TOBIN LAKE AT THE SPILLWAY).
Lake level, last 30 days
Water Survey of Canada real-time hydrometric data, station 05KD004. Latest reading 2026-11-09 04:20.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp1 °C
High / Low9 °C / 0 °C
WindWSW 12 km/h, gusts 23 km/h
Pressure100.58 kPa, rising
Sky / Rain16% cloud, 10%
Sunrise / Sunset08:09 / 17:05
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~4 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Tobin Lake
The best day on Tobin Lake this week looks like Thursday Nov 12, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.
Best day this week: Thursday, Nov 12 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, Nov 9 — Tough
Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
- Solunar majors
- 11:39 PM-1:39 AM and 11:57 AM-1:57 PM
- Minor period
- 8:47 AM-9:47 AM
- Sun
- 08:09 to 17:05
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Storms, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 10%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Tobin Lake: seasons written for the Canadian year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Walleye (pickerel)
Spring opener to fall, and the ice
Open now Closes Apr 1, 2027. Tobin Lake is closed to angling 1 April to 14 May; walleye and sauger 3 (one over 86 cm, none 55-86 cm), pike 4 (one over 115 cm, none 75-115 cm), barbless hooks. Rule as read from Government of Saskatchewan on 2026-09-27.
Called pickerel in much of Ontario and Manitoba. The fish of Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg and the Red River, Lake Diefenbaker, Tobin Lake, Lake Erie and the Bay of Quinte. Most zones close in spring for the spawn. Through the ice where it is safe: jigging spoons and a dead-stick minnow near the bottom at first and last light. Open rivers: slow jigs in the deep holes.
Northern pike (jackfish)
Spring, fall and the ice
Open now Closes Apr 1, 2027. Tobin Lake is closed to angling 1 April to 14 May; walleye and sauger 3 (one over 86 cm, none 55-86 cm), pike 4 (one over 115 cm, none 75-115 cm), barbless hooks. Rule as read from Government of Saskatchewan on 2026-09-27.
Called jackfish on the prairies. Found in almost every lake and slow river from Ontario to Alberta; big fish in the cold, deep lakes. Under the ice where it is safe: tip-ups with dead bait in the shallow bays.
Yellow perch
Year-round; the ice season at Lake Simcoe and Long Point
Open now Closes Apr 1, 2027. Tobin Lake is closed to angling 1 April to 14 May; walleye and sauger 3 (one over 86 cm, none 55-86 cm), pike 4 (one over 115 cm, none 75-115 cm), barbless hooks. Rule as read from Government of Saskatchewan on 2026-09-27.
The ice-fishing fish of Lake Simcoe, Long Point Bay and Lake St. Clair, and a summer staple on every Great Lakes shore. Schools move constantly. The ice season where the ice is safe: small spoons and tungsten jigs tipped with minnow heads, moving hole to hole to find the school.
When to come: the Tobin Lake calendar
Activity by species and month for the Canadian year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye (pickerel)
Northern pike (jackfish)
Yellow perch
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 4 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Tobin Lake today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at good. High of 8 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at good. High of 11 °C, wind to 26 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at excellent. High of 9 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Saskatchewan angling licence, from C$15.00 for a resident adult, with higher prices for other Canadians and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and protected areas are set by Saskatchewan and, in salt water and for salmon, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Saskatchewan licence page before you keep anything. The zone-by-zone seasons and limits are on Saskatchewan fishing seasons.
Access
A Saskatchewan angling licence and, for anglers 16 to 64, the Fisheries Habitat Certificate are needed.
About this water
Tobin Lake is a lake in Saskatchewan, Canada, covered from the Saskatchewan reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Tobin Lake: the full guide
Tobin Lake
The Saskatchewan Anglers’ Guide defines Tobin Lake as the reservoir on the Saskatchewan River from the E.B. Campbell Dam upstream to the dam it names the Francois Finley Dam, including the Petaigan River, in east-central Saskatchewan near Nipawin. The province manages its walleye and pike with slot limits that protect mid-sized fish and allow one trophy of each. The Water Survey of Canada gauge at the spillway, station 05KD004, supplies the lake level and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Walleye and northern pike are the fish, with sauger and yellow perch. Under the 2026–27 guide, anglers may keep three walleye and sauger combined, only one over 86 cm and none between 55 and 86 cm, and four pike, only one over 115 cm and none between 75 and 115 cm. Tobin is in the central zone but has its own dates: it is closed to angling from 1 April to 14 May and reopens on 15 May.
Where to fish it
The lake is fished from launches and resorts around its shores, and in winter from ice camps across the bays; the Saskatchewan River below the E.B. Campbell Dam is fished too, under the central zone’s general rules unless the guide lists that water. The current from the river keeps the ice uneven, and parts of the lake can stay thin all winter.
Planning a visit
Barbless hooks are mandatory on Tobin Lake: outside its catch-and-release waters, the guide requires them only here, on Lake of the Prairies and on Athapapuskow Lake, so pinch barbs before you arrive. If you are new to the lake, a local outfitter who knows the current ice is worth the fee, and unattended ice shelters must show the owner’s full name, address and phone number in letters at least 2.5 cm high.
Ice and seasons
Ice fishing runs from freeze-up to the end of March, when the season closes, and shelters on lakes north of Highway 16 must be off the ice by 31 March. No agency certifies the ice. Two lines may be fished through the ice, within sight and within 25 metres of the angler, and only J-hook gaffs no longer than 1.5 metres may be used to land fish.
Reading this report here
The gauge at the spillway shows the reservoir level, which follows the dam’s operation as well as the weather; the chart covers the last 30 days. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, follows a northern prairie lake, and pressure and cloud at the spillway drive the score.
Licence, access and rules
A Saskatchewan angling licence and, for anglers 16 to 64, the Fisheries Habitat Certificate are needed. Tobin’s slot limits, dates and barbless rule are in the Saskatchewan Anglers’ Guide linked below, and our Saskatchewan licence page has the fees.
Common questions
Can I keep a big walleye from Tobin Lake?
One over 86 cm, within a limit of three walleye and sauger; fish between 55 and 86 cm must be released under the 2026–27 guide.
Do I need barbless hooks on Tobin Lake?
Yes, the Saskatchewan Anglers’ Guide makes barbless hooks mandatory on Tobin.
When is Tobin Lake closed to fishing?
From 1 April to 14 May; it reopens on 15 May.
Is fishing good at Tobin Lake right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Water level and flow readings
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Water Survey of Canada real-time hydrometric data, station 05KD004 — TOBIN LAKE AT THE SPILLWAY
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.