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Walleye (pickerel) in Canada

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. Spring opener to fall, and the ice. Best month across the Canada waters we cover: June.

Walleye (pickerel) field-guide illustration

Identification and biology

The walleye is listed as walleye (pickerel) in the Ontario and Manitoba regulations, and pickerel is still its everyday name in much of both provinces. Alberta’s regulations guide describes it by its two separate back fins, the first with large spines, its yellow-olive back and brassy, silvery sides with yellow spots, the white belly and the white tip on the lower lobe of the tail; its large glassy eyes let it feed in low light. It spawns in spring on rocky shoals and in rivers soon after the ice goes out, which is why provinces close walleye through the spawn in much of their water: in 2026 Saskatchewan’s southern zone opened on 5 May and Manitoba’s Southern Division on 9 May. Lake Winnipeg’s walleye are known as greenbacks for their emerald colour, and Lake of the Woods, Lake Diefenbaker, Tobin Lake, the Bay of Quinte and Lake Erie are well-known walleye waters.

Where they live through the year

After the spring opener, walleye are on the shallow shoals and in the river mouths; through summer they move to the deeper breaks, reefs and mud flats, feeding at dawn and dusk; in fall they return to the rocks and the rivers and feed heavily before winter. Through the ice, they hold near the bottom over the transitions between shallow and deep water and feed at first and last light. In the Detroit River and the Red River, the spring and fall runs bring big fish close to the cities.

The mistakes that cost fish

Fishing the middle of a bright day in clear water, when walleye are deep and inactive, instead of the low-light hours. Fishing too fast in cold water. Missing the season: the opener and the zone limits differ from province to province and from zone to zone, and some lakes have special rules or a harvest licence.

Reading the report for walleye

Walleye respond to light and pressure: an overcast, windy day with a falling barometer before a front is the classic bite, and the bright, calm day after a front is often slow. The fishing times on each page point to dawn and dusk. On the river pages, the gauge shows the spring and fall rises that move fish.

Where to fish them in Canada

On this site, walleye are on the pages for Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg, the Red River at Selkirk, Lake Diefenbaker, Tobin Lake, Pigeon and Sylvan lakes, the Bay of Quinte, Rice Lake, the Detroit and St. Lawrence rivers and the Lake Erie ports, with the live gauge where there is one.

Tackle setups

SituationSetupWhy it works
Jig and minnow1.8 to 2 m medium-light spinning rod, 3.5 to 4.5 kg braid, fluorocarbon leader, 7 to 14 g jig tipped with a minnowThe standard walleye method on rocks, reefs and current breaks
Crawler harnessBottom bouncer and a spinner harness with a nightcrawler, trolled slowly over the flatsCovers water when walleye are scattered in summer
Stickbait at night2 m rod, 4.5 kg line, shallow-running stickbait cast or trolled along the shorelineBig walleye move shallow at night in fall
Through the iceShort ice rod, 2.5 to 3.5 kg line, jigging spoon plus a dead-stick minnow nearbyThe spoon draws fish, the still minnow gets the bite

Playbook by water temperature

The plan the daily report picks for walleye (pickerel) in each band; the water temperature on each page is a seasonal estimate for its type of water and says so.

Hot water (over 27 °C)

Fish go deep or feed at night. Troll crawler harnesses and crankbaits along the mud flats and breaks at dawn and dusk.

Warm water (18 to 27 °C)

Jig and minnow along the weed edges, reefs and current breaks; troll the flats when they scatter.

Cool water (10 to 18 °C)

The fall bite: fish move to the rock and the river mouths; jigs and minnows, stickbaits at night.

Cold water (under 10 °C)

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.

Month by month

Activity for the Canadian year, 1 slow to 5 peak; January is midwinter, with most lakes under ice. Current month highlighted.

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Walleye (pickerel)
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Waters we cover for walleye (pickerel)

19 Canada waters carry walleye (pickerel) on their species card, each with a daily report.

Ontario 13

Lake of the WoodslakeLong Point Bay, Lake ErielakeErieaucityPort GlasgowcityDetroit RiverriverWheatleycityLake St. ClairlakeBay of QuintelakeRice LakelakeSt. Lawrence RiverriverGrand RiverriverOttawa River at OttawariverLake Muskokalake

Manitoba 2

Lake WinnipeglakeRed River at Selkirkriver

Saskatchewan 2

Lake DiefenbakerlakeTobin Lakelake

Alberta 2

Pigeon LakelakeSylvan Lakelake

Common questions

Is a pickerel the same as a walleye?

In Canada, yes: the Ontario and Manitoba regulations list the fish as walleye (pickerel).

When does walleye season open?

After the spring spawn, on a date set by each province and zone; check the province’s regulations for the water.

What is the best time of day for walleye?

Dawn and dusk, and overcast or windy days, when the light is low.

Pages checked

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.

How this page was made. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on September 27, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.