Fishing Lake Winnipeg: greenback walleye, the seasons, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

Lake Winnipeg is one of the largest lakes in the world by surface area, roughly 24,500 km² (about 9,460 sq miles), but it is shallow, averaging only about 12 m (40 ft) deep. That shallowness makes it fertile, food-rich and quick to colour up in wind. The mineral-rich, limestone-influenced water gives its walleye a distinctive green back.

The size and the shallowness together are the whole story. A lake this big with a mean depth of only about 12 m warms fast, grows huge amounts of plankton and baitfish, and the walleye that follow grow fat and long. The same shallowness means a wind builds a short, steep, dangerous chop quickly and the water colours up brown in a blow, which both shapes how and when you fish (source: Travel Manitoba and the Manitoba Anglers' Guide, as of 5 June 2026).

The lake has two basins joined by a narrows. For a visiting angler the south basin around Gimli is the accessible hub: it is about an hour's drive north of the city of Winnipeg, it has a marina, a harbour and an airport within reach, and in winter the town runs a maintained ice road out onto the greenback grounds. The north basin and Hecla Island add more water, but the south basin off Gimli is where most visitors base themselves.

The "greenback" is local shorthand, not a separate species. It is the Lake Winnipeg walleye, the same fish you would call a pickerel across much of Canada, but the mineral-rich water turns its back an emerald green, and the lake's productivity grows them to a size that draws anglers from across the country. A thirty-inch (about 75 cm) walleye is a genuine target here, and many are caught and released.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Greenback walleye are the headline, running large, with many over 75 cm (30 in) caught and released. Sauger share the same water. Big "Master Angler" northern pike, yellow perch, and in places channel catfish and freshwater drum round out the list. Each holds in different water and wants a different method. The cards below give you where, when and how for every species in scope.

Others, for context. The lake also holds channel catfish and freshwater drum (silver bass / sheepshead) in places, plus other coarse fish. They are not what most visiting anglers travel here for, so the four cards above are the trip. (The Red River south of the lake is itself a famous channel-catfish water, a separate trip.)

I have set each species out as a card. Read the one for the fish you want, then check the seasonal section for how it moves through the year, and follow the rig link to build the method.

How the fishing changes by season

Winter is the famous greenback trip: fish stack off Gimli and you reach them on the ice road, December to late March. The walleye/sauger season then closes for spawning in spring. Open water opens in mid-May and fishes through summer and autumn, with jigs and bottom-bouncers over the flats. Pike and perch fill in around the walleye.

Here is the year in plain terms, tied to the methods from the cards above.

• Winter (December to late March), the signature trip. The lake freezes hard and the town runs a maintained ice road out onto the south basin off Gimli. Greenback walleye stack up on the shoals and breaks, and you fish a jig or spoon and a minnow vertically through the hole, often from a heated shelter. Sauger, pike and perch come too. This is the famous greenback fishery, but the ice is only safe at the right time and shifting ice, snow and wind make local knowledge and ice-safety essential (see the rules and the guide section).
• Spring (the closure). The walleye and sauger season closes for the spawn (the Southern Division closure runs 6 April to 8 May 2026 in the roster's general dates; Lake Winnipeg's own opener is later, see the next note). Plan around the opener rather than turning up to find the headline fish shut. Pike fishing can be open and strong in this window where the season allows.
• Late spring (the open-water opener, mid-May). Open water for walleye and sauger opens in mid-May, and the fish are spread on the warming shoals and river-mouth flats. Jig and minnow, and the bottom-bouncer and harness to cover water, are the methods. Pike feed hard post-spawn.
• Summer (June to August). Walleye and sauger are on the open-basin flats, reefs and breaks; you cover water with bottom-bouncers and harnesses and pick fish off structure with a jig. The shallow lake warms and colours up in wind, which can concentrate or scatter the fish. Dawn, dusk and overcast, breezy days beat the flat-calm bright middle of the day. Perch school up.
• Autumn (September to freeze-up). Often the best all-round open-water window. Walleye feed up before winter, pike feed hard, and the perch schools are packed. Quieter water as the summer crowds go, then the lake starts to make ice toward the famous winter fishery again.

What you can eat (and what you must release)

Walleye, sauger, pike and perch are all excellent eating, and this is a keep-and-eat fishery within the limits. The key rule on Lake Winnipeg is a walleye possession limit with a size cap to protect the big spawners, so many anglers release the largest fish. Check any Manitoba consumption guidance for mercury advice on larger fish before you eat a lot.

This is a fishery people travel to fill a cooler on, so two things are worth being exact about.

First, the walleye rule with a size cap. Lake Winnipeg's walleye possession is governed by your licence type and a size limit aimed at conservation. As of the 2026 Manitoba Anglers' Guide, the rule is a possession limit of 4 walleye, each 55 cm (about 21.5 in) or smaller (confirmed, Manitoba Anglers' Guide 2026, as of 5 June 2026). This replaced an older, more generous rule, so the big walleye now go back. Confirm the possession number and size cap for your specific area in the current Manitoba Anglers' Guide before you keep a fish (see licence and rules).

Second, mercury and the big fish. Walleye are prized eating, but larger, older fish accumulate mercury, so check the current Manitoba fish-consumption guidance for any advisory on bigger walleye and pike before you plan to eat a lot of what you catch. The size cap above happens to line up with eating well anyway: the medium "eater" fish are both the legal keep and the better meal.

Whatever you keep, check the possession number, the size cap and any closed season first, handle fish you mean to release in wet hands, unhook them in the water where you can, keep a big walleye in the water for the photo, and clean and dry your boat, auger and kit between waters so you do not move invasive species.

Licence and rules

Yes, you need a Manitoba fishing licence. Buy it online at manitobaelicensing.ca in minutes, from a retailer, or by phone. For a non-Canadian resident, as of 2026 it is about CAD $72.45 a year or $27.30 for one day (check the site for any short-term option); a Canadian non-resident annual is about $45.15. A cheaper Conservation licence carries reduced limits. Walleye possession is capped with a size limit.

What the basic licence covers. A Manitoba angling licence lets you fish across the province's open public waters, including Lake Winnipeg, on the season and limits in the Anglers' Guide for the area. You choose your residency (Manitoba resident, Canadian non-resident, or non-Canadian resident), the licence type (Conservation or Regular), and the term. The Conservation licence is cheaper but carries reduced limits; the Regular licence costs more and carries the standard limits. On Lake Winnipeg the walleye keep is capped either way (4 in possession, all 55 cm or smaller, 2026). The licence applies on the ice as well as in open water (source: Province of Manitoba, as of 5 June 2026).

2026 Manitoba non-Canadian-resident licence prices (effective 1 April 2026; source: gov.mb.ca/elicensing/fees.html and manitobaelicensing.ca, as of 5 June 2026):

Conservation vs Regular: the Conservation licence is cheaper and carries reduced bag limits; the Regular licence costs more and carries the standard limits. On Lake Winnipeg the walleye keep is the same size-capped 4-fish rule either way (2026); pick on price and how much else you mean to keep, and confirm the exact bag for your area in the Anglers' Guide.

How to get it

• Go to manitobaelicensing.ca and create an account (or use the Hunt Fish Manitoba route).
• Choose your residency, Conservation or Regular, and the term (the 1-day suits a one-off visit, the annual if you will fish a lot; check the site for any short-term option).
• Pay, and carry the licence on your phone or printed while you fish, on open water or on the ice.
• Or buy in person from a retailer (bait and tackle shops and many outlets around Gimli and the Interlake), or by phone.

Possession and size limits

Possession and size limits (source: the current Manitoba Anglers' Guide, 2026, as of 5 June 2026):

Walleye / sauger: the headline rule is a possession cap with a size limit. As of the 2026 Manitoba Anglers' Guide the rule is 4 walleye in possession, each 55 cm (about 21.5 in) or smaller (confirmed, as of 5 June 2026). This tightened an older, larger limit, so read the current Anglers' Guide for your exact area before you keep a fish. The big spawners go back.

Pike and perch: follow the current zone limits in the Anglers' Guide; pike at Master Angler size are usually released.

2026 seasons

2026 seasons (source: Manitoba Anglers' Guide and the roster's Southern Division dates, as of 5 June 2026):

Other rules that matter

• Ice safety is the real risk in winter. The lake is huge and the ice shifts, cracks and pressure-ridges; wind and snow change it fast. Use the maintained ice road, do not drive onto unknown ice, and if you are new to the lake go with a guide who knows the current conditions.
• The wind on a shallow lake. A moderate wind builds a short, steep, dangerous chop on the south basin fast, and colours the water up. Watch the marine and weather forecast and be ready to come off the water.
• Clean, drain and dry your boat, trailer, auger and kit between waters to avoid moving invasive species.
• Buy the licence at manitobaelicensing.ca or a retailer before you fish.

Where to fish

This is south-basin water fished off Gimli. In open water you fish the shoals, reefs and river-mouth flats from a boat out of Gimli marina or the south-basin marinas. In winter you reach the greenback grounds off Gimli Harbour on the town's maintained ice road, with wheeled vehicles. Hecla Island and Gull Harbour to the north add more water. Shore fishing is limited.

The south basin has little deep, hard structure, so where you fish is about the shoals, reefs, river-mouth flats and the wind-pushed colour and bait lines, reached by boat in summer and over the ice in winter. These are the access points and the productive water (source: Travel Manitoba and greenbackguiding.ca, as of 5 June 2026):

• Gimli. The staging point on the west shore: a marina and docks for summer boats and charters, bait and supplies, and a maintained ice road in winter that gives wheeled vehicles access to the greenback grounds off Gimli Harbour. The natural base for a first trip.
• Gimli Harbour and the south-basin shoals. The greenback grounds: shoals, reefs and breaks off the harbour where the walleye stack up, the target of both the summer boat and the winter ice trip.
• The south-basin marinas. Other launch and marina points around the south basin serve trailer boats and summer charters.
• The river mouths and warming flats. Where rivers come in, the warmer, food-rich water draws walleye, sauger and pike, especially early in the open-water season.
• Hecla Island and Gull Harbour (north). Further up the lake in the scenic Interlake, with its own harbour and lodging; some guides fish here as well as off Gimli.

What it means for method

• The open-water shoals and flats (summer): cover water with a bottom-bouncer and a spinner or worm harness, and pick fish off structure with a jig and minnow, on the walleye jig and bottom-bouncer.
• The greenback grounds off Gimli (winter, on the ice road): a jig or spoon and a minnow fished vertically through the hole over the right depth, on the ice fishing method.
• Finesse and shy fish: a vertical jig over a school, or a drop shot for pressured perch and walleye.
• The weedy bays and river mouths: pike on a pike rig with a trace.

Shore fishing is limited. You can pick up the odd fish from the harbour and around the marina structure, best in low light, but to fish the south basin properly you want a boat in summer or the ice road in winter. The bank is a bonus, not the trip.

Guide, hut, or your own boat

Three ways onto the water. Book a guide (the simplest for a visitor: they supply the boat or the heated ice shelter, the tackle and the local knowledge, and they manage the ice safety), bring or hire your own boat to a south-basin marina in summer, or fish the ice yourself off the ice road in winter. Rates are on request, so the link below is the one to book through. The shifting ice makes a guide the safe first-trip choice in winter.

A guide is what makes a first trip simple here, in summer and especially in winter, because the ice changes constantly and the marks are local knowledge.

Guided (recommended for a first visit)

Greenback Guiding & Outfitting runs both summer boat charters and heated winter ice-fishing shelters out of Gimli (with the option to fish from Gull Harbour on Hecla Island in the Interlake), chasing greenback walleye, Master Angler pike and perch. They supply the boat or shelter, the gear and the local knowledge. Other Lake Winnipeg walleye guides and outfitters operate out of Gimli and the south basin. Book directly:

• Greenback Guiding & Outfitting – summer boat charters and heated ice-fishing shelters from Gimli / Hecla Island, for greenback walleye, Master Angler pike and perch, with the boat or shelter, the gear and the local knowledge. greenbackguiding.ca.

Rates are on request and vary by trip and party size, so book direct and confirm the boat or shelter, the tackle and what else is included. You still need your own Manitoba licence for the fishing (the guide can advise which one).

Your own boat (summer)

If you bring or hire a boat, launch at the Gimli marina or a south-basin marina. The south basin is shallow and a wind builds a short, steep chop fast, so you want a boat able to handle it, a sounder, and the bottom-bouncer and jigging gear for the flats and shoals. A drift-control bag or trolling motor helps you hold over a shoal. Check the marine forecast and be ready to come off the water.

The ice yourself (winter)

Experienced ice anglers fish off the maintained ice road off Gimli with their own auger and shelter. But the ice shifts, cracks and pressure-ridges, and wind and snow change it fast, so this is not a trip to take alone if you are new to the lake. Use the maintained road, do not drive onto unknown ice, check the current conditions locally, and go with a guide for your first trip.

The conditions are the one to respect. In summer it is the wind on a shallow lake; in winter it is the ice. Either way, a guide makes the call for you, and on a self-drive or self-walk day you make it yourself, so plan to be cautious.

Where to stay

To base yourself near the fishing, stay in Gimli on the west shore, the staging town with the marina, the harbour and the ice road on the doorstep and an hour from the city of Winnipeg. Hecla Island and Gull Harbour to the north add a quieter Interlake base near the northern fishing. There are hotels, lodges, cottages and campgrounds around both.

Stay near the water

• Gimli. The hub: hotels, motels, cottages, bait and supplies, the marina and the harbour, with the ice road out of town in winter. The simplest base for a first trip, about an hour north of Winnipeg.
• Hecla Island / Gull Harbour (the Interlake). A quieter base further north in the scenic Interlake, with lodge and resort lodging and its own harbour, near the northern fishing some guides use.
• Around the south basin. Cottages and campgrounds ring the south-basin shore for a self-catering base near the launch ramps and marinas.
• Winnipeg. The city is about an hour south, a wider choice of hotels and the nearest airport, if you would rather drive up to fish for the day.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

A small set of rigs covers everything here, and they share most of their tackle. The walleye jig and bottom-bouncer is the open-water core. The ice-fishing method is the winter trip, with the same jig or spoon and a minnow fished vertically through a hole. The vertical jig and drop shot carry over for finesse fish; the pike rig adds a trace. Each links to its own build page.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Walleye and sauger, open water, covering and picking off the flats → walleye jig and bottom-bouncer. The open-water core: a jig and minnow or plastic worked vertically and on the cast to pick fish off structure, and a bottom-bouncer with a spinner or worm harness to cover the flats and find the school. The page covers the jig and the bottom-bouncer together.
• Walleye, sauger, pike and perch, through the ice → ice fishing method. The famous winter greenback trip: a jig or a small spoon tipped with a minnow, fished vertically through the hole over the right depth, often from a heated shelter on the ice road. The terminal end is the same jig and dropper the open-water rigs use; the page covers the method, the hut and auger, and ice safety.
• Walleye, sauger and perch, finesse and shy fish → vertical jig or drop shot. A vertical jig drops straight down and works with a lift-and-drop over a marked school; a drop shot hovers a small bait or plastic just off the bottom for pressured fish. Both carry over from the rig library.
• Northern pike, bank or boat, open water or ice → pike rig. A wire or heavy fluorocarbon trace, then either a big soft shad or spoon on the cast or a dead or live bait, single hook. The trace is the one non-negotiable, because pike teeth cut a light leader.

The knots that tie these rigs are the Palomar (the workhorse, for jigheads, hooks, swivels and bottom-bouncers), the dropper loop (a branch for a spinner harness, a dropper or a second ice jig) and the non-slip loop (a free-swinging jighead, spoon or lure). Each rig page links to the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish (walleye, sauger, pike, perch) and whether you are fishing open water or the ice, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and rigs to what you need. A guide supplies almost everything; on your own you need a jigging and bottom-bouncer outfit in summer, or an auger, a shelter and warm kit in winter. The full list is below, grouped, with no brands and no prices.

That is the whole list. On a guided trip you really only need the licence, warm clothes or sun kit, a cooler and bags, and the conditions left to the guide; they have the rest. On your own, add the open-water jigging and bottom-bouncer outfits in summer, or the auger, shelter, ice-safety set and warm kit in winter. Buy generic sizes and types; you do not need a named brand to catch a greenback.

A trip checklist

Before you go: check your dates against the seasons (winter ice or the mid-May open-water opener), buy the Manitoba licence, decide guided, your own boat, or the ice and book it, pack the right kit for summer or winter (and a cooler for fillets), and note the walleye size cap. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Check your dates. Winter (December to late March) is the famous ice greenback trip; open water opens in mid-May and runs through summer and autumn. The walleye/sauger season closes for the spawn in spring, so do not turn up in the closure. (See the "what's on" strip above.)
2. Buy the Manitoba licence. Online at manitobaelicensing.ca (the 1-day suits a one-off visit, the annual if you will fish a lot; check the site for any short-term option), or from a retailer. Choose Conservation or Regular to match how much you mean to keep. Carry it on your phone, on water or ice.
3. Decide guided, your own boat, or the ice, and book it. Guided: book Greenback Guiding & Outfitting or another Gimli guide for a summer charter or a heated ice shelter. Own boat: launch at Gimli or a south-basin marina, bring the jigging and bottom-bouncer gear and a sounder. The ice: only with local knowledge and the safety set; a guide is the safe first-trip choice.
4. Pack for the season. Summer: the jigging and bottom-bouncer outfits, soft plastics and minnows, a cooler and bags, sun kit. Winter: the auger, shelter, ice-safety set, ice rods and warm clothing. The shopping list above, trimmed by the kit builder, is your packing list.
5. Note the limits. The walleye/sauger possession is capped with a size limit (keep fish 55 cm / about 21.5 in or smaller, 4 in possession, 2026), so the big spawners go back. Check the current Manitoba Anglers' Guide for your area, and follow any mercury advisory on larger fish.
6. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the cooler lid or the sled. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: going onto the ice without local knowledge or the safety set, turning up in the spring spawning closure, keeping an over-size walleye, ignoring the wind on a shallow lake, and bringing no trace for pike. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Going onto the ice unprepared. The lake's ice shifts, cracks and pressure-ridges, and wind and snow change it fast. Use the maintained ice road, carry the ice-safety set (picks, rope, spud bar), do not drive onto unknown ice, and go with a guide for your first winter trip.
• Fishing the spring closure by accident. The walleye and sauger season closes for the spawn in spring, and Lake Winnipeg's open-water opener is in mid-May, later than the general Southern Division opener. Check the dates before you book.
• Keeping an over-size walleye. The Lake Winnipeg rule caps the size you can keep (the big spawners go back; the current rule is fish 55 cm / about 21.5 in or smaller, 4 in possession, 2026). Measure before you keep, and confirm the current cap in the Anglers' Guide.
• Ignoring the wind. The south basin is shallow, so a moderate wind builds a short, steep, dangerous chop fast and colours the water. Check the forecast, be ready to come off the water, and do not push a self-drive day.
• No trace for pike. Pike teeth cut a light leader, so a wire or heavy fluorocarbon trace is essential if pike are about, which on Lake Winnipeg they are.
• Wrong licence type. A Conservation licence is cheaper but carries reduced limits; if you mean to keep more, the Regular licence is the one. Pick it before you buy.
• Skipping the mercury advice. Walleye and pike are fine to eat, but larger, older fish carry more mercury. Check the current Manitoba consumption guidance if you plan to eat a lot of big fish.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about Lake Winnipeg: what is here, the greenback, the Manitoba licence and prices, the best time, ice safety, booking a guide, what you can eat and the limits, the rig for greenbacks, and whether you need a boat.