In most ice fishing circles, Lake Winnipeg is highly regarded as one of the best walleye fisheries. It’s famous not only for large walleye but the distinct emerald color from the limestone in which these fish were born in. At all the accesses, you can see loads of vehicles and trailers, often with foreign license plates. Not only is there quality fish but the lake is accessible for a good three or even four months a year.
After all these years I’ve run this site, this will be the first time I will ever talk about this famous fishery right in my backyard. I will say that while it does produce quality fish, it’s a fishery that requires work. It definitely fishes a lot differently than a lot of other walleye fisheries as well. It’s also a massive body of water that may seem intimidating. Though with proper preparation, it’s a lake that can be tackled.
Equipment
While ice fishing in general requires a lot equipment, it’s important to note that Lake Winnipeg is a special lake that demands more than your average fishing trip. Conditions can be brutal and fish can be hard to track.
Transportation
Most common method is by truck. Lake Winnipeg is exposed to so much wind that snow gets drifted and packed making truck travel more possible than a lot of lakes actually. It’s a very popular fishery and there will be some established trails. No proper ice roads though in main fishing areas. Still there can be deep snow at times and some very nasty ice ridges that make trucks hard to use. If you have to use trucks, make sure to bring shovels and tow straps. When there is a lot of snow, it’s best to travel in packs as at some point you could get stuck. Planks might be needed in case an ice ridge opens up.
Of course when there’s snow, tracked vehicles are the best mode of transport as they can go anywhere. Plus it saves wear and tear on your truck.
It’s important to watch the weather. During high wind events, fishing Lake Winnipeg is ill advised as blowing snow reduces visibility and they will be really strong. There have been people who have been stranded over night until tow trucks could get them off the lake.
Electronics
Well as all know I enjoy talking about electronics so we need to have this section.
A dedicated GPS is extremely helpful. I keep one mounted on my sled at all times. If I’m using my truck, I’ll turn on my LCD fish finders with GPS. Tracking capabilities are pretty useful as it will naturally mark the safe paths and ridge crossings. A storm on Lake Winnipeg can make visibility go to zero. These GPS units can also use mapping. If you have a Lowrance unit for example it can utilize Angler’s Edge Mapping which has a perfect contour map of most of Lake Winnipeg’s south basin. Knowing the depths before drilling is always useful.
Of course sonar is going to be crucial for fishing. Forward facing sonar is really strong for Lake Winnipeg but you can catch with 2D units and flashers. After all we’ve done it for years before live sonar was invented. I’ll explain how to utilize your sonar later on.
Rods and Lures
On a typical Lake Winnipeg trip, I always take a minimum of these three types of setups.
Your primary rod should be a medium heavy rod which are typically marketed as lake trout rods. A common Lake Winnipeg lure is the rattlebait. These are typically close to 1/2 oz in weight which necessitates a heavier backbone. Common rattlebaits include Live Target Golden Shiners or the Jackall TN60.
I would have a secondary rod that will utilize spoons. It’s usually medium action but sometimes medium heavy if I’m using large spoons. Typically I like to use large Pelican Lures Flutter Spoons. Though the spoon varieties out there are pretty much endless. Sometimes I will downsize to small spoons if I’m really struggling to coax fish.
Lastly, never underestimate the plain old jig and salted minnow. I personally like dedicated deadstick rods that have a soft tip that give the walleye a bit more time to eat the bait. Any 1/8 or 1/4 oz jig will work.
The Lake
It may seem daunting to determine where to fish as Lake Winnipeg is such a massive body of water. However it’s not actually that complicated.
The vast majority of the fishing takes place with a few miles of the southern rim of the south basin. It is still a massive area to fish but at least it’s hard to be completely wrong. There are literally people fishing everywhere aside from the very middle of the lake which has worked but it’s quite the distance to travel.
So we’ll just go over the primary access points that are most commonly used. The best way to know about conditions is typically through social media. Usually there are some Manitoban based Facebook groups that relay up-to-date information. Lake Winnipeg is fished constantly so its easy to get the latest updates. All these accesses are pretty easy to find on Google Maps if you perform a search.
East Side Access
If there has been a good east side bite, there are multiple access points you can choose from including:
- Sunset Beach
- Balsam Harbor
- Beaconia Beach
Southern Access
Sometimes the area where the Red River delta flows can be highly productive and it’s nice to reach it fast. Accesses include:
- Prudens Creek
- Red River (from the end of Main St)
There can be issues with these accesses though. Prudens Creek has been known to drift in necessitating tracked vehicles. The Red River is good until the middle of February when ice cutting operations begin and traffic is prohibited.
Western Access
Some prominent accesses include:
- Warner Road
- Gimli Harbor
Warner Road is the premier access on Lake Winnipeg due to high traffic and a large parking lot. It’s the best way to access the mouth of the Red River for most people when the southern accesses are not accessible.
Gimli has a few ice roads which makes it easy for those who only have trucks. Though they don’t get really far into the lake so access is still somewhat limited.
Other Accesses
While most of the fishing is concentrated in the south basin, some like a bit of adventure. Riverton and Hecla Island have some decent fishing though they are much further drives.
With the sheer size of Lake Winnipeg, there are likely many hidden gems that most of us will never discover. There is the entirety of the north basin which very few anglers will ever fish. Of course that’s an adventure that is asking for a lot of effort. Especially when decent fishing is found close to Winnipeg.
Fishing Lake Winnipeg
While there exist many outfitters who guide on Lake Winnipeg, it is a trip that many people can do themselves. If you have a few days to tackle the lake, you should be able to get onto some decent fish.
I’ve attended many Lake Winnipeg seminars in the past given by prominent local guides. There is a common theme where Lake Winnipeg rewards mobility. There is little structure on the lake and walleyes can be found in depths of 2′ to 20. If the weather allows, try to fish outside. If it’s very cold, try to just pick one or two spots and hunker down.
I will say though, the reason why Lake Winnipeg outfitters tend to do well is that they fish the lake on a regular basis and have teams of guides working together. So they can somewhat track down the massive pods of fish. Us weekend warriors are at a disadvantage as we simply don’t have the intelligence. Though there are things we can try.
The Search
These days with forward facing sonar, Lake Winnipeg has become easier to approach. I start by picking a safe depth range like 8-12′ and start scanning. I would ideally like to see at least a couple fish within a 360 degree sweep. If I don’t see anything at all, I move at least half a mile or so and don’t even bother fishing that spot. Typically midday I will make moves deeper and then return shallower later in the day. On really cold days, sometimes you do just have to hunker down on a spot and hope. Sometimes you do get lucky and fish move throughout the day.
If I do see fish, I will fish as long as I can. At some point though the school will move on and you will need to move yourself. I try to take note of the direction the fish are moving and move to that direction to hopefully intercept the school or find a new one. If you only have flashers or 2D sonar, your best bet is to fish a spot for maybe half an hour at most before moving on.
While this is simple advice, it doesn’t always work out and we’ll have to move constantly. As good of a fishery Lake Winnipeg is, results are far from guaranteed even with lots of effort.
Making the Fish Bite
Like fish anywhere, it’s important to match the fish’s mood with the appropriate lure. When searching for fish, I like using rattlebaits and big spoons. I like to let them rip and flutter downwards aggressively. If I sense that the bite will be difficult, I usually ditch the rattlebaits and use spoons. I highly recommend tipping a spoon with a piece of a salted minnow for additional flavor. Most fish will chase upwards so usually lifting the lure gradually is a way to make them bite.
If I have the luxury of using a second line, I typically use a jig and minnow. Many times I can make the fish come in on the active lure but sometimes they ultimately eat the jig and minnow.
While many fish are on bottom, it’s important to not overlook the suspended fish. It often pays to watch the top part of the water column. Schools of baitfish roam the top half and there may be walleye following. I have caught large walleyes sometimes right under the ice at times.
Get Out There!
If you have been thinking about a trip to Lake Winnipeg, you should just give it a go. It’s not a very sophisticated fishery but it does require work. Though there is always that chance of a walleye of a lifetime which keeps many people going and brings people from all across the continent.
