The Manitoba Angler's Guide for 2026 is now available, with printed copies available later in April wherever you can purchase an angling license.
This year's guide includes some changes to license fees, as well as size regulations and possession limits. Rod Carberry with Toba Outdoors said usually changes like those are a result of sustainability efforts.
"I think there's a healthy balance between tourism, economy, sustainability, and they look at those things and make sure that the decisions are made lake by lake, that's why you see the lake-specific regulations out there...there's definitely a thought process out there that says well if I can't take any fish home and put some food on my table, then what's the point in going. They took a hard look at that, yeah it's not the best decision to make for the long term sustainability of like the walleye on Dauphin Lake, but at the end of the day, the balance is that people need to eat too," said Carberry.
As always, the province added a disclaimer about aquatic invasive species (AIS) to their news release about the angler's guide. Carberry said there are some problems with how the province handles AIS, like understaffed boat inspection stations, but they do well with education.
"They do a really good job of educating the clean, drain, dry, and promoting that and marketing that, and emphasizing the importance of that, so it does come down to anglers themselves specifically to make sure that they are responsible," said Carberry.
Over the past week, being spring break, the Manitoba government said people are able to fish without a license, as long as they stay within legal limits, and still adhere to lake-specific closures. Carberry said it's a perfect way to get young aspiring anglers into it.
"Although youth don't need a license, or if you're under 16 you don't require it, at the end of they day they need somebody to take them, right? So I mean if moms and dads don't have to purchase a license for a little bit, maybe it's a good opportunity to go test the waters, so I'm in support of it," said Carberry.
Though you're able to fish without a license for spring break, lake-specific closures still need to be followed. As of April 1st, Dauphin Lake and it's tributaries are closed for fishing. A digital copy of the 2026 Manitoba Angler's Guide can be found here.
