Fisheries Management Zone 4

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General information

• Read general fishing regulations for more information on how to use this summary.
• Non-Canadian residents camping on Crown land must follow conservation fishing licence limits.
• Rainbow smelt may not be used as bait or possessed for use as bait.
• The following waterbodies, or portions of them, have different regulations that are listed in the waterbody exceptions:
  • Big Vermillion Lake
  • Cedar Lake
  • Cloudlet Lake
  • Hooch Lake
  • Lac Seul
  • Maskinonge Lake

  • Minnitaki, Abram, Pelican, and Botsford Lakes (including Duck Lake, Hidden Lake, English River and Rice River)
  • Red Lake and Gullrock System (including Chukuni River, Keg Lake, Ranger Lake and Two Island Lake)
  • Sydney Lake Area
• The following species are not present in this Zone and are closed to fishing all year:
  • Atlantic salmon
  • brown trout
  • channel catfish
  • Pacific salmon
• FMZ 4 is part of the Northwest Bait Management Zone (BMZ). Baitfish or leeches, whether live or dead, may not be transported into or out of a BMZ. Read bait for more details.

Zone-wide seasons and limits

Zone-wide seasons and limits apply to all waters in the Zone except for the specific waters and species listed in the species exceptions, waterbody exceptions and fish sanctuaries.

Species exceptions

Brook trout

Additional fishing opportunities

Season: open all year
Limits: S-5 and C-2; no size limit

Lake trout

Season: closed all year

• Cedarbough Lake (49°58′49″ N., 92°11′37″ W.) and all connecting streams to Little Vermilion Lake (50°00'06″ N., 92°09′18″ W.)
• Little Vermilion Lake (50°00′06″ N., 92°09′18″ W.) and all connecting streams to Cedarbough Lake (49°58′49″ N., 92°11′37″ W.)

Muskellunge

Limits: S-1; must be greater than 91 centimetres, and C-0

• Confusion Lake (50°40′00″ N., 94°09′00″ W.)
• Flat Lake (50°57′43″ N., 93°57′12″ W.) - Baird Township
• Russett Lake (50°58′31″ N., 93°55′45″ W.) - Baird Township
• Unnamed Lake (Paul-Orr Lake) (50°59′24″ N., 93°56′02″ W.)
• Unnamed Lake (Spires Lake) (50°58′42″ N., 93°58′45″ W.)

Limits: S-1; must be greater than 137 centimetres, and C-0

• Cliff Lake (50°10′08″ N., 93°17′60″ W.) - at Highway 105
• Longlegged Lake (50°45′00″ N., 94°05′00″ W.)
• Perrault Lake (50°17′ N., 93°08′ W.)

Walleye

Season: January 1 to March 31 and June 15 to December 31

• Graystone Lake (49°59′11″ N., 91°02′38″ W.) - from Highway 599 to a line drawn across Graystone Lake at 91°03′13″ W.
• Post Creek - from the base of the waterfall in Post Bay to latitude 49°55′36″ N. on Sturgeon Lake
• Sturgeon Lake (49°55′38″ N., 90°53′49″ W.) - described as Trappers Point Bay from 50°11′55″ N. to the intersection of Trout Creek and Second Creek with Highway 599

Waterbody exceptions

Big Vermilion Lake (50°02'00" N., 92°13'00" W.)

• Only artificial lures may be used
• Only 1 line may be used when angling through the ice
• Lake trout - none between 45-60 centimetres, not more than 1 greater than 60 centimetres

Cedar Lake (50°10′08″ N., 93°07′11″ W.)

• Muskellunge - S-1; must be greater than 137 centimetres and C-0

Cedar Lake - Louise Rapids and Nelson Lake

• Fish sanctuary - no fishing from April 1 to June 14

Cloudlet Lake (49°58'50" N., 92°21'13" W.), Hooch Lake (49°57'57" N., 92°19'20" W.), Muskie (Maskinonge) Lake (49°56'58" N., 92°17'41" W.) and all connecting waters - Echo, Lomond, Pickerel and Vermilion Townships

• Only artificial lures and 1 barbless hook may be used
• Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before the third Saturday in June and December 1 to December 31
• Muskellunge - S-0 and C-0
• Northern pike - S-0 and C-0
• Smallmouth bass - S-0 and C-0

Lac Seul and all connecting waters including, but not limited to Broad (50°26'32" N., 92°37'50" W.), Sunlight (50°29'14" N., 92°34'17" W.), Root River, Vaughan (Whitefish Lake) and Lost Lakes, and Wenasaga River, from the first rapids upstream from Lac Seul approximately three kilometres downstream to the last group of islands.

• No person may possess any live fish taken by angling other than baitfish
• Muskellunge - S-0 and C-0
• Walleye and sauger combined - S-4 and C-2; none between 46-53 centimetres, not more than 1 greater than 53 centimetres

Minnitaki (49°58'19" N., 91°57'29" W.), Abram (50°03'33" N.,91°55'44" W.), Pelican (50°06'41" N., 91°57'40" W.), and Botsford Lakes (50°08'19" N., 91°39'32" W.) - including Duck Lake, Hidden Lake (50°07'26" N., 91°44'33" W.), English River, and Rice River

• No person may possess any live fish taken by angling other than baitfish
• Northern pike - open from January 1 to April 14 and the third Saturday in May to December 31
• Walleye and sauger combined - S-4 and C-2; none between 46-53 centimetres, not more than 1 greater than 53 centimetres

Minnitaki Lake - Red Pine Bay

• All species - S-0 and C-0; from third Saturday in May to June 14

Minnitaki Lake (49°58'19" N., 91°57'29" W.)

• Fish sanctuary - no fishing from April 1 to June 14 in the following areas:
  • Grassy Bay and English River - between English Falls downstream to include all of Grassy Bay of Minnitaki Lake
  • Twin Bay and the Rice River - including Twill Lake (49°56'38" N., 91°59'02" W.), Flower Lake (49°56'47" N., 91°57'19" W.), Twinflower Lake (49°56'27" N., 91°55'44" W..), Purity Lake, Parnes Lake (49°56'27" N., 91°54'23" W.) and connecting streams, Twinflower Creek, and Twin Bay of Minnitaki Lake (49°57'48" N., 91°52'56" W.) (collectively known as the Rice River) and waters extending approximately 300 m north, to the parallel of latitude 49°58’34” N., drawn across Minnitaki Lake

Red Lake and Gullrock System - those waters upstream of Snowshoe Dam (50°54′22″ N., 93°31′05″ W.) on the Chukuni River, including Red Lake (51°03′21″ N., 93°57′12″ W.), Gullrock Lake (50°58′28″ N., 93°37′00″ W.), Keg Lake (50°59′32″ N., 93°41′01″ W.), Ranger Lake (51°03′54″ N., 93°34′33″ W.), Two Island Lake (50º55′30″ N., 93º34′53″ W.) and all portions of the Chukuni River in between these lakes and any waters flowing into the Red Lake/Gullrock System

• Only artificial lures and 1 single-pointed barbless hook may be used while angling for lake trout
• Lake trout - S-0 and C-0

Red Lake (51°03'21" N., 93°57'12" W.) - Fairlie Township

• Fish sanctuary - no fishing from April 1 to June 14 in the following areas:
  • Red Lake and Chukuni River - McDonough and Bateman Townships, from Little Vermilion Lake south to Red Lake, including part of Hoyles Bay
  • Red Lake and Golden Creek - Bateman Township, from the Pine Ridge Road, south to Red Lake, including part of East Bay
  • Red Lake and Parker Creek - Fairlie Township, from Parker Lake to Red Lake, including an unnamed bay
  • Red Lake and Ranger Lake - Ranger Creek and part of North Bay of Gullrock Lake

Sydney Lake Area - North Kenora Pilot Project area - Waters within boundaries of Manitoba/Ontario border to south shore of the English River System including Goshawk (50°13'07" N., 94°48'48" W.) and Tourist (50°16'05" N., 94°41'58" W.) lakes to Separation Rapids Bridge and South Pakwash Road to Leano Lake (50°47'10" N., 94°26'39" W.), south boundary of Woodland Caribou Provincial Park to Manitoba/Ontario border

• Regulations for all non-Canadian anglers:
  • lake trout - S-1 and C-1
  • lake whitefish - S-6 and C-6
  • largemouth and smallmouth bass combined - S-1 and C-1; must be less than 35 centimetres from January 1 to June 30 and December 1 to December 31
  • Muskellunge - S-0 and C-0
  • Northern pike - S-2 and C-2; none between 70-90 centimetres, not more than 1 greater than 90 centimetres
  • walleye and sauger combined - S-2 and C-2; not more than 1 greater than 46 centimetres
  • yellow perch - S-25 and C-25

Fish sanctuaries

No fishing - January 1 to Friday before the third Saturday in June and December 1 to December 31

• Cloudlet Lake, Hooch Lake and Maskinonge Lake - see waterbody exceptions

No fishing - from April 1 to June 14

• Agimak River and Little Indian Lake - Gour Township, downstream from Sandbar Lake to the mouth of the Agimak River where it enters Indian Lake
• Barnard Creek (50°06′ N., 90°51′ W.) - between Fourbay Lake and Eady Lake
• Bruce Lake - from Bruce Creek at Highway 105 north to, and including, the south half of Bruce Lake
• Camp Creek and part of Indian Lake - Gour Township
• Cedar Lake - see waterbody exceptions
• English River - from an unnamed island at Talking Falls to latitude 49°33′ 45″ N. drawn across Franks Lake
• Jackfish Creek - from the outflow of Jackfish Lake to the inflow of Perrault Lake
• Megikons River and Sowden Lake - that part downstream from confluence of Megikons River and Reba River to longitude 91°10′ W. drawn through Sowden Lake
• Minnitaki Lake - see waterbody exceptions
• Mud Lake (50°25′25″ N., 93°14′07″ W.) - Kenora District, all waters in the unsurveyed portion of the territorial District of Kenora starting from where its mouth enters Wabaskang Lake
• Nelson Lake - Kenora District, from a line between the western shoreline at approximately 50°13′09″ N., 93°09′44″ W. and the eastern shoreline at 50°13′05″ N., 93°09′26″ W. upstream including the north part of Nelson Lake and the creek and Richmond Lake
• Ord River - Kenora District, from 50°15′22″ N., 93°01′40″ W. upstream to the top of first set of rapids at 50°12′55″ N., 93°01′08″ W.
• Pakwash Lake - Fisherman’s Bay
• Perrault Falls and Wabaskang Lake - Town of Perrault Falls, between Highway 105 bridge and a point 500 metres northeast of the bridge
• Puzzle Bay of Ord Lake - south of the narrows at latitude 50°08′ 18″ N.
• Red Lake - see waterbody exceptions
• Richmond Lake - Kenora District
• Savant Lake (North Arm) (50°28′ N., 90°25′ W.) - Savant Township
• Troutlake River - from the top of Whitefish Falls to a point 2 kilometres downstream where the river intersects Latitude 50°52′ N.
• Vermilion River - and tributaries between Elbow Lake and Expanse Lake
• Wenasaga River - from the first rapids upstream from Lac Seul approximately 3 kilometres downstream to the last group of islands

No fishing - from January 1 to June 14 and September 1 to December 31

• Root River - between latitudes 50°42′30″ N., and 50°52′30″ N.

No fishing - from January 1 to June 14 and December 1 to December 31

• Root River (Adamhay River) - between latitudes 50°39′00″ N. and 50°42′30″ N.
• Vaughan Lake (Whitefish Lake) (50°13′ N., 92°22′ W.)