Manitoba Fishing Licence 2026: Anglers Guide, Fees and Season Dates

The current Manitoba eLicensing calendar lists the main 2026 licence dates in one place. One-day angling licences go on sale on April 1, 2026, and annual angling licences go on sale on April 15, 2026. The 2026 licence year runs from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027.

Manitoba also lists three licence-free freshwater windows for this cycle: Free Fishing Days from March 27 to April 5, 2026, the summer Free Family Fishing Weekend from June 12 to 14, 2026, and the winter Free Family Fishing Weekend from February 13 to 15, 2027. These dates waive the angling licence requirement, but other rules still apply.

For actual season openings, use the Manitoba Anglers Guide after this page. The guide is where division dates, named-water exceptions, Lake Winnipeg notes, Red River notes, and species limits are sorted out.

If you plan to fish in a national park, use Parks Canada rules instead. A Manitoba angling licence is not valid in national parks.

The Manitoba Anglers' Guide says anglers must use barbless hooks. A hook counts as barbless when it has no barb or when the barb has been compressed so it sits in complete contact with the shaft. Barbed hooks can stay in your tackle box, but the hooks attached to your fishing lines must be barbless.

The same guide says anglers may use one rod and line in open water and two rods during ice fishing. Only two hooks or lures may be used per line.

Manitoba also says live bait fish may not be imported into the province. The guide further restricts where live bait fish may be used inside Manitoba, so check the division and waterbody rules before you rely on live bait for a trip.

Manitoba manages seasons and limits by fishing division, and some well-known waters have their own tables and exceptions. That means the rule for one lake or river may not match the next one on your route.

For trip planning, the most useful habit is simple: start with the Manitoba Anglers Guide, check the division table for your area, then look for any named waterbody restrictions that override the general division rule. This matters for closed seasons, size limits, possession limits, special closures, and bait use.

If your search is specifically about the Manitoba Anglers Guide 2026 and fishing season dates, use the season guide next. This province page is the broader licence and rule starting point; the season guide is the narrower opener, PDF, division, and waterbody path.

If you are making a short cross-border trip from Ontario, Saskatchewan, or the United States, do not assume the rules line up. Manitoba's barbless-hook rule and bait rules are worth checking before you pack your gear.