Photo: Shahnoor Habib Munmun (CC BY 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
About this lake
The showpiece lake of Riding Mountain National Park, Clear Lake is a moderately large, deep, spring-fed lake with exceptionally clear water. Parks Canada lists northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and lake whitefish as its prominent recreational species. The townsite of Wasagaming on its south shore is the park's commercial hub.
Size: 29.37 km2
Max depth: 34.2 m
🏆 Trophy catches
The biggest documented fish caught here, from the Manitoba Master Angler record book.
48.5″ Northern Pike
Deb Noto · August 18, 1991
123.2 cm
47.64″ Northern PikeReleased
Wesley B Pankratz · July 27, 2013
121.0 cm
47″ Northern Pike
Neil Hanson · August 23, 1994
119.4 cm
Source: Manitoba Master Angler record book (anglers.travelmanitoba.com)
🏛️ National park water — different rules
Clear Lake is inside Riding Mountain National Park, so the Manitoba Anglers' Guide does not apply here. Your provincial licence is not valid — you need a Parks Canada national park fishing permit instead (youth under 16 fish free with a permit-holding adult).
- Season: May 15 to March 31.
- Barbless hooks only — pinch every barb.
- No lead tackle under 50 g.
- No live or dead fish bait (earthworms & nightcrawlers OK).
- One line at a time, angling only, no night fishing.
- Limits: pike 3 (only 1 over 76 cm), walleye 2, perch 5, whitefish 5 — 5 fish combined max.
- Smallmouth bass are invasive here: kill and keep every one, no limit, and report them to Parks Canada.
- All watercraft and gear need a Parks Canada invasive-species inspection — Clean, Drain, Dry.
2026 Manitoba Anglers' Guide
Fishing regulations
Southern Division
No waterbody-specific rules listed — general Southern Division limits apply.
Walleye (Pickerel) & Sauger (either or combined)
- Limit
- 4
- Size
- None may exceed 55 cm
- Season
- Southern Division: closed April 6, 2026 to May 8, 2026; open May 9, 2026 to April 4, 2027. Northwest Division: closed May 1 to May 15, 2026; open May 16, 2026 to April 30, 2027. North Central Division: closed May 1 to May 15, 2026; open May 16, 2026 to April 30, 2027. Northeast Division: generally open all year (waterbody-specific closures apply). Lake Winnipeg: walleye/sauger closed April 6 to May 15, 2026.
Northern Pike (Jackfish)
- Limit
- 4
- Size
- None may exceed 75 cm
- Season
- Open year-round (all divisions; waterbody-specific closures apply)
Yellow Perch
- Limit
- 25
- Size
- No size restriction (provincially)
- Season
- Open year-round (all divisions; waterbody-specific closures apply)
Source: 2026 Manitoba Anglers' Guide (gov.mb.ca/nrnd/fish-wildlife/pubs/fish_wildlife/fish/angling-guide.pdf), Waterbody Specific Regulations pp. 18-23. Summaries only — confirm in the official guide.