Lake Winnipeg — known in French as Lac Winnipeg — is one of North America's great freshwater fisheries, stretching across 24,514 square kilometres (approximately 9,465 square miles) of Manitoba's heartland. A remnant of the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz, it ranks as the 12th largest lake on Earth and Canada's sixth-largest freshwater lake. Its southern end sits roughly 55 kilometres north of the city of Winnipeg, making it an accessible destination for day trips and weekend excursions alike. The lake is relatively shallow overall, with a mean depth of just 12 metres (39 feet), though a narrow channel between the northern and southern basins plunges to 36 metres (118 feet) — the deepest point on the lake. This mix of shallow flats, steep drop-offs, and varied structure creates a remarkably diverse aquatic environment. Lake Winnipeg supports more fish species than any other lake in Canada west of the Great Lakes, with 60 of Manitoba's 79 native species present in its waters. Its reputation is built above all on world-class walleye fishing, but the lake also delivers exceptional northern pike, sauger, lake whitefish, yellow perch, burbot, freshwater drum, white bass, and channel catfish. Whether you're drilling holes through winter ice or running a boat across open water in summer, Lake Winnipeg offers year-round angling adventure at a scale few freshwater destinations can match.