Lowland · Clay · Manitoba, CA

Red River (Lockport)

Red River, St. Andrews (500537)

The Red River below Lockport is a world-renowned channel catfish water, with northern pike, walleye and carp through the Red River / Lake Winnipeg system.

Today · Slow going — pick your moments
Carp nymph / bonefish-style fly
Forecast · Today
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
CN
Carp nymph / bonefish-style fly
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
218.13 m
Lifting fast
Water temp4.8°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather1°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1038 hPa
Rain · recent1.2 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Pike
Cool — slow
5°C est.ideal 8–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Pike
When
Summer for catfish and carp; pike spring and autumn.
Where
The Red River below Lockport is a world-renowned channel catfish water, with northern pike, walleye and carp through the Red River / Lake Winnipeg system.
Why this works
Poor — river flow is working for you, but water clarity is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Low insect activity predicted today

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Black MidgeHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Summer River MidgeHatch
1
2
2
2
1
Flying AntsHatch
1
2
1
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Pike fly box

Probably the best pike fly fishing window of the year. Cooling water activates pike metabolism and baitfish shoal up before winter, concentrating the predators. Fish are aggressive feeders moving to windward banks, dropoffs, and points where baitfish are pushed. Large profile baitfish streamers on intermediate lines retrieved at medium pace, with pauses at structure edges. Count-down retrieves to find the active depth. Fish move — cover ground rather than working one spot.

LP
Large pike streamer / Bulkhead (XL)Top
4/0–2/0 (7–10 in) · Large pike streamer / Bulkhead
High-confidence seasonal pick
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Manitoba; verify the Manitoba Anglers' Guide and any Red River channel-catfish regulations (trophy management).
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. Red River, St. Andrews (500537)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Red River below Lockport is a world-renowned channel catfish water, with northern pike, walleye and carp through the Red River / Lake Winnipeg system. Not classic fly fishing, but a genuine warmwater fly opportunity for the adventurous — big channel cats, pike on streamers and carp on the flats. An edge-case specialist profile.

Under the surface

Big, slow, turbid prairie river famous for trophy channel catfish, with pike, walleye and carp. Warmwater fly water — streamers, and carp on the flats.

Wading: Big turbid river, soft mud banks — boat/bank

  • Clay
  • Unconfined
  • Large river
  • Glide
Conservation note

Trophy channel catfish (catfish slug), northern pike and carp; walleye present (no engine slug — informational). A warmwater edge-case fishery. Clean-Drain-Dry.

The full read · show the working · for Pike · confidence 50%
How the 20 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature25 × 28%7.0
Flow90 × 22%19.8
Clarity10 × 18%1.8
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity14 × 12%1.7
Limiting factor: Water is unfishable — too coloured for Pike= 41
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 8–18 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
  • Coarse 9 May → 5 April

    Pike and carp have no species-specific season in Manitoba (open year-round generally), but the Red River between Lockport Dam and Lake Winnipeg (including tributaries upstream to Hwy 9/59) carries an annual all-species closure protecting spawning walleye/sauger and nesting pelicans — 6 April to 8 May inclusive in 2026. This is a waterbody closure reissued annually in the Manitoba Anglers' Guide, not a fixed calendar rule; reconfirm dates each year.

Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts