Freshwater · Year-round; best through the ice in winter
Cisco
Coregonus artedi
The cisco, also called lake herring or tullibee, is a silvery cold-water coregonid of Manitoba, Ontario, the Great Lakes and other deep northern lakes. It is a winter ice-fishing staple on prairie and Shield lakes and an important forage fish for lake trout and pike.
Seasons · Peak
Identifying features
- Silvery, herring-like body with a small adipose fin
- Terminal, slightly upturned mouth — lower jaw tips up, unlike lake whitefish
- Pointed snout and relatively large eye
- Pale fins with little dark pigmentation in most lakes
- Usually smaller and slimmer than lake whitefish from the same lake
Habits
- Lives in cold, well-oxygenated deep lakes across northern and central Canada
- Feeds on zooplankton and small invertebrates in open-water schools
- Spawns in late fall over shoals as water cools
- Moves shallower in winter, when ice anglers target it
- Key forage for lake trout, northern pike and burbot
Distribution
Where to find them
- Deep basins and shoal edges of Shield lakes in Manitoba and Ontario
- Great Lakes bays and shoals in late fall
- Winter ice over 20-40 ft near points and humps
Where they live
How to catch them
Ice jigging for tullibee Lake
Rig: Light ice rod, small jig or tiny spoon jigged mid-depth over deep shoals, often with a flasher
Bait/lure: Waxworms, small jigs
Key tip: Fish suspended schools — cisco roam mid-water under the ice, so work the jig through the whole column.
Open-water small-jig fishing Lake
Rig: Light spinning rod, micro jigs or small spoons cast or vertical-jigged over deep shoals in fall
Bait/lure: Micro jigs, tiny spoons
Key tip: Target cooling fall shoals at dawn; bites are light, so watch the line closely.
Best baits & lures
Baseline setup
- Rod: Light spinning or ice rod
- Line: 4-6 lb mono or fluorocarbon
- Terminal: Small jigs, tiny spoons, fine hooks
Recommended gear for this species
Rod · Best value
9' 5-weight fly rod outfit
≈ US$180-260
Covers chironomid lakes and small rivers with one setup.
Flies · Budget
Chironomid assortment (30 patterns)
≈ US$25-40
Chironomids are 60% of a lake rainbow's diet in spring.
Picks come from our rule library — never paid placements. Prices are guides; affiliate links may earn us a commission.
Typical size
Common 10-14 in; large fish to about 18 in
On the table
Good — mild, oily white flesh; best fresh, smoked or pan-fried soon after capture.
Similar species
Lake WhitefishLake whitefish has a small underslung mouth below a blunt snout for bottom feeding; cisco has a terminal, upturned mouth for feeding up in the water column
Least CiscoLeast cisco is a smaller Arctic-drainage form; the widespread lake cisco of the Great Lakes and Shield is larger and more southerlyRegulations vary by area and can change in-season — always check the official rules for your area before you fish. Regulations guide →
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