Coregonus artedi
Cisco (also called lake herring or tullibee) are a cold-water whitefish relative found in deep lakes across Canada. They're an essential forage fish for lake trout, pike, and walleye, and they're also...
📷 Photo: Wikimedia Commons / D. R. Muse
Cisco (also called lake herring or tullibee) are a cold-water whitefish relative found in deep lakes across Canada. They're an essential forage fish for lake trout, pike, and walleye, and they're also caught by anglers — especially through the ice where they provide fast, fun action on light tackle.
Slender, silvery body with a dark brown or grey-green back. Small head with a small, terminal mouth. Large, smooth scales. Forked tail. Adipose fin (small fleshy fin near the tail, like salmon/trout). Very similar to lake whitefish but with a smaller body and terminal mouth (whitefish have a subterminal snout-overhanging mouth).
Cisco require cold, deep, oxygen-rich water (6–14°C). They're found in large deep lakes across the Canadian Shield and prairie regions. They school in open water at the thermocline (40–80+ ft in summer) and come shallower in fall and winter. They're pelagic — rarely near shore except during spawning.
Cisco (Lake Herring) can be found across these provinces and territories:
Regulations vary by province and zone — always check the local rules before fishing. Browse detailed guides: Manitoba.
Matching your bait to the conditions is one of the biggest factors in catching Cisco (Lake Herring). Here's what works when:
| Weather / Condition | Best Bait & Lures | Technique |
|---|---|---|
| 🧊 Ice fishing | Small jigging spoons (Macho Minnow), tungsten jigs with maggots/waxworms | Cisco school over deep basins under the ice. Use a flasher to locate the school, then jig aggressively. |
| ☀️ Summer (deep) | Small spoons trolled at depth (downriggers, lead core line) | Cisco suspend at the thermocline in summer. Troll small spoons at 30–60 ft over deep water. |
| 🍂 Fall (shallow movement) | Small spoons, small spinners cast from shore | Cisco move shallower in fall to spawn — casting from shore or piers can produce action. |
| ☁️ Overcast / Low light | Small spoons, small jigs | Cisco are light-sensitive — they move shallower in low light conditions. |
| 🌬️ Windy | Small spoons fished near windblown points | Wind pushes cisco shallower as they follow food — fish windblown areas. |
Cisco fishing is primarily a winter (ice) activity. Summer fishing requires deep trolling. Fall brings them shallower for shore-based action.
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