Wahshaykahmeesheeng/Kirkness Lake
One lake, 2 charted basins — combined figures below.
Walleye opens Sat, May 16 — it lies 54 km north of Red Lake, and a charted depth map is on file.
Wahshaykahmeesheeng/Kirkness Lake is the 120th-largest of 1,629 named lakes in Ontario Far North, with 39 miles of charted shoreline and 23 islands. Its 57 ft maximum depth is greater than 59% of depth-surveyed lakes in the region.
MNRF aquatic resource surveys
Fish species
Also present: Blacknose Shiner, Burbot, Cisco, Emerald Shiner, Johnny Darter x Tesselated Darter, Logperch, Rock Bass, Spottail Shiner, Trout-Perch, White Sucker
On this water
Lodges & operators 0
No lodge is based on Wahshaykahmeesheeng/Kirkness Lake itself. These are the closest that are — each on its own water, with the straight-line distance from here.
- Fireside Lodge✓ Verifiedlodgedrive-tohousekeeping18 mi away
Home water: Little Vermilion Lake
Drive-to lodge on Little Vermilion Lake near Sioux Lookout, the only camp on the lake, with boat and portage access to a multi-lake system (site cites both 9- and 11-lake figures) fished for walleye, northern pike, muskie, tiger muskie and smallmouth bass. Cabins are housekeeping style with fully equipped kitchens, and home-cooked meals can be pre-ordered separately. Per-person packages bundle a 16 ft Lund with a 20 hp Yamaha.
- lodgefly-inhousekeeping18 mi away
Home water: Little Vermilion Lake
Fly-in housekeeping lodge on Little Vermilion Lake north of Red Lake, reached by float plane from a base on the Chukuni River, and the only lodge on the lake. Fishing is for northern pike and walleye, with a catch-and-release policy releasing all pike over 35.5 inches. The operator also runs three fly-in outpost cabins northwest of the lodge on Hornell, Mantricia and Warrington lakes plus fly-out guided moose hunts; Warrington and Mantricia straddle the Ontario/Manitoba border and require licences for both provinces.
- Geary's Manitoba Trophy Outposts Inc.✓ Verifiedoutpost networkfly-inhousekeeping18 mi away
Home water: Little Vermilion Lake
Family-run fly-in operation north of Red Lake, Ontario, pairing a small housekeeping lodge on Little Vermilion Lake with three remote outpost camps on Warrington, Mantricia and Hornell lakes, all reached only by float plane. Trophy northern pike and walleye are the draw, with Warrington and Mantricia straddling the Ontario-Manitoba boundary and fished under Manitoba limits; fly-out moose hunts are also sold.
- Black Bear Lodge✓ Verifiedlodgeamerican30 mi away
Home water: Red Lake
Black Bear Lodge is an American-plan fishing lodge operating since 1951 at the far west end of Red Lake, one of two lodges on that stretch of the lake. Guests fish walleye, northern pike, lake trout, smallmouth bass and muskie, with burbot, perch and whitefish also present. The one-week all-inclusive package covers a log cabin (electricity by day, battery lights at night), breakfast and dinner in the main lodge, sack-lunch fixings, one shore lunch, and a 16-foot boat with a 20 hp motor plus 5 gallons of gas per boat per day.
2026 regulations
Seasons & limitsFMZ 4
Ice-out here is typically mid May (modeled from regional ice records).
| Species | Season | Sport licence | Conservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Whitefish | Open all year | S - 12 | C - 6 |
| Northern Pike | Open all year | S - 4, none between 70 - 90 cm (27.6 - 35.4 in.), not more than 1 greater than 90 cm (35.4 in.) | C - 2, none between 70 - 90 cm (27.6 - 35.4 in.), not more than 1 greater than 90 cm (35.4 in.) |
| Walleye and Sauger or any combination | Jan. 1 - Apr. 14 & 3rd Sat. in May - Dec. 31 | S - 4, not more than 1 greater than 46 cm (18.1 in.) | C - 2, not more than 1 greater than 46 cm (18.1 in.) |
| Yellow Perch | Open all year | S - 50 | C - 25 |
Compiled from MNRF Recreational Fishing Regulations open data (2026 season, zone-wide rules shown for this lake's species). Regulations change by variation order — confirm with the official FMZ 4 summary before you fish.
Eating what you catch
Consumption advisories
Recommended meals per month from Ontario's fish contaminant monitoring — ranges span the tested fish sizes.
| Species | General | Sensitive* |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 8–16 | 4–8 |
| Walleye | 4–16 | 0–8 |
Advisory cause across all species: Mercury.
*Women of child-bearing age and children under 15. Compiled from the MECP Guide to Eating Ontario Fish (2025 guide) — check the guide for size-specific advice before keeping fish.
Comparable trips
Similar water
Same region, overlapping species, comparable size.
- Birch Lake14 shared species · 28,067 ac
- Woman Lake13 shared species · 4,824 ac
- Springpole Lake13 shared species · 6,318 ac
- Goose Lake13 shared species · 4,297 ac
- Peekwatahmaewee Sahkaheekahn/Berens Lake13 shared species · 6,598 ac
Around this water