Freshwater

Cisco (lake herring, tullibee)

Cisco (arenque de lago)

Coregonus artedi

Freshwater

At a glance

Typical size

8–14 in.

Depth

20–100 ft.

Best time

Daytime.

Found in

8 areas

Spot it, size it up and learn its habits.

Identification: Slim, silvery whitefish with a bluish back, an adipose fin, a forked tail and a lower jaw that is as long as or longer than the upper (the lake whitefish has an overhanging snout).
Typical size: 8–14 in.
Maximum size: About 20 in and around 5 lb.
Diet: Zooplankton, insects and small fish.
Behavior: Lives in schools in cold, deep water; spawns in late fall. Important food for lake trout, pike and walleye.

Where, when and how deep to look.

Where to find it: Found from U.S. Great Lakes, Upper Midwest Lakes, Northern Ontario, Ontario Great Lakes, Quebec, Canadian Prairies, Yukon, NWT & Nunavut and Hudson Bay & Labrador. Deep, cold lakes of the Great Lakes region, Minnesota, Wisconsin and much of Canada.
Habitat: Deep, cold lakes of the Great Lakes region, Minnesota, Wisconsin and much of Canada.
Depth: 20–100 ft.
Fishing depth: Suspended 20–60 ft.
Best season: Winter through the ice, and spring.
Best time: Daytime.
Best tides: No tide; wind and water level matter more.
Best weather / conditions: Calm, cold days.

What to tie on and what to throw.

The rod, reel, line and lures BigJoe would use.

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Step by step, from first cast to landing.

Go where it lives: Deep, cold lakes of the Great Lakes region, Minnesota, Wisconsin and much of Canada.
Rig up: Light ice rod or ultralight spinning rod. Not needed.
Pick your bait: Waxworms and small minnows. Lures: Small jigging spoons, flies and small jigs.
Fish it: Use electronics to find suspended schools and jig small spoons or flies at their depth.
Time it: Daytime. No tide; wind and water level matter more.

Fishing techniques: Use electronics to find suspended schools and jig small spoons or flies at their depth.
BigJoe's tip: Cisco are top bait for lake trout and burbot where using them is legal.
Catch and release: Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Is it good to eat, and how to prepare it.

Edibility: Good eating when fresh.
Cleaning: Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.
Cooking suggestions: Oily and tasty; famous smoked around the Great Lakes.

Safety, rules and taking care of the fishery.

Safety warnings: Ice safety first.
Regulations: Limits vary; some lakes have netting seasons for residents. Licenses, limits and seasons are set by each province, territory or state, and many lakes and rivers have special size limits, slot limits or closed spawning seasons — check the current regulations for the water you fish.
Conservation: Sensitive to warming lakes.

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Sources & photo credits