Fishing at Mary Pitcher Lake, Saint John County, New Brunswick

• Overview

  Out in Saint John County, New Brunswick, sits Mary Pitcher Lake. The country here is lake country bush. Around 17 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 2.7 km, small enough to learn in a day. It is high ground by New Brunswick standards. Head to Fundy-St. Martins, 10 km away, for anything you forgot. Dartmouth sits 170 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Mary Pitcher Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Saint John County: alewife, Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt and American shad. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Mary Pitcher Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -8°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about early December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Mary Pitcher Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For salmon, swing spoons or flies through the moving water and mind the local method rules. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Pine Lake sits 2.9 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Mary Pitcher Lake are worth checking on the day.