Fishing at Archibald Lake, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Out in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, sits Archibald Lake. Salt water lies 31 km off. Small at around 7 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. 39 km away sits Antigonish, the nearest town. For a city, Dartmouth is 130 km off. Not far off: Sandy Lake 1.4 km, Tait Lake within 2.1 km, Peter Allen Lake 2.2 km, McLeod Lake within 3 km and Turtle Lake 3.4 km. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Archibald Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Guysborough County cover alewife, American eel, brook trout and Atlantic salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Anyone new to Archibald Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for August and -6°C for February. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Archibald Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Sandy Lake, 1.4 km out. None of that is settled for Archibald Lake in what we hold.