Fishing Back Lake in Queens County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Back Lake sits in Queens County, out in Nova Scotia. The surroundings are lake country bush. It measures about 85 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The shoreline runs about 7.6 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Liverpool sits 52 km from here and is the nearest stop. Further out sit Digby (53 km) and Shelburne (59 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Back Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Queens County records list smallmouth bass, Atlantic whitefish, yellow perch, chain pickerel and brown bullhead among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Back Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -6°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Back Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is a campsite 1.4 km from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Lower Silver Lake is 0.9 km off. The position on Back Lake is worth confirming on the day.