Bennett Lake Fishing near Windsor, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  The Hants entry here is Bennett Lake, in Nova Scotia. What surrounds it is rolling bush. Surface area runs to about 3 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is a small entry by Hants standards. Windsor is the closest town at 15 km. For a city, Dartmouth is 61 km off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bennett Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Hants, recorded fish include American eel, Atlantic salmon, striped bass, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Anyone new to Bennett Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for July and -6°C for January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near mid December in autumn. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Bennett Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Five Island Lake is 1.2 km off. Where Bennett Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.