Fishing Burroughs Lake in Pictou County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Set in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, this is Burroughs Lake. Land around it is pine and birch. With some 29 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It ranks high for size among our Pictou County listings. You are 22 km from Stellarton. The big place round here is Dartmouth, 124 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Burroughs Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Pictou County: American eel, rainbow smelt and alewife. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Burroughs Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -7°C at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. From about late April to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Burroughs Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Black Lake sits 1.4 km off and takes the overflow. Treat Burroughs Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.