Fishing at Caribou Lake, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Caribou Lake lies in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia. The land about it is mixed forest. At 1.99 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 18 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in Lunenburg County are bigger. Head to Mahone Bay, 15 km away, for anything you forgot. Halifax sits 72 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Caribou Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Lunenburg County list American eel, Atlantic whitefish and smallmouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Caribou Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -5°C in January and 18°C in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan any trip to Caribou Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. 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. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Muskrat Lake is 2.2 km off. The position on Caribou Lake is worth confirming on the day.