Colwell Lake Fishing in Kings County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Look for Colwell Lake in the Kings County part of Nova Scotia. The sea is 33 km distant. It measures about 26 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. There is roughly 3.0 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. It is high ground by Nova Scotia standards. Hayes Subdivision is the closest place, 23 km off. The big place round here is Dartmouth, 82 km distant. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Colwell Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Kings County include Atlantic salmon, striped bass, brook trout, brown trout and American eel. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Work Colwell Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -7°C to 18°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about mid December in a typical year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Colwell Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Colwell Round Lake sits 1.2 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Colwell Lake.