Fifth Lake Fishing near Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Set in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, this is Fifth Lake. The bank is 84 metres above sea level. The water measures roughly 8 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. You are 37 km from Musquodoboit Harbour. The big place round here is Dartmouth, 73 km distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Fifth Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Halifax Regional Municipality include brook trout, alewife, rainbow smelt, American eel and Atlantic salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Take Fifth Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 18°C and February reads -6°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late December in a typical year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Anyone fishing Fifth Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. A platform or pier sits within 770 m. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Fourth Lake is 0.8 km off. Rules at Fifth Lake are worth checking on the day.