Fishing First Lake in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Nova Scotia holds First Lake, in Guysborough County. The bank is 54 metres above sea level. Around 19 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 3.5 km, small enough to learn in a day. The nearest place of any size is Antigonish, 56 km away. For a city, Dartmouth is 127 km off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on First Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name alewife, American eel, brook trout and Atlantic salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At First Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -6°C to 18°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. First Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Shingle Lake at 0.6 km is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for First Lake.