Fogartys Lake Fishing near Louisdale, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Nova Scotia holds Fogartys Lake, in Guysborough County. Salt water lies 1.2 km off. The water measures roughly 2 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Our Guysborough County list holds plenty of bigger water. The town to know is Louisdale, 30 km out. Port Hawkesbury lies 38 km off, St. Peter's another 40 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Fogartys Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Guysborough County list coalfish, Atlantic cod, alewife, American eel and brook trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Fogartys Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in August and bottom out at -6°C in February. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Fogartys Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Three Mile Lake at 0.8 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Fogartys Lake.