Fishing at Kempt Back Lake, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Kempt Back Lake lies in Yarmouth County, in Nova Scotia. Height above sea level is 43 metres. At some 3.20 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The perimeter runs near 20 km, so plan the walk before you start. It ranks high for size among our Yarmouth County listings. The town to know is Yarmouth, 33 km out. It is 192 km to Halifax, the nearest city. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Kempt Back Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Yarmouth County names American eel, yellow perch, Atlantic salmon, white perch and alewife. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Kempt Back Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -4°C to 17°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. The lid tends to go about early April and return around late December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Kempt Back Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Duck Lake at 2.9 km is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Kempt Back Lake in what we hold.