Kidney Lake Fishing near Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  The Halifax Regional Municipality end of Nova Scotia holds Kidney Lake. The bank is 90 metres above sea level. It covers about 4 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Halifax Regional Municipality list holds plenty of bigger water. For supplies, Musquodoboit Harbour is 38 km out. For a city, Dartmouth is 74 km off. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Kidney Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Halifax Regional Municipality: brook trout, alewife, rainbow smelt, American eel and Atlantic salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fish Kidney Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in August and bottom out at -6°C in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Kidney Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Taylor Bay Grand Lake at 0.9 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position at Kidney Lake before loading the car.