Little Branch Lake in Guysborough County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Little Branch Lake is a Guysborough County water, in Nova Scotia. Tidal water begins 3 km from here. At 8 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Start from Louisdale, 35 km down the road. Port Hawkesbury lies 41 km off, St. Peter's another 44 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Little Branch Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Time trips to the tide table rather than the clock here. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Guysborough County cover coalfish, Atlantic cod, alewife, American eel and brook trout. The shape of Little Branch Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -6°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. That is the shape of the year on Little Branch Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Big Branch Lake sits 1 km off and takes the overflow. Check the current arrangement for Little Branch Lake.