Lochiel Lake Fishing near Antigonish, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Look for Lochiel Lake in the Guysborough County part of Nova Scotia. The sea is 34 km distant. Surface area runs to roughly 1.22 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The edge covers about 7.5 km, enough to hold several distinct areas. Size puts it in the front rank of our Guysborough County list. Antigonish lies 30 km from the water. Further out sit Stellarton (52 km) and New Glasgow (52 km). Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Lochiel Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Guysborough County include alewife, American eel, brook trout, Atlantic salmon and blueback herring. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Lochiel Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -7°C in February and 18°C in August. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Lochiel Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There are picnic tables recorded roughly 380 m off. There are toilets 390 m off. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Trout Lake at 2.2 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing on Lochiel Lake should be assumed from this page alone.