Long Lake Fishing near Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Long Lake is a Halifax Regional Municipality water, Nova Scotia side. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. Roughly 1.08 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Around 9.8 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Musquodoboit Harbour sits 28 km from here and is the nearest stop. Stewiacke follows at 33 km, then Milford Station at 37 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Halifax Regional Municipality list brook trout, alewife, rainbow smelt and American eel. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Work Long Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -6°C to 18°C. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about mid December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That shapes the year on Long Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Parking sits 780 m out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Grassy Lake is 1.6 km off. Check the position on Long Lake before loading the car.