Fishing at MacKinnons Lake, Richmond County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  MacKinnons Lake is set in Richmond County, Nova Scotia. The water sits 8 metres up. With some 13 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 1.6 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Nova Scotia listings. Nearest place of any size is Marion Bridge, 32 km away. Then Eskasoni 3, 32 km, and Louisbourg, 38 km. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on MacKinnons Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Being tidal, the water moves twice a day, and the fishing moves with it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Richmond County: Atlantic salmon, coalfish, striped bass and Atlantic cod. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On MacKinnons Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 18°C, with February the cold end at about -6°C. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. On average, late April opens the water and late December closes it again. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on MacKinnons Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Church Lake, 2.1 km out. None of that is settled for MacKinnons Lake in what we hold.