Fishing at Mark Lake, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Mark Lake stands in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. Height above sea level is 98 metres. Small at around 5 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. For supplies, Port Hawkesbury is 43 km out. The big place round here is Sydney, 139 km distant. Alternatives close at hand: 1.1 km out stands Rocky Lake, Lower Wood Lake just 1.2 km, 1.4 km out stands Upper Wood Lake, Henrys Lake just 1.6 km and 1.9 km out stands Fougere Lake. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Mark Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Guysborough County, recorded fish include alewife, American eel, brook trout, Atlantic salmon and blueback herring. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Mark Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -6°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Mark Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Rocky Lake at 1.1 km is the sensible second choice. For Mark Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.