Mary Lake Fishing in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Set in Guysborough County, Mary Lake is a Nova Scotia water. The surroundings are lake country bush. Roughly 14 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The bank runs about 2.3 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Some 10 km away sits Port Hawkesbury, the nearest settlement. Sydney sits 117 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Mary Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Guysborough County: 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. Fish Mary Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 18°C on average, February about -7°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. From about late April to around late December, expect open water on the long-run figures. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on Mary Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Summers Lake at 1 km is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Mary Lake.