Fishing McAulay Lake in Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Set in Cape Breton County, McAulay Lake is a Nova Scotia water. This is lake country bush country. It measures about 11 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Roughly 1.6 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Sydney lies 5.8 km from the water. It is 6 km to Sydney, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on McAulay Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Cape Breton County include striped bass, Atlantic salmon, alewife and American eel. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. McAulay Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -6°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about late April to late December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to McAulay Lake.

• 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 built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Gilholmes Lake at 1.7 km is the nearest alternative. What applies at McAulay Lake may have changed since it was mapped.