Metkiff Lake in Guysborough County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, this is Metkiff Lake. The water sits 142 metres up. Surface area runs to about 4 hectares — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Guysborough County list. The town to know is Stellarton, 47 km out. Antigonish is 48 km away, with New Glasgow at 48 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Metkiff Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Guysborough County, recorded fish include alewife, American eel, brook trout and Atlantic salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Metkiff Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 18°C on average, February about -6°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Metkiff Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Sutherlands Lake, 1.6 km away. Rules at Metkiff Lake are worth checking on the day.