Moody Lake Fishing near Brookside, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  You will find Moody Lake in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. With some 60 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The perimeter runs near 5.5 km, so plan the walk before you start. Size puts it in the front rank of our Halifax Regional Municipality list. The town to know is Brookside, 6.4 km out. It is 13 km to Halifax, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Moody Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Halifax Regional Municipality include brook trout, alewife and rainbow smelt. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Moody Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -5°C in January up to 18°C in August. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and late December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan any trip to Moody Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A pier 130 m from here gives a platform over deeper water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Doyles Lake, 0.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Moody Lake before loading the car.