Mountain Lake Fishing in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Set in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, this is Mountain Lake. The surface lies 182 metres up. The water covers some 29 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 2.4 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Guysborough County list. Stellarton at 41 km is the nearest place to stop. The nearest city of size is Dartmouth, 113 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Mountain Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Guysborough County records list alewife, American eel and brook trout among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Mountain Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -7°C to 18°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Mountain Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Long Lake, 1.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Mountain Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.