Fishing at Murphy Lake, Hants, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Murphy Lake is a Hants water, Nova Scotia side. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. This is a pocket water of some 2 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Hants standards. For a base, Mount Uniacke sits 0.7 km out. The big place round here is Dartmouth, 32 km distant. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Murphy Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name American eel, Atlantic salmon, striped bass and smallmouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Murphy Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -6°C in January up to 18°C in August. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Murphy Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. You can park 70 m away and walk in from there. Picnic facilities are recorded some 1.2 km out. The water borders Mount Uniacke Provincial Park, so reserve rules are likely to apply. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Deep Lake is 0.8 km off. Ask locally about Murphy Lake if anything is unclear.