Fishing at Pike Lake, Victoria County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  You will find Pike Lake in Victoria County, Nova Scotia. Tidal water begins 16 km from here. At 3 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Victoria County. 18 km away sits Ingonish, the nearest town. Florence follows at 60 km, then Sydney Mines at 64 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Pike Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Victoria County include Atlantic salmon, striped bass, alewife and brook trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Pike Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -9°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Pike Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Spar Lake, 0.4 km out. Nothing on Pike Lake should be assumed from this page alone.