Poison Lake Fishing Guide, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Nova Scotia holds Poison Lake, in Halifax Regional Municipality. It sits in lake country bush. This is a pocket water of some 5 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The nearest town is Stellarton, 63 km away. Dartmouth is the closest city, 106 km away. More in the same country: Kelly Lake some 1.8 km off, Dog Lake within 2.1 km, Mill Brook Lake some 2.2 km off, Quoddy Lake within 2.4 km and Square Lake some 2.7 km off. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Poison Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Halifax Regional Municipality include brook trout, alewife, rainbow smelt, American eel and Atlantic salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Poison Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -6°C at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Time your trip to Poison Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Toadfish Lakes Wilderness Area covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Kelly Lake, 1.8 km away. Where Poison Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.