Fishing at Rat Pond, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Rat Pond lies in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Around the bank it is rolling bush. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Halifax Regional Municipality standards. The town to know is Musquodoboit Harbour, 26 km out. The nearest city of size is Dartmouth, 61 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Rat Pond

  We hold no depth figure for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name brook trout, alewife and rainbow smelt. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Rat Pond decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -6°C at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about mid December in a typical year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Time your trip to Rat Pond by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A phone call first saves an afternoon. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Otter Lake at 0.4 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Rat Pond for certain.