Ridge Lake near Ingonish: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Ridge Lake lies in Victoria County, in Nova Scotia. The shore lies 8.2 km out. This is a pocket water of some 9 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is high ground by Nova Scotia standards. The closest town, Ingonish, is 19 km away. Sydney sits 82 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Ridge Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Victoria County, recorded fish 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. Ridge Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, February about -9°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Ridge Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Burton Lake, 2.2 km away. Where Ridge Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.