Ship Harbour Long Lake Fishing near Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  The Halifax Regional Municipality end of Nova Scotia holds Ship Harbour Long Lake. It sits at 6 metres above sea level. At some 1.30 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. With 14 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Halifax Regional Municipality list. You are 18 km from Musquodoboit Harbour. Dartmouth is the closest city, 51 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ship Harbour Long Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Halifax Regional Municipality list brook trout, alewife, rainbow smelt, American eel and Atlantic salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Ship Harbour Long Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 18°C and January about -6°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan any trip to Ship Harbour Long Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Big Lake, 2.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Ship Harbour Long Lake locally before you travel.