Simpsons Lake Fishing Guide, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Simpsons Lake belongs to Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. It sits 3.2 km in from the sea. This is a pocket water of some 2 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. On size it sits at the modest end of our Cumberland County list. The closest town, Oxford, is 25 km distant. The big place round here is Dartmouth, 127 km distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Simpsons Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The tide is the timetable on this water; two hours either side of the change usually fish hardest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Cumberland County records list Atlantic salmon, brook trout and striped bass among the fish reported. The near bank of Simpsons Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 19°C, the coldest about -7°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about mid December in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan around that when you fish Simpsons Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. The water borders Wallace Bay National Wildlife Area, so reserve rules are likely to apply. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Ross Lake is 0.7 km distant. Where Simpsons Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.