Southwest Lake Fishing near Louisdale, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Look for Southwest Lake in the Guysborough County part of Nova Scotia. It sits at 24 metres above sea level. At about 33 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The bank runs about 3.6 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It is among the larger waters listed here for Guysborough County. Supplies mean a trip to Louisdale, 31 km off. For a city, Sydney is 113 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Southwest Lake

  We hold no depth figure 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. Species logged across Guysborough County include coalfish, Atlantic cod, alewife and American eel. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Southwest Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 18°C, with February the cold end at about -5°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on Southwest Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Walshs Lake sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Southwest Lake.