Fishing Square Lake in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Set in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, this is Square Lake. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. With some 19 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.5 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Nearest place of any size is Antigonish, 33 km away. Beyond it, Port Hawkesbury at 36 km and Princeville at 51 km. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Square Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Guysborough County cover alewife, American eel and brook trout. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Square Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 18°C, with February the cold end at about -7°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan any trip to Square Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Long Lake is 1.1 km distant. For Square Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.