Fishing at Three Mile Lake, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Three Mile Lake is one of the Guysborough County waters in Nova Scotia. Elevation runs to 23 metres. With some 66 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. At about 8.7 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Size puts it in the front rank of our Guysborough County list. Some 30 km away sits Louisdale, the nearest settlement. Further out sit Port Hawkesbury (38 km) and St. Peter's (39 km). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Three Mile Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Guysborough County, recorded fish include coalfish, Atlantic cod and alewife. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Anyone new to Three Mile Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -5°C to 18°C. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late December: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Three Mile Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Fogartys Lake sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. For Three Mile Lake in particular, ask before you travel.