Wheatons Lake Fishing in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Wheatons Lake is a Guysborough County water, in Nova Scotia. What surrounds it is rolling bush. At about 11 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. A shoreline of some 1.7 km keeps the choices simple. Nearest town is Port Hawkesbury, 8.5 km off. Louisdale follows at 24 km, then Princeville at 26 km. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Wheatons Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name coalfish, Atlantic cod, 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. On Wheatons Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -7°C to 18°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Wheatons Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Critchetts Lake at 1.1 km is the sensible second choice. The position on Wheatons Lake is worth confirming on the day.