Landlocked salmon round out the fishing menu in Nova Scotia. These smaller, freshwater Atlantic salmon don't go to sea but live in deep, coldwater lakes instead. They can grow to over 5 pounds and put up a fight that any bonefish would be proud of. Genetically identical to their larger sea-run cousins, landlocked salmon are perfect little miniature versions possessed of the same fighting sprit as the big boys from the sea. Generally they hold in the cold water depths of big lakes through the summer months and are rarely taken on a fly. But early in the spring, while the surface temperatures are still cold, they will cruise the shoreline shallows and nose into the current of feeder streams seeking a meal of smelt or nymphs. Here, the dedicated fly fisher can make contact with an Atlantic salmon before the official salmon season has even begun. With lighter tackle adjusted for the size of the quarry, fishing for landlocks can be the perfect tonic to a long winter's wait. Fishing river mouths where they flows into lakes in the spring and again further up these same streams in the fall, when the landlocks are on their spawning run, is your best bet for hookups. Streamer flies, especially smelt imitations like the Grey Ghost or the Magog Smelt, are especially deadly although the same nymph imitations used for trout can also be very effective.
Landlocked salmon lakes include Grand, William, Fletcher, Charles, Kinsac, Charlotte and Scraggy in Halifax County, Mushamush in Lunenburg County, Goose Harbour in Guysborough County, Loch Katherine in Antigonish County and Gabarus in Cape Breton.
Landlocked salmon round out the fishing menu in Nova Scotia. These smaller, freshwater Atlantic salmon don't go to sea but live in deep, coldwater lakes instead. They can grow to over 5 pounds and put up a fight that any bonefish would be proud of. Genetically identical to their larger sea-run cousins, landlocked salmon are perfect little miniature versions possessed of the same fighting sprit as the big boys from the sea. Generally they hold in the cold water depths of big lakes through the summer months and are rarely taken on a fly. But early in the spring, while the surface temperatures are still cold, they will cruise the shoreline shallows and nose into the current of feeder streams seeking a meal of smelt or nymphs. Here, the dedicated fly fisher can make contact with an Atlantic salmon before the official salmon season has even begun. With lighter tackle adjusted for the size of the quarry, fishing for landlocks can be the perfect tonic to a long winter's wait. Fishing river mouths where they flows into lakes in the spring and again further up these same streams in the fall, when the landlocks are on their spawning run, is your best bet for hookups. Streamer flies, especially smelt imitations like the Grey Ghost or the Magog Smelt, are especially deadly although the same nymph imitations used for trout can also be very effective.
Landlocked salmon lakes include Grand, William, Fletcher, Charles, Kinsac, Charlotte and Scraggy in Halifax County, Mushamush in Lunenburg County, Goose Harbour in Guysborough County, Loch Katherine in Antigonish County and Gabarus in Cape Breton.