Nova Scotia’s best-known freshwater fishing is the Margaree on Cape Breton, an Atlantic salmon river fished with the fly, above all in the fall, with brook trout across the province’s lakes and streams. The page carries a live Water Survey of Canada gauge on the Northeast Margaree.
Reports current for Friday, September 25
The one Nova Scotia water we cover has a live read this morning. It sits in the middle of the scale today. Water is around 14 °C. Pressure is holding steady here, so the day comes down to water temperature and wind.
Best right now: Margaree River 3/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
Species activity across the covered waters, written for the Canadian year. Peak of the year: May.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for the dominant water type here, in degrees Celsius (estimated, not a reading).
| Water | Type | Live data | Peak month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaree River | River | Water Survey gauge | Sep |
Brook trout are the fish of Nova Scotia’s lakes and streams, stocked in many; Atlantic salmon run a few rivers, the Margaree the best known. Salt water, from the wharves and the beaches, needs no provincial licence.
A general fishing licence covers inland waters for anglers 16 and over, and a salmon licence is added for Atlantic salmon; Fisheries and Oceans Canada sets the salmon rules, which change from year to year.
The gauge on the Margaree shows the rises the salmon need to move; low, warm water in summer can bring closures.
For inland waters, yes, from age 16; tidal water needs no provincial licence. See our Nova Scotia licence page.
From summer into the fall, with the fall run the most famous.
The Margaree River.