Warm summer days and low water levels in our lakes and streams often results in slow fishing for trout. One area which many anglers head for in the summer is the Cape Breton Highlands Trout Management Area. This area not only offers some decent trout fishing at this time of year but it also has two added benefits to anglers. In this management area anglers are allowed to keep trout until the end of September. In the rest of the province anglers must practice hook and release when fishing brook trout beginning the first of September.
In addition the bag limit for trout in this special management area is 10 fish per day, double the limit in the rest of Nova Scotia. This increase in limit is accompanied by a size limit which restricts the number of large fish you can retain to two greater than 25.4 cm (10 in) in total length.
Anglers must remember that brook trout which you catch and keep in this management area must not have their heads or tails removed until you get them home. This regulation enables enforcement staff to enforce the size limits in this area.
The management area includes a major chunk of the Cape Breton Highlands and is in a area which supports a variety of activities from forestry to hydro electric generation. The Wreck Cove Hydro development, which came on stream in the early 1970s, resulted in the creation of several large flowages at Cheticamp Lake, MacMillan, Gisborne and Wreck Cove.
The resulting flooding created by dams built for the project created some large impoundments which all support brook trout fishing. In addition to the hydro development the area is also interlaced with a large number of roads built for forestry operations.
The Highlands suffered a severe spruce budworm infestation in the 1970s, which necessitates a major salvage operation. This system of roads has opened up access to a number of Highland lakes and ponds to trout fishing in the Highland Trout Management Area.
Brook trout living in the Highlands have a short growing season, which limits their size. This short season is accompanied by a lack of forage species, such as minnows, in many of the lakes.
In addition there are few predators of trout. As a result most lakes and ponds have very large numbers of small trout. It is generally fairly easy to fill your limit.
By increasing the bag limit, sportfish managers hope that thinning out trout numbers will allow remaining trout to reach larger sizes. Fishing the Highlands is a unique experience. There is always a good chance to see wildlife such as moose, bears and occasionally a lynx. I hope to soon make a trip or two up there myself as I always enjoy the opportunity to experience the fishing as well as the beauty of the Highlands.

Cape Breton native Don MacLean is a fisheries biologist and a resident of Pictou. He writes on sportfishing for a variety of publications. You can e-mail him at oldtrout@sensorgraphy.net

Adopted from: Cape Breton Post