Tom Rice is a Postfly Ambassador and a fly fishing guide/owner of Scotian Anglers. Give him a call if you want to fish Nova Scotia. Postfly Tribe Members even get a special 50% discount!
Sitting in the heart of SW Nova Scotia lays one of the most underrated and over looked trout fisheries in the province. Shrouded in stigma as a weekend warrior paradise, Kejimkujik National Park or Keji for short is an utter nightmare in the summer months; wall to wall campers, people walking trails that have no place being in the wilderness, the Canoe Rental Area is reminiscent of an Amusement park attraction…
Keji in the spring time however, is a whole different place. From April 1st to May 20th, a fly angler can experience a world class brook trout fishery all to themselves. The best part is these fish are wild.
The major river system that runs through Keji is the Mersey, it’s a medium to large river system, that offers miles of untouched water. During the spring time, an average day on the Mersey can produce an average of 10-15 fish with sizes ranging from 8″-17″.
Coming to Keji for the first time, familiarize yourself with the park map, generally where there is a parking sign next the river, there is a good chance that spot will be holding fish. A good starting point would be the Flowing Waters Trail, a 1 mile loop trail that runs directly adjacent to the Mersey. Walk the flat and well beaten path until it starts to loop back around and away from the river, wade in and work you way downriver. The Flowing Waters beat contains multiple productive pools, and the best way to be successful is using a dry fly.
Another place worth noting is the “Eel Weir” a 20-minute drive from the Flowing Waters trailhead. It is a larger piece of water, the fish like to hang out deep, so big and ugly flies like zonkers and bunny leaches work best. These fish are significantly larger than the fish upriver at Flowing Waters, but much harder to catch, A good day at the Eel Weir would be two to five fish.
Finish out the day with supper at The Wilder restaurant and retire to a beautiful lakeside cottage at the Legendary Milford House.
What You Need
$9/Day CAN for a Parks Canada Fishing Permit(Different than a NS fishing license)
3-5 Wt Single Hand and/or a 2-3 Wt Microspey
1 Box of Dries
1 Box Streamers (any streamer Postfly puts in your box will be magic)
Bear Spray (you probably won’t see a bear, but you are in bear country and more than likely to see one when fishing alone)
Also worth noting, you may want to rent an SUV. The roads aren’t terrible but definitely a little rough for the average rental sedan.
When To Go
Fishing season opens April 1st and is productive all the way up to the second week in June… the Park goes full service May 20th, but it tends to be only crowded on the weekends until school gets out.
Where To Stay
The Milford House in Milford, Nova Scotia offers rustic lakeside cabins and a full service dining room, located only a 15 min drive from the park entrance. It’s a truly classic fishing camp experience.
Where To Eat
The Wilder Restaurant & General Store in Maitland Bridge, NS. Located just outside the entrance to Keji, The Wilder has one of the best breakfast burritos in the province, as well as massive burgers and a great local craft brew selection. It’s a great place to start and/or end your day.
Where To Gear Up
The Lequille Country Store, Lequille, NS. One of those, “everything but the kitchen sink,” type of stores. It has a limited fly selection, but usually has what you need. My personal favorite is the good price on wool socks and the honey garlic beef sticks. They also sell Keji Fishing permits and legal moonshine. Yes, legal moonshine.
Who To Call
Scotian|Anglers. I’m a local river bum and knowledgeable guide for the area. I’ll also pack gourmet shore lunches and include top-notch customer service.
[Tom Rice is offering 50% off all guided trips for Postfly Tribe Members)
How To Get Here
Drive – 10 hours from Boston, MA via Saint John, NB – Digby, NS Ferry
Fly- Direct flights from all major East Coast cities to Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Keji is located approximately 2.5 hours from YHZ.
Ferry
5.5 Hours via The CAT which runs from Portland, ME – Yarmouth, ME
Keji is roughly 1.75 hours from Yarmouth
For more information please check out Keji’s website at pc.gc.ca.
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I am impressed with this web site, rattling I am
a big fan.
I would like to take my wife trout fly fishing in spring.
Hi I am coming up to Nova Scotia for the first time.. I love to fly fish and would like to hook up with someone to show me around. I am going to be up around the second week of July. Here is my email.. any information would be greatly appreciated… Thank You
I would like to take a guided fly fishing trip on 12,13 May. I need to rent the gear and I will be flying into Halifax and renting a car. I live in Australia and salt water fly fish. If there is a place close to Halifax or within easy driving distance could you please let me know?
We’re not sure where you could do that in Canada, but there is a company called “Rent This Rod” that could probably handle everything you need!