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125-acre lake near Halifax. The lake tops out around 82 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Traced from the shoreline, Kearney Lake runs 155 acres with 4.5 miles of edge. With a shoreline index of 2.6, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 47% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 1.6 mi, about 0.5 mi across. You'll find it in Halifax County. The nearest mapped water is Paper Mill Lake, 1 mi to the north.
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 21 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (21 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (21 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (37 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, chain pickerel slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 18 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
In spring, white perch run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 37 ft, rated prime for fall white perch. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (37 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (37 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | dusk | Break off the point (37 ft) | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Come spring, look for yellow perch tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (37 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (37 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, brook trout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 20 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated good for spring brook trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (37 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Structure-wise the chart holds 16 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 70 ft.
Access data: Nova Scotia Fisheries & Aquaculture — Boat Launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
| Date | Species | Count | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2025 | Brook Trout | 350 | ~11.8" |
| May 28, 2024 | Brook Trout | 500 | ~10" |
| May 11, 2023 | Brook Trout | 350 | ~10" |
| Aug 15, 2022 | Brook Trout | 350 | ~10.4" |
| Jun 7, 2021 | Brook Trout | 400 | ~10" |
| May 22, 2019 | Brook Trout | 400 | ~11" |
Source: Nova Scotia hatchery stocking records, retrieved 2026-08-18.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Nova Scotia waters are set by the Nova Scotia sportfishing rules — and special regulations can apply to Kearney Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Nova Scotia fishing regulations →
Kearney Lake is about 82 ft (25 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, white perch, yellow perch, brook trout on Kearney Lake.
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For smallmouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Yes — per Nova Scotia hatchery stocking records records, Kearney Lake was most recently stocked May 28, 2025 with 350 brook trout. The full stocking history is listed above.
Fishing on Kearney Lake is regulated by the Nova Scotia sportfishing rules. Check the official Nova Scotia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Paper Mill Lake 1 mi · Governor Lake 4 mi · Anderson Lake 4 mi · Cranberry Lake 5 mi · Chocolate Lake 5 mi · First Lake 5 mi · Long Lake 6 mi · Beaver Lake 6 mi · Rocky Lake 6 mi · Second Lake 6 mi · Powder Mill Lake 7 mi · Lake Banook 7 mi
See how Kearney Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Nova Scotia · best yellow perch lakes in Nova Scotia · best brook trout lakes in Nova Scotia · best chain pickerel lakes in Nova Scotia
More water nearby: Halifax County fishing maps (40 charts). Browse all Nova Scotia fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.