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193-acre lake near Musquash Parish. Government of New Brunswick lake depth survey. The lake tops out around 35 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The drawn water covers 195 acres wrapped in 7 miles of bank. An index of 3.6 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 74% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 1.2 mi, about 0.8 mi across. It sits in Saint John County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Round Lake, is 1 mi to the northeast.
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass 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 11 to 35.1 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35.1 ft | midday | Break off the point (16 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: chain pickerel in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 15 ft before dropping to 5 to 18 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch 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 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Deep basin (30 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring brook trout on Nelson Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 20 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 30 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (16 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Spring white perch on Nelson Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 11 to 35.1 ft, and by winter most fish are in 11 to 35.1 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 30 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 11 to 35.1 ft | dawn | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 11 to 35.1 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35.1 ft | dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
The chart marks 6 structure features on Nelson Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 30 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Brunswick waters are set by the New Brunswick fishing rules — and special regulations can apply to Nelson Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Brunswick fishing regulations →
Nelson Lake is about 35.1 ft (11 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, yellow perch, brook trout, white perch on Nelson Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. The interactive chart above rates every 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.
Fishing on Nelson Lake is regulated by the New Brunswick fishing rules. Check the official New Brunswick regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Round Lake 1 mi · Belvidere Lake 1 mi · Menzies Lake 3 mi · Loch Alva 3 mi · Ogden Lake 4 mi · East Branch Reservoir 5 mi · Deer Lake 5 mi · Ludgate Lake 5 mi · Shadow Lake 5 mi · Eagle Lake 5 mi · Little John Lake 5 mi · Spruce Lake 6 mi
See how Nelson Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in New Brunswick · best yellow perch lakes in New Brunswick · best brook trout lakes in New Brunswick · best chain pickerel lakes in New Brunswick
More water nearby: Saint John County fishing maps (19 charts). Browse all New Brunswick 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.