St. Marys River

The St. Marys is the largest river on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. Its East and West branches join and run down past Stillwater to Sherbrooke and the head of tide. It was once one of the province's great salmon rivers. Salmon still run, and the river association releases salmon fingerlings to help them, but there is no salmon season: the whole of the Eastern Shore is closed to salmon angling.

What anglers fish for now is brook trout, and above all the sea-run brook trout the river is known for. The water above Sherbrooke is a special trout area. It is fly only, and it holds three trout a day with only one over 35 cm. In summer the river warms and some pools close: from June 15 to September 30, seven named pools are closed to all angling. Read the Stillwater gauge.

The St. Mary's River Association runs the river's conservation work and lists the pools on its website. McKeen's Pool has barrier-free access.