Retreat Lake in Saint John County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Retreat Lake lies in Saint John County, in New Brunswick. What surrounds it is mixed forest. Roughly 14 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The whole outline is near 1.9 km, and most of it is walkable. You are 3.3 km from Fundy Shores. Dartmouth sits 228 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Retreat Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Saint John County include alewife, Atlantic cod, Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt and American shad. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Retreat Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in August and bottom out at -8°C in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Retreat Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For salmon, swing spoons or flies through the moving water and mind the local method rules. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Clear Lake at 1.1 km is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Retreat Lake if anything is unclear.