Crooked Lake in Buchans: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Crooked Lake sits in Buchans, out in Newfoundland and Labrador. What surrounds it is rolling bush. Surface area runs to some 90.62 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The water reaches back into a network of arms, each one worth a session of its own. It is the biggest water on our Buchans list. Nearest place of any size is St. Alban's, 68 km away. The nearest city of size is St. John's, 282 km away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Crooked Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Buchans include Arctic charr. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Crooked Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 15°C, while February sits near -9°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Crooked Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a dammed water rather than a natural one, which shows in the shape of the basin. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Cold Spring Pond is 24 km off. For Crooked Lake in particular, ask before you travel.