First Pond in Terra Nova: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  First Pond lies in Terra Nova, Newfoundland and Labrador. Salt water lies 11 km off. Small at around 5 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Terra Nova. Glovertown at 24 km is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is St. John's, 152 km distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on First Pond

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Terra Nova cover Atlantic salmon, brook trout and Arctic charr. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. First Pond repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -8°C in February. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on First Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Second Pond, 0.4 km away. Check the current arrangement for First Pond.