Fishing at Metcalfe Pond, Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador

• Overview

  Metcalfe Pond is set in Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador. Around the bank it is lake country bush. You are 17 km from Holyrood. Further out sit Harbour Main-Chapel's Cove-Lakeview (19 km) and Whitbourne (29 km). Other water within reach: Salmon Waters lies 1.3 km on, Old Sea a shade over 3.9 km, Island Pond lies 5.3 km on, Tobins Pond a shade over 5.7 km and Oxleys Pond lies 6.6 km on. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Metcalfe Pond

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Holyrood include brook trout, American eel, Atlantic salmon and bull-rout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Metcalfe Pond repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year August sits at 16°C and February at -5°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late December in a typical year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Metcalfe Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Salmon Waters, 1.3 km out. Rules at Metcalfe Pond are worth checking on the day.