Old Dock Pond Fishing near Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador

• Overview

  Old Dock Pond falls in Come By Chance, part of Newfoundland and Labrador. Salt water lies 2.8 km off. The water covers some 24 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 3.1 km, small enough to learn in a day. You are 30 km from Clarenville. St. John's is the closest city, 89 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Old Dock Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name Atlantic cod, brook trout and American eel. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Old Dock Pond the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 16°C; by February the average is down near -6°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. At Old Dock Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Isaac Johns Pond is 3.4 km off. Signs at Old Dock Pond carry more weight than any list.