Shabogamo Lake in Labrador City: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Shabogamo Lake in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador. Height above sea level is 524 metres. It is high ground by Newfoundland and Labrador standards. Labrador City is the closest place, 44 km off. Wabush is 46 km away, with Fermont at 64 km. Not far off: Pegrum Lake some 14 km off, Nault Lake 14 km, Steers Lake some 15 km off, East Lake 15 km and Lac Grande-Hermine some 16 km off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Shabogamo Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Labrador City names brook trout, northern pike and Atlantic salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Shabogamo Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -23°C and July at about 13°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Once it clears, about late May, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near late May, freeze-up near late October: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Shabogamo Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Pegrum Lake at 14 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Shabogamo Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.