Swamp Lakes, Newfoundland and Labrador: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Newfoundland and Labrador. Height above sea level is 468 metres. At 2.87 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 15 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Newfoundland and Labrador listings. Supplies mean a trip to Labrador City, 190 km off. For a city, Saguenay is 767 km off. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Swamp Lakes

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Swamp Lakes gives up its fish to patience rather than distance. Cast along the margin rather than straight out from it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -24°C in January to roughly 12°C in July. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Once it clears, about late May, the fishing comes on quickly. The open-water window runs from around late May to about late October in an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Swamp Lakes follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Icomb Lake is 16 km distant. Where Swamp Lakes is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.