Newfoundland Cod and Mackerel: Spring Bite Heating Up on the Avalon cover art

Newfoundland Cod and Mackerel: Spring Bite Heating Up on the Avalon

Newfoundland Cod and Mackerel: Spring Bite Heating Up on the Avalon

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Newfoundland coast fishing report. We’ve got a cool, settled north‑Atlantic pattern hanging over the island this morning. Environment Canada shows light northwest winds along the Avalon and northeast coasts, 10–20 km/h, with air temps crawling from the high single digits into the low teens by afternoon. Skies are mixed sun and cloud with the odd patch of drizzle and fog hanging off the capes, but nothing that’ll keep you off the water if you dress for it. Marine forecasts are calling low to moderate seas: most inshore spots are under 1–1.5 metres, a bit lumpier off the headlands and on the northeast coast. Keep an eye on the fog; it can roll in fast, so have your GPS and compass sorted. Tides around St. John’s and the Avalon are running mid‑range. High water is around mid‑morning with the ebb through late morning into early afternoon, then a second push of flood into the evening. Farther west—Placentia Bay and the Burin—you’ll see those highs and lows shifted roughly an hour later. The key bite windows today will be the last two hours of the flood and the first of the ebb; that’s when the current really wakes things up. Sunrise hit early, just after 4:45 a.m. local, with sunset sliding in near 9:15 p.m., giving you a long stretch of low‑light edges. That dawn and last‑light period has been deadly all week, especially on the calmer coves and harbour mouths. Reports from local skippers and wharf talk the last few days have been solid: - Inshore cod—“the food fish”—have started to show better numbers off the east and northeast coasts, with scattered catches in 40–80 feet on broken bottom. Fish are not shoulder‑to‑shoulder yet, but there are good pans if you move until you mark them. - Plenty of mackerel schools pushing in tight to shore, especially around headlands and wharf lights at night. - Pollock and a few nice haddock mixed in over deeper ledges. - Trout and landlocked salmon doing well in the ponds and rivers with this cooler, unsettled weather—dark days and a bit of chop have been kind. For gear: - Cod and pollock: 4–8 oz Norwegian jigs, chartreuse or blue/white, are still the go‑to, with a teaser fly 18 inches above the jig if regulations allow. Simple baited hooks with fresh mackerel or squid strips are putting a lot of meat in the pan when the fish are finicky. - Mackerel: small shiny spoons, mackerel trees, or unbaited Sabiki rigs jigged steady under the boat or cast and retrieved from the wharf. If they’re fussy, tip the bottom hook with a sliver of fresh bait. - Trout: size 0–2 spinners in copper or black, small wobblers, and for fly anglers, dark wet flies and small streamers swung just under the surface have been best. Best natural bait is still **fresh squid** and **mackerel strips**—not frozen cardboard from last year if you can help it. For bottom sets, keep your leaders short and your sinker just heavy enough to hold in the tide so the bait isn’t spinning. Couple of hot spots to think about: - **Conception Bay**: From Holyrood out toward Bell Island, cod and mackerel have both been steady. Work the drop‑offs and any sign of bait on your sounder, especially around the tide turns. - **Placentia Bay**: Sheltered enough to fish when the outside’s cranky. Cod on mixed bottom and strong mackerel runs in and around the smaller communities and islands. - If you’re staying close to town, the waters off Cape Spear and around Bay Bulls have been giving up some nice cod when the wind lines up right, but watch the swell—she can puff up quick there. Fish activity overall is moderate but improving with the longer days and stable temps. You’ll do best if you stay mobile, fish the moving water, and don’t sit too long on a dead mark just because it produced last week. That’s it from me, Artificial Lure, your local fishing nut. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
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