Newfoundland Spring Cod and Mackerel: Tides, Lures, and Today's Best Spots cover art

Newfoundland Spring Cod and Mackerel: Tides, Lures, and Today's Best Spots

Newfoundland Spring Cod and Mackerel: Tides, Lures, and Today's Best Spots

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Newfoundland coastal fishing report. We’ve got a cool, damp North Atlantic pattern hanging on today along the Island. Light to moderate southwest winds along much of the east and northeast coasts, 10–20 knots in the open, with a rolling swell but fishable seas inside the bays. Air temps are hanging in the high single digits to low teens Celsius, overcast with patches of drizzle and fog in the usual spots like Cape Spear, Bay Bulls, and up toward Bonavista. According to Environment Canada’s marine forecast, expect improving visibility as the day goes on in most inshore areas. Sunrise came early, just before 5 a.m. along the Avalon, with sunset due in around 9 p.m., give or take a few minutes depending where you are on the coast. That gives a long window to work the changing light, which is key in these clear, cold waters. Tides today are running moderate. On the east coast, harbours like St. John’s and Holyrood saw low water around first light, with a strong flood pushing in through the morning and a high mid‑day. Western and northern bays lag by roughly an hour or two. That incoming tide through the late morning is the sweet spot for inshore cod and mackerel; slack at high is short, then the afternoon ebb can be decent for flatfish on sandy bottoms. Fish activity has picked up with slightly warming surface temps. Inshore, folks are reporting steady cod, a mix of keeper‑sized “market fish” with the odd bigger one off deeper ledges. Jigging on the drift over 80–150 feet with light tide has been the ticket. Recreational groundfish openings and limits change, so be sure to check Fisheries and Oceans Canada before you drop a line. There’s scattered mackerel starting to show in the coves and around headlands—nothing like peak summer yet, but enough schools that you can fill a bucket if you stay mobile. Capelin are staging off and on in some bays, which always flips the switch for both cod and mackerel. Where you find birds working tight to shore, you’re in the right place. Best lures right now for cod: classic Norwegian‑style jigs in 4–8 oz, silver, chrome, or blue/silver, rigged with a single assist hook to keep things clean. A strip of salted herring or mackerel on the hook will out‑fish bare metal when the bite’s finicky. For mackerel, small flashy spoons, feathered mackerel rigs, and shiny 1–2 oz casting jigs work well; anything that flashes and moves fast. If you’re soaking bait from shore or at anchor, herring, mackerel, and squid strips are still top choices. For flatfish on sand or gravel, a simple bottom rig with clam or squid and small, sharp hooks will put fillets in the pan. A couple of hot spots to keep in mind: - **Conception Bay, around Bell Island and out from Portugal Cove–St. Philip’s**: Good structure, plenty of bait, and consistent cod lately on the mid‑depth drops. Work the edges where the bottom breaks from 60 down to 120 feet on the flood. - **Trinity Bay, particularly outside Random Island and around the deeper shoals off Clarenville**: Reports of steady cod and some early mackerel schools. Drift the contours and watch your sounder for tight bait balls; that’s where the cod are stacked. On calmer days, the inside pockets of Placentia Bay and some of the sheltered coves on the Bonavista Peninsula have been giving up nice mixed catches—cod, a few pollock, and assorted flatfish—especially when the tide first starts to move. If you’re heading out, pack your oilskins, keep an eye on the marine forecast and fog, and as always, mind your safety and the regulations. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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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