Be sure to try this traditional Newfoundland dory fishing tour

by Keith and Heather Nicol

     If you want to go cod fishing from a traditional Newfoundland dory then you need to contact Darren Park. Darren is a top notch guide and operates 2 Newfoundland dories for tours of the Goose and Penguin Arm and is based in Cox’s Cove at the end of the North Shore highway (highway 440) near Corner Brook. His dory fishing trips are unique in the province and are very popular during the recreational cod fishery which runs until August 10 this summer.  When we phoned to book our trip he told us that all of his groups have caught their limit so far this year and that the largest fish caught was a 15 lb cod. “Perfect” we said “mark us down for the Tuesday, August 5 in your evening time slot.” When we arrived Darren said he was having a great year and that he only has a few spots left in the summer cod fishery season. “I even have several bookings for the fall fishery from September 20-29, 2014 and most of these are with repeat costumers” he grinned.  

Heather has a big smile after catching the first cod

The scenery is awesome as well

We set off from the beach in bright sun at 5:00 pm and there was a moderate breeze blowing from the west. “A couple of hours ago it was flat calm and now this wind has come up” Darren told us. “But this won’t stop us from getting our fish “ No sooner were we in position than we had  tugs on the line and we began to reel  in the catch. “That is a nice 5 lb cod’ Darren said as he scooped it up with a net. Although the wind would gradually blow us off the small bank that we were fishing on, Darren expertly repositioned the dory and we were soon back catching fish. In just 40 minutes we had our quota of 10 fish which included 9 cod and 1 redfish. Heather as usual had the distinction of catching the largest cod which Darren estimated weighed in at 6 lbs . Another big bonus is that Darren fillets the fish for you when you get back to the beach so you can take your catch home all ready to cook . Darren runs boat tours through the summer and fall and they include a mussel boil up at his seaside cabin and then fishing or sightseeing in season. So far this season he has seen eagles, dolphins, whales, and moose on his sightseeing tours. You won’t get a better guide than Darren and he can be reached at 709-688-2125 or check out www.fourseasonstours.ca