A local who’ll show you all the best fishing spots
By Globe Content Studio
This article is part of a series about the people who make Newfoundland and Labrador an unforgettable place to visit. Warm, welcoming and fun-loving to the core, they create experiences that stay with you long after you’ve left. Say hello to some of the folks who’ll make you feel at home – no matter where you're from.
When asked about his passion for being a tour operator and guide in Hare Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Duane Collins' answer is simple: “This is home.”
Indeed, Duane has deep roots in Hare Bay, a small town about 3.5 hours west of St. John’s.
“Aside from my grandmother on my dad’s side, who was an English war bride, all my family came to this area between 1760 and 1800,” he says. “I’m a direct descendant of the man who founded Hare Bay.”
Duane’s ancestors lived in fishing communities just off the coast – Silver Fox Island, Bragg’s Island, and Fair Island. Although his father was a teacher, that traditional life was an integral part of Duane's youth. As a child, he would spend summers on Silver Fox Island, fishing with his family.
Back then, he says, “Icebergs were just part of the landscape. They were annoying, and dangerous, and they could destroy our fishing gear. The only useful part was we could shoot pieces of ice off them to put in the well [back home].”
Renee and Duane Collins in the Hare Bay Adventures gift shop. Photo by Johnny CY Lam
Now, Duane sees the grandeur of icebergs through visitors’ eyes. “There aren't many places in the world you can see icebergs,” he says with a laugh. “We do learn from our guests, too.”
Duane and his wife Renee own and operate Hare Bay Adventures, which offers a wide variety of excursions and experiences: cod and salmon fishing, bird- and whale-watching, glamping on Bragg's Island, sunset boat tours, campfire meals of grilled fish on the beach and tours of those nearby resettled islands.
Renee, from Conception Bay South, near St. John’s, met Duane during their years at Memorial University, where Duane studied archeology and history, and Renee studied folklore and archaeology. Not long after graduation, they moved to Churchill, Manitoba, for work. Like so many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, they couldn’t wait to move back east.
“We’re like salmon,” Duane says. “We all have to return to our native rivers.”
In 2017, they moved to Hare Bay and began preparations to open a business that would celebrate and share the place they knew best. Those first tours were done via a sturdy handmade rowboat. Duane would row 16 to 18 kilometres with a handful of guests, looking for wildlife, telling stories and trying for a cod if the season was right. “It was a great little tour,” Duane says, “but we have moved on.”
Now, Hare Bay Adventures tours last from a couple of hours to several days. Because every tour is private, each one is also bespoke, and that’s just the way Renee likes it.
“My favourite thing is chatting with the people who contact us, figuring out what they want to do and see, and then making it happen,” she says. It could be a winter bird-watching excursion, a summer boat trip to find a grandparent’s grave site, or a driving tour up and around the coast. No matter the activity, guests can learn about local history, geology and lore along the way.
“Tell us what you’re interested in, and we can probably make it happen,” Duane chimes in with a laugh. “Unless you want to climb an iceberg or ride a whale.”
The couple's warm, easy charm and depth of knowledge was recognized in 2024 with a CBDC Tourism Business Award of Excellence from Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador. Their kind nature is also reflected in a core business philosophy: the outdoors is for everyone.
For example, their specialty is accessible fishing. Duane knows all the best fishing spots – for salmon, trout or cunners off the wharf – and, depending on the guest, he can lead them deep into the woods or a location much closer.
“We get a lot of people who have never hooked a fish. Some have had knee surgery or a hip replacement, and they don’t want to spend all day in a boat or hike five or 10 kilometres. They want somewhere easy to get to,” he says. “Even if you’re in a wheelchair, I can take you somewhere where you’ll have a good chance at success.”
That local knowledge of the land, which enlivens every interaction Duane has with a guest, has been passed down through stories from his father, grandfather and other family members, as well as his own curiosity and experience. “He’s a natural sponge and has an interest in everything,” says Renee with a laugh.
“All the tours are about sharing our stories, our families, our communities, our background,” says Duane. “We’re not a museum. We’re a living, breathing culture, and we welcome everyone to be part of it.”
Do you have a tale to tell about a visit to Newfoundland and Labrador?
Planning a trip? Let's have a chat.
© Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
Sign Up