Quinte Fishing

“My” Quinte Report

The Quinte has been going through many changes over the years. I have personally fished there since I was a kid. I’ll turn 41 this Nov., so you could say I have about 35 years behind me on that water. What a great place to fish. The Quinte is known for it’s many trophy fish, but walleye are the fish she’s famous for. Overlooked is the awesome pike and bass fishery there. Salmon and trout are also caught, but only the walleye are the celebrities.

There are many conflicting results of studies that have been done. The MNR has studied it to death. When you ask them about something, you hear about this study and that one. You’d think the MNR is a new thing that just popped up two years ago. With all those studies you’d think an answer would be much easier to reach... Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of great people who have given a lifetime of work, and devotion, into their passion and love of their Canadian wild life. The MNR put in place a slot size. That slot size was a great idea. Some business owners in the area bitched and cried that the slot was killing their business. So it was removed. What was killing their business was tourists driving all that way and paying good money to get skunked. I catch and release a lot. You have to first catch, to release.

The resident walleye population is not what it was. Removing the slot was just dumb. Motivated only by money, not the fact the resident walleye population is like it was. I agree, that because the slot size was put in place, there is a good class of walleye there now. Many things have contributed to the decline of those resident walleye numbers. Zebras, cormorants, gobies, modern day contaminants, and other environmental changes have not made it easy for the walleye of the Quinte.

There is the question of First Nation’s fishing rights as a factor. Well, the gill net thing at the spawning time does concern me a little, but the spearing and so on, has been going on for generations. We are dealing with something that is relatively new. I’ve seen the awesome stringers of fish our friends get in those rivers. I have to admit, I’m jealous. And resentment and finger pointing goes from there. Don’t allow the government, or envy, to deny these people of their heritage and get my Quinte back. The rehabilitation of spawning areas, conservation, and the ability to work honestly with everyone that has a stake, is the key.

With those environmental changes, clear water and deep weed growth have made a challenge of getting those pickerel in the old tried and true spots. So the determined angler has explored other methods to fill their live-wells, and have discovered what the old-timers new all along. The walleye, the trophies the bay is famous for, are off shore. They migrate from the big lake into the Quinte to spawn. And they, those clever and determined anglers, are now intercepting those brutes as they stage in a false fall spawn. For these fish, being caught at a great depth is deadly. Being raised from those depths draws their bladder out. And survival, if released, is unlikely. These fish are the life blood of the Quinte.

Applying effort to improve all spawn areas, get a handle on contamination, and conservation by all is the key in my opinion. Take the pressure off of the big boys off shore, and create a strong and viable resident fishery for future generations.

This is hardly a scientific study. Not even close. This is my opinion. Formed by talking, listening, fishing, and reading. I am not a “financial elite” who wouldn’t touch a fish if their life depended on it. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty nor do I shy away from stirring the pot. Answers come from ideas and the will to change things. So now I am your cannon fodder. Fire away. Pick this apart.


Please just do something.


“slug” aka “sunfish” or “tim”

sorry I didn't make the meeting, I was out finding a place to live (and found one ). I really wanted to go. I've been doing alot of reading as far as the fishery is concerned, you make alot of valid points. If I were a fish, I'd hate to be a walleye, most people who fish for them are doing so to keep them. one thing is for sure, quinte has the best and biggest bass I've ever seen in ontario, let's not take it for granted, get out there and enjoy them, they put on a killer fight and will get your heart racing, what's also great is they are EVERYWHERE, and you don't need a boat. Gar are also a real blast to fish for early summer too, they are also very challenging and can be real picky, batting at your lure with their noses to see if it's real or not. I can't really comment on the bay though, as I've never been on it, fished meyers pier and under the bridge, yeah............ *snore*

I have been somewhat involved with the BOQ at one point and miss it a lot. I wish I could have been at the meeting.

Don Stokes
working in BC

Quinte bass fishing is great for numbers, but size still has a little ways to go...

just check the average tournament weigh in....

big bass are rarely six pounds...usually five's.

nice fish, but still a few years away from hog status....

but tough to beat Quinte for Buckets.

Funny you know, this little walleye crusade began when I was having trouble placing a few new friends on the ice. They aren't interested in filling the freezer, just get away for a weekend and fish. Lots of motels but not many huts. I didn't want one but a few did.

Brother you can bet your best lure I asked about all those points. And I got the odd wink and pause of silence. Having a board like BQFAC is the best thing that has happened to the Quinte in a while. As for what is done with the input may be another story. Things must start somewhere.

I've read a truck load of the postings here, all the way back to 2002. I was hoping to get an idea of what’s been going on. This can be a very explosive topic here. And for good reason. There is a tremendous amount of passion surrounding the view points of all those concerned. Some kind of harmony between neighbors must be achieved. An intelligent management system that is accommodating to all, is the only reasonable avenue, to achieve that harmony.

What bugged me, there was no mention of contamination. Zero. I suppose all those dead fish I read about in those postings were sleeping...Holy crap if I die tomorrow my wife wouldn’t have to wait 15 years for an autopsy report.

Cormorants I can’t forget them. I’ve looked into that menace. I can’t believe the so called naturalists "tree-huggers" aren't more interested in the destruction they cause.

The best part, was at the end when the guys talked about better days. And that things were looking up. I want to go again and I'd love to tell more about the meeting but some of these posts are so long I may have to change my handle to Gabby Hays.