Quinte Fishing

Happy New Year!

Thought I would start the year off with my own weight-length chart that I have developed over the years fishing Quinte.

I have fished Quinte since I was old enough to hold a rod and have come to these numbers through 30+ years of walleye fishing on Quinte and probably 150-200 28" + eyes.

Over the last few years I have used a digital scale that I have calibrated against a top loading Mettler in the lab where I work, so I know they were VERY accurate.

Once the lengths get past 32 inches the weights can start to vary alot but as a rule of thumb not more then 20%

These are the averages of the fish I have caught. Almost all were late fall or winter fish that were filled out.

Here goes.
29" 9.0lbs
30" 9.7 lbs ( most 30 inchers weigh in a shade below 10#)
31" 10.5 - 11lbs
32" 12 - 12.5lbs
33" 13-14lbs
33+ 14lbs and up ( I have only got one 34 incher it was an average shaped fish maybe slim in Quinte standards, it was 14 lbs even. )

It takes an incredible slob to beat 15lbs

People can claim 15 lb fish but I would bet my house that 90% of the 15lbs + fish claimed are 14 or less. Walleye don't weigh as much as they look.

Didnt want to poke a pin in some peoples weights , just wanted to reinforce how VERY rare and special a 15 pound fish is! ( well over a 100 tens caught and I am still looking for one over 14)

I have only seen one fish in 30+ years that was over 15lbs and that was a giant sitting in a corner eddy in the Moira in April I estimated it at 37 " and 18-20 pounds. It was only 5 feet away so I got a real good look at it.

Oh and BTW I let that 14 go 2 years ago so get out there and get him but let him go!!


Darren

Thanks for the great chart. From all of the results our group has posted in the past 6 years the weights are very close. When the scale doesn't work or it is left at home, this will be helpful.

2 years ago the biggest BOQ walleye I caught was at 34" long, a girth of 23" and was 16.1 pounds according to the digital Berkely scale. Still cannot find another one the same size or better. This fish as well was released back into the BOQ.

I would say the weights are low in relation to length for fall fish. I have a very accurate scale and caught several 14 plus fish this year and not one was over 32".The 15.75 I caught this year was less than 33". The length to weight ratio of Quinte fish in very high. Not that it matters much because they are all awesome fish but I would not trust the accuracy of digital scales in cold weather. They are severely off. Check out the Chattilon spring scales if you want good accuracy. Cabelas still carries them I believe. I am amazed at how accurate they are when testing certified wieghts on them.

Darren,

I agree with Targa2. In the fall, the walleye really pack on the pounds. A 10 lb fish in the spring could be anywhere from 11 to 13 lbs in the fall.

If you have pictures from both the spring and fall, have a look at them. You will see that the fall fish are alot fatter.

Other than that, good post.

Cheers,

Mike

_________________
Wish I wasn't here...Rather be fishing if you know what I mean

This is a very interesting topic. I was out on Jan 3 2004. Started at the ferry and worked east. We went 15 for 15. Within 10 minutes we boated our first eye. She was 31.5"x 19.5" and weighed 13 on the nose with my berkley digital scale which is 10 years old. Temperature was +7. We also boated 3 other 31 inchers with relatively the same girth and weighed between 12.2 and 12.5. Then I landed my personal best 33"x20" and weighed 15 on the scale however when I first put it on it jumped to 16 then bobbbed back and forth and settled on 15. On previous outings my fishing partner boated his personal best 31.5"x19.75" with -5 weather, weighed 13.5 on my scale and I landed a a 31.75"x 19.75" which weighed 13.5 on a -8 day. I have been out on BOQ 13 times this fall and have caught numerous 31 to 31.75 inchers. When talking about these hawgs what should I go by? The formula or scale? Input would be greatly appreciated.

It sounds to me like the digital scale you have is pretty close. I have seen 3 different instances where digital scales were way off but yours seems right judging by those #s. I am also not a fan of digital line counters either for similar reasons.
I am one of those Pros who has no sponsors so I can and do tell it as I see it when it comes to the workings of a particular product. I like things I can count on so I try to keep things as foolproof as possible. If a product is questionable I don't want it in my boat. I hate let-downs in equipment even if I am just out having fun.....Just so you guys don't think I am being arbitrarily critical.

I will agree that there are some real slobs out there but I cannot believe the numbers of 15 pound plus that people claim in the fall.
Maybe I am too cautious when I estimate my fish and am not giving myself enough credit but this year seems to especially "bad" for numbers claimed for 15 pounds.
A 32 inch fish that exceeds 15 pounds has to look like a real slob even for quinte. Most "fat" quinte fish will not exceed 13.5 and most will be high 12 low 13's .
I know we are fisherman and what do fisherman do "stretch our weights but I see some people claiming 32.75 inch fish that weigh 18 pounds!!!!!
Come on now!
Maybe I will adjust my chart by .5lb to 1 lb for the larger fish but that is all I can go.
We are talking average fish not exceptional fish. That was the point of my chart was a quick guide to throwing a tape on a fish instead of keeping it out of the water to tape and weigh them.
Stress on the fish is reduced in the fall with the cold water but last time out Dec2 I still had to resuscitate a big girl for 10 minutes till she swam off strong. ( that fish ruined my day as my hands could not warm up after that)
I watched one boat this fall really doing well but what bothered me was that they had to tape, weigh and then multiple photos of the fish before it went back in.
I can understand that if its a special fish but they had to be in the double digits that day and they did that for every fish.I kept thinking that all extra handling must have claimed a fish or two.
I think I will take Targas advice and pick up one of those scales in the new year.
Here is too a good year with new personal bests for everyone out there!

Darren

Darren, I really think you need to heed the advice of a few of the posters above, who also have tons of experience on Quinte. Especially, in the fall fishery. It's too general to just use length in calculations of weight on the fall fish. Those huge sows push those bellies to the max with spawn and baitfish as we move into the winter months. They really do turn into footballs. Our best fish came on December 3rd, after dark. The fish was 31.5" total length, with a 21" girth and weighed 14 lbs. 14 ozs. It was a pig. I trust we got an accurate reading on that fish, and the other 7 we caught that night. By comparision, our next largest fish which weighed 12 lbs. 8 oz measured 29.5" X 19". I think the more data we get though, the better off we'll be. Cheers,

To Darren. I also think that there seems to be a lot of "so called" 15 lb claims that are not accurately verified. Again, I think the culprit is not exageration but poor quality scales.I caught over 400 big walleyes this fall and only one was actually over 15. I caught 5 that were 14 and probably 40 over 13 lbs.One 14 lb fish that we lengthed and girthed for a replica mount was 32 x 19.5. It was not a really fat fish either and fell short of the 14.4 mark it would have weighed according to the conversion.

One way to reduce stress when weighing them is to weigh your net first and weigh your fish in the net and subtract.

Good call getting a Chattilon scale Darren, you won't be dissappointed.
$59.99 U.S. at Cabelas.

Targa2

Chatillon scales are the choice of several charter/guides I know. I have 2 scales, a 50 lb for salmon and a 25 lb for walleye. My wife gave these to me as a gift a couple years ago (basically to weigh her monster quinte eyes as accurately as possible).

They can be purchased from:

Active Scale Manufacturing
4 27 Beaver Creek Rd
Richmond Hill, ON
905-764-8709

For those that are interested, www.chatillon-scales.com
Search the products for FISH and GAME.

As per the size and weight of Quinte eyes, the deciding factor for heavy fish is a thick girth all the way to the tail, especially from the anal vent to the tail. It makes the difference of a couple of pounds or more. From my experience, it is the difference between a nice 11-12 lb fish (with a narrow tail section) and a 13-15 lb fish where you have to stretch your fingers to hold the tail section.

Big Al
Mississauga,ON