Quinte Fishing

It really bothers me to see a big walleye kept to eat, that is gross you need a chain saw to get through it, keep a couple of little walleyes there are much better to eat. I saw a guy catch a big sow 12lbs around) and his parnter was telling him to through it back and he wouldn't, he knocked it out and through it in the front of the boat. I don't know but for me to be seen keeping anything over 2 lbs is like being caught wacking off or something really embarrising.
I admit we kept 6 walleyes between 3 of us all were 1 lbs 2 fish each thats enough for a meal I would think anyways.I don't like to eat frozen walleyes I know there is various way to frezze them but nothing is better than fresh walleye.

Bay of Quinte( aka Walleye Capital of the world)

can't argue with ya bud.

i find it pointless to keep that big of a fish.

however, some folks who are travelling from various distances, and may not be fishing Quinte as many times over the year as us, might find it a lot tougher to throw them back.

why should they? they come once or twice a year.

if the fishery starts to hurt, they simply go to the next 'fad' spot.

those of you who are reading this know who you are.

The more contaminants they eat from the large fish, the less time they have left to fish.........

HI this is my first post .I have been reading all your posts about keeping the big fish .Me personally i don t keep anything over 2lbs . but sometimes if they are hooked baddly they may die anyway.I made my first trip to quinte in Nov. .I went to land a monster . Iwas lucky enought to land 5 over 10pds.Every one of the fish were put back, the biggest around 13.My home water is erie and i see lots of big fish taken by charter boats, that i think could have went back.There is alot of people that like to eat walleye that don t have boats or don t have time to fish.So if they buy fish at the store ,or go on acharter,do you think they are all 2pds and under.I do under were you guys are coming from but i also see how ever spring hundreds of sows are speared there.So if the odd big fish is harvested it is not going to hurt your fishery.And the big ones don t taste that bad , its just the toxens in them. Jason

I like to eat the big ones. Just make sure that you remove all the "red" meat, where I personally believe most of the contaminants are. I keep big ones on Erie every year just because there are piles of them. When you fish tourneys you are after the big ones and I have never had much luck with keeping eyes alive in a well.

That being said...Quinte is a rookery. All those big sows are coming back there for the sole purpose of breeding and it is a self-sustaining fishery as long as it is protected. I have no problems keeping a big sow to take home and put on the wall, but I have not reached my personal goal for a wall fish of 13# +. I released several while ice fishing on Quinte last year between 10 and 12, which in every other part of the world are definitely TROPHY eyes.

Times have changed in a very substantial way for BOQ and many other bodies of water, regarded as trophy potential. Not that long ago, people were routinely observed taking buckets of large fish out, with today seeing a significantly changed outlook on C @ R and the harvest of fish.

Generally, most people seem to regard the 1.5-3.5 pd as the ideal with the guys and gals harvesting the huge sows being more or less a dieing breed because of toxin concerns and a better understanding of the concerns facing us all. Times are changing and will continue to change..... hopefully for the betterment of everything that lives in or is native to the area.

Donald Stokes

The simple answer to your question is this;
They keep the big one's because they are allowed to keep them. Until the MNR actually change the regs to reflect what most anglers practice and believe... keep the small one's and release the biggins, people will continue to keep 'em.
I'm not really surprised that they are being kept, we, human beings, tend to steer away from doing the right thing when it comes to resources. We use them and forget about them, until it's too late.
I've ranted here for a few years about people keeping very large fish and have had personal discussions with folks as they are slaughtering big fish. Most don't care to hear what I've had to say and fall back on the old..."the regs say I can so I will"
Eventually, these actions will force the MNR to make changes, I just hope it happens sooner, rather than later, for the fisheries sake!
There'sOne!
BTW - those of you Erie walleye guys who are accustomed to keeping and eating Erie eyes... BOQ eyes don't taste the same as Erie Eyes... not as sweet or clean tasting...IMHO

...... Ok how many ways can a person look at this situation, and is there really a good solid answer? . im thinking not......... First being a Yankee im up on what i can and cant do, why cause im more likly to get cought doing the wrong thing......... so you do know that leagually you can only take so many fish across the border, back into the states, thats no more than a 4 day limit reguardless if yer up there for 10 weeks or 5 days days
How many of you guys see 3 pound eyes full of eggs? i say most that are taken home. 17 18 inchers......... good eaters right...full of eggs..... also this fish stands to live thru many more breading seasons than a 12 pound fish does.quickly approching the end of its existance so when you think of lagistics..... right..... tough call isnt it?
For one most the hard core fishermen who take the time, plan a trip, spend funds in canada, hotel, lodging, guids sometimes ...... they do it for the love of fishing and the chance to catch some nice quiality fish, not for a food sourse,,,,,,,, 500 bucks often more depending on where they come from can buy a guy alot of fish to eat, you have to admit that.
Now ive spent alot of time in the past 6 years on the docks of picton, belleville, and around the county, what i see mostly is local people taking full advantage of a huge refrigerator we call the bay of quente, the guy who takes 2 fish a day every day . why?. because he can and he lives right there .. sit at Myers peer any night of the week and see what comes in and goes home with people,,,,,,, i myself have seen people take a limit in the morning, and a daily limit home again at night,,,,,,,,, maybe, just maybe if the MNR guys hung out there a bit more this would either stop. or more fines handed down meaning more funds for the MNR
you guys have a great fishery. thats why people come there. from all over the world............... but just for kicks guys when yer at the boat launches, check plate numbers, you will be suprised at what you see....mostly what i see are canadian, and quebic plates.. Mine has NY plates, i follow all laws right to the letter. ... I want to be allowed back!
Carefull to not cast blame, and then turn your head the other way when you see a violation taking place trust me, we have the same trouble in the states,,,,,,,, there is always that few rotten apples.......... do whats right, turn them in or hold yer tongue! . choice is ours to make , there isnt one illeagal fish taken by someone who really thought he was going to get cought in the act. . more often they do it because they do it all the time and never get cought.
Big fish, little fish, they are all fish! .. pan fish, or walleyes........ no differance, a daily limit is a daily limit they tried slotts, catch limits, season changes, whats next a controuled number of fishing permits given? Like a deer permit? ..I know. lets close the season like the spring bear season.. we controul our taking , because we only NEED so much, and would like to see our grand kids be able to enjoy the same things we too enjoy......... im not saving a fish for joe blow, im saving fish for man kind

Great resonse, Grizzly.

I have to admit, I don't keep the big ones.....to be honest, I can't seem to catch 'em

I do keep my fair share a couple of time a year for a big fish fry with freinds that don't fish themselves but love the taste.

Gotta love those fish nuggets and beer

Cheers

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The fishing was so good........I thought I was here yesterday!

I gotta point out something rather humourous.

Has anyone noticed the "Ad By Google" on the bottom of the posts?

It's odd when we're writing about keeping too many and big ones with an ad under all of these to click on the link to "Bag a freezer full of walleye every time you go fishing!"

Maybe the problem is with education

Cheers

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The fishing was so good........I thought I was here yesterday!

I wouldn't let it bother you, the BOQ is proof that the theary of more big fish make more little fish and you need those big sows is wrong. If the theary held up there would be a lot more small fish in the bay.

I agree to an extent that big fish make little fish, all they do is make MORE little fish than smaller breeders. I think the key is to keep a good mix of big breeders and medium breeders. Fishing Lake Erie for the past two years has proved a lot to me, there are literally millions of 16 to 19" eyes. We really started catching them in the central basin this year BEFORE the migrants moved in from the west. I learned that there are more native breeders to extreme NE Ohio and PA than I had ever believed becuase the sheer numbers of the 2003 year class is unbelievable. It is not so much big fish that make lots of little fish, it is a combination of lots of factors, especially on Lake Erie including WEATHER. Calm winds and waves during the peak of breeding season allow many more fish to succesfully breed in the rivers, bays, reefs, and shallows of Lake Erie. ODNR and PA Fish Commission all report the 2004 and 2005 year classes seem to be way off what 2003 was, but time will tell. The 2003 year class should support the fishery for the next 3 to 5 years by itself. I am sure that there are prime weather conditions for the sows of Quinte to spawn as well and maybe you just haven't had prime conditions for a number of years to produce a whopper year class.

I know my group did catch quite a few very small eyes in Hay Bay last February, the smallest around 4".