Quinte Fishing

Well, I don't plan to provide quite as much detail as Pete regarding what may have been our last trip out to the Bay on soft water, but the BOQ again lives up to it's pre-ice billing. We arrived at the launch at Tip of the Bay, to find it iced over, and a swath that boats must have cut in and out of the ice over the past couple days, which had re-froze.
Went a bit further along Hwy 33 to McClelland Conservation area and launch was wide open and dry as a bone. Thank goodness, 'cause we forgot my bag of 'launching sand'. It's great stuff, like a blend of kitty litter and sand, but less harmful than salt. Which, by the way is probably not that harmful in the relatively minute quantities it is being used on the ramps over the fall.
Anyways, got on the water and started out over by the Cement Plant. Started out with Cln and G DHJ14's. trolling with the 20 hp, one flat line and one board. First hour or so, no hits.
Fired up the motor and decided to head over to the ferry, but on a hunch, pulled to the right and tucked in the east side of Picton Bay. Fired up my electric motor, and we started flatlining. Switched the BG DHJ to Firetiger as it was getting darker. Started trolling with the wind and as we rounded the first point, began marking schools of bait and pods of fish.
First fish came at about 4:30pm, my fishing partner Dean landed a solid 10lb 4 oz walleye. His biggest walleye ever, by over 4lbs. Dean gets out his digital camera, turns it on. Shuts off, battery depleted. Oh crap, so much for instant gratification. Dean cursed his kids, meanwhile, I got out my 35mm and snapped a couple shots. Fish released. Dean no longer can feel his hands (they slowly come back to life whilst reeling in his next fish).
I get a cell phone call from a potential business partner who has no idea we're fishing. I know that's bad news, answering the phone on the water, but I really should've been working so it was a small sacrifice. 10 minutes into the call, my fishing partner Dean, gets my attention to tell me he has another fish on, I can't get off the phone, but later Dean pointed out I should've just said I had to get my other line. This time a nice 8 lb. 12 oz'er. Only fish under 10 lbs. for the night I might add. Call lasts like 1/2 an hour. Dean is so excited he says start the motor back up. Now, I'm holding my rod in one hand, cell in the other and steering the motor with my elbow. Call's done, put the phone away and I get the first fish on the Cln. A plump 11lb. 4 oz. fish.
Then, it gets pretty wild. Dean gets another nice one on the firetiger, an 11lb. 8oz beauty. Ohhhhh, there getting bigger! I hook and land two back to back, a 12 lb. 8 oz, and a 12 lb. 2 oz. Then, hook a fish I can't move.......at all. Play it for about 30 seconds, gone! Then Dean gets a big hit, and I can just tell by the bend in his baitcast rod, this thing is big. Takes a while to get to the net, and as soon as it rolled at the boat, I said "oh man, that fish is huuuuuge". Netted it and got it on the scale real quick. 14 lb. 14 oz. I've got a nice calibrated scale, so in fisherman english, that's a 15 lber. What a fish. It was a perfect specimen. 31 X 22, a real football. A trophy, by any measure. Another pic, revived and released.
Finished the night with an 11lber and a 10 1/2, then packed it in about 8pm. If you're gonna get a final kick at the can, get down there soon. Doubtful Picton Harbour will open back up. Find another place to launch.
Final tally for our 5 hours of fishing was 8 for 10, with our largest 4 fish weighing an astonishing 50 lbs. 4 oz. Unbelievable! Firetiger 5 vs. Cln 3. Seemed most fish were down 18 to 25. A couple split shot ahead of the lures, got them in the zone. It felt so good to revive and release every one of those fish in excellent condition.
We'd love to get down one more time, but unless the weather gets real mild again, we're spending our time at the generating station(s). Like so many who post here, we've had some great results to share this fall. Let's preserve this great fishery.

Weedman,
That was an awesome report. Well done!! How was the launch at the ferry looking? Both the one at the marina and on the north side. Did you get a look?