Quinte Fishing

Looking forward to the fall walleye season on the bay and would like to update my tackle as I'm relatively new to the bay walleye fishing. I would appreciate any suggestions on a nice rod / reel combo for Quinte walleye. I'm interested in trying lead core, does this affect the reel consideration?

Personally, I really like an 8.5 foot salmon/steelhead rod (with trigger handle) and the Daiwa 27 linecounter reel. The lures should be able to get down to the fish. Using lead gives you one depth to troll at, because it depends on the number of colours of lead on the reel. Soto cover a depth range, you almost need three reels with lead (two colours / three colours & five colours)

The Precision Trolling Guide shows you the depths the lures will achieve with proper amount of line out. You can also use in-line weights.

Try fishing with someone who has the lead core, before you drop 30 or 40 dollars.

Just my thoughts.

David aka Superda

Hi
i can't comment on lead core never used it
for rods i use :
7'3" cabelas trolling series rods
diawa 27's [line counters] with with mono 12# test [ nice reels but i like the okumas better]
okumas [line counters] with 14-6 fireline
also use the precision trolling guide for depth for a given lure
this ain't gospel but works for us
blue

I run all Okuma products as I pro-staff with them. LOVE the new clarion line counters. In my humble opinion the best bang for your buck line counter reel on the market right now. Granted my opinion is partial, but I truly LOVE the new clarion. It isn't cheap at $180 +/- Cdn per reel, but it is a good reel one that will last you awhile and will treat you well. I like the gear ratio good for burning in lures, and the ergonomic handle is easy to find and hold when fighting fish.

I like 8' - 9.5' rods. I run shorter rods at the stern and longer as I get towards the bow. This makes running a spread a little easier. Keeps the lines from crossing.

For lead core you need a size 30 reel or larger. I find with a size 30 reel you can get lots of backing if you use braid and all ten colours. Best way to load it is to use two reels, put the leadcore on first, tie on your backing, then fill the spool. Once you have it full, just spool it all onto the other reel and it is loaded perfectly.

Scott

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West Lake Willows Resort, Picton Harbour Inn, and Bay of Quinte Charters
Bay of Quinte Charters offers a 26' Charter Boat operating out of Picton Harbour with a fully enclosed cabin.
Picton Harbour Inn offers 31 rooms, docking, and a restaurant on the sheltered waters of Picton Harbour.
West Lake Willows offers 8 cottages and camping at the doorstep of the famous Sandbanks on West Lake.

www.bayofquintecharters.com, www.pictonharbourinn.com, www.westlakewillows.com

I agree with Scott, the new Clarion is a good reel for the money. The new Rapala reels are coming into their own. I prefer the Tekotas because they were designed by fisherman for the big lake trolling industry. Besides the tekotas, I have penns, diawas, old shimanos, & okumas.

I do not pro-staff for any company and been fishing eyes and kings for over 30 years. For the Bay, 2 & 3 colour cores is what I would start with. You can add 5 ,7, 8,& 10 cores to your arsenal as you can afford it. For eyes you do not need a great amount of backing as is the situation with 30 lb. kings. A more accurate method of targeting depths are dipsy divers. Either with braid or wire, it is an better method of getting the lures to the depth that you want to target. I have stripped all my 10 cores and spooled with 200 & 300 copper. 45 lb. copper is a lot more accurate for targeting depths than lead core. Copper is not for a rookie unless you have a lot of time to experiment. I did fairly well with coppers last fall on the Bay east of the ferry. I start with riggers and divers and then decide what coppers or cores that I am going to deploy on the boards after I watch the sonar for a while to see at what depth I think the eyes are going to be the most active.
As the sunlight penetration increases, I run the riggers deeper, let the divers out farther but with coppers and core you will have to pull them and put out longer sections to get deeper. I have a 450' copper that I run down the chute that is marked with shrink wrap every 50'. I use it as an indicator of where the walleye are.

It is easier for us, as we carry up to 40 rods on the boat when we are tournament fishing for salmon. I carry a lot less for walleye. Also usually less anglers whan I am on the Bay.

Rod length does not matter that much. 8' to 9' medium action is a good bet. Line size - 10 to 15 lb. with fluorocarbon leaders.

Leader length on the cores is atleast 30 feet. I prefer 45' myself, especially when the water gets more clear in late November.

Hope this helps.
PM me anytime for help.

Al

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Captain - Team ATOMMIK/Rockets