Quinte Fishing

Guys,

I am not sure where you are getting the MNR stocking reports, but I think you are being mislead. My neighbour was talking to the area biologist that has been looking after Louborough. She indicated that 8,000 lake trout were planted in 2010. They have been planting fish in the lake every couple years since 2002. Almost all of the fish caught are stocked fish with either a pectoral or adipose fin clipped. The MNR can tell you when the fish you caught was stocked.

I was out on the lake earlier this week and ended up catching 2 smelt around 6-7 inches long. When I caught them, my Vexilar screen showed a school of bait 20 feet high. The lake trout were also in the area. We caught a few fish between 3-6 lbs and they appeared healthier than fish I have caught the last two previous years. Yes, two years ago the fish looked like they were death warmed over.

Personally, I think the smelt population has gone up recently, for some reason. Must be one of those 7 yr phase things, that happens in nature.

Also, When you clean a trout, you also find 2 or 3 smelt in each fish.

I'm still trying to find a good recipe for these trout, that doesn't involve cooking them on a ceder plank, then eating the plank and throwing out the fish. Just kidding. I make fish cakes and I can cough them down. LOL

Good fishing,
BATMAN

The person I talked to was Monique Clarette (sorry if I spelled it wrong). She works at the Kingston MNR branch. I will have to go back and find her email.

The reason I emailed her was because we were catching trout without clipped fins....these fish have came from stockers that have successfully spawned.

She also told me they have done shoal work in the lake in the past few years with the hopes of reproducing trout.

I'm in the process of going back and finding this email. I talked with her on multiple occasions over the phone, prior to her sending me the "clip list".

I do not believe it is intended to fish the lake out. The open season was created to give locals a lake to fish legaly so as to protect the other lakes which do have sustainable lake trout with natural reproduction. Loborough does not have much if any natural reproduction as there is to much pollution in the lake from the numerous cottages with aging septics on the lake. Part of the problem has been the decline of the smelt population in the lake, again from pollution which has caused the lake trout to seek out new food items, and yes some of this has been plastics. This is why the ministry has suspended stocking to see if the smelt come back, and I believe if this happens they will continue with the stocking.One good note is that we have cought and had several fish cough up smelt after being cought this year which hopefully indicates they may be bouncing back. But fishing has been great this year I have landed well over 40 fish and for the most part they have appeared much healthier then years past. And to those of you who may question how may I have kept the answer is 3 just to try them to see if the poor eating quality had gotten any better, my feeling is still no and will continue to release all my fish. Good fishing.

Gord

Gord, where's a good spot to walk out? Looking to take my nephew out this week since i've got a few days off work. How's the ice?

Hey Gord:

That jives with what I have seen out there. Smelt population seemed to crash about 4 years ago, we used to go get few, but stopped when we wern't seeing much of a run. Then all the lakers you caught were eating shad instead of the preferred smelt. Then the shad numbers seemed to drop as well. We used to cruze the break on the west basin looking for the big schools of shad busting the surface, then pound the smallmouth on topwaters. That has not been as successfull over the last few years as well, as we were seeing fewer baitfish. I will agree this last year has been better, we saw some smelt in the spring (just looked), more schools of shad in the summer, and healthier looking lakers. Hopefully things are rebounding, and I know efforts are taking place to help identify sources of polution in the lake and get substandard septic systems replaced.

Right now my attitude is wait and see, so my Loughborough fish are all goin back unless mortally hooked. Good luck out there.

_________________
Bruce Ogilvie

"Fish Hard, Hunt Hard, Live Hard"

http://www.muskiescanada.ca/

There was talk of stocking Walleye, but it's not going to happen. A bad idea to mess with this lake which already has excellent bass and trout,
Fishing Fanatic

Brad - I'd love to take you out. I'll be hitting Loughby March 2 onwards. 10 fish days per person are common. I practice catch and release, and keep my 2 if only nec.

PM if you want to come down and fish dude.

I got the stocking list for this year and they are still stocking loughborough but it has been reduced by 50%, apparently they want to give the baitfish population a chance to recover. there will be less lakers but they will be more healthy looking. Walleye? That would be awesome but I hadn't heard that, only rumour I heard was they might be stocking whitefish.

i haven't been able to find the local stocking list. Any chance you could post it jjz?? I'm sure others would like it as well. Thanks.

_________________
Bruce Ogilvie

"Fish Hard, Hunt Hard, Live Hard"

http://www.muskiescanada.ca/

From what I have heard, the talk of stocking Walleye in here is just a rumour. Its a good lake to fish as is, no need to screw it up by creating more competition for bait fish.

As for ice fishing, got on the ice only once so far, saw 7 caught in under an hour (none by me). White jigs and smelt on gorge hooks seemed to be the key. 113 FOW on the flasher.

_________________
Give a man a fish & he'll eat for a day ...
Teach a man to fish & he'll be broke for life.

i was on loughboroughlake.org and looked at a couple news letters. Looks like the dumped 15,000 fingerlings in back in 2008, and I found 8000 being put in the lake on May 10 according to the 2010 newsletter. Looks like they are slowing down the numbers. Used to be at 40,000 a year.

_________________
Give a man a fish & he'll eat for a day ...
Teach a man to fish & he'll be broke for life.

The walleye wasn't a rumour, white lake fish hatchery had the walleye for the lake until the local residents put an end to that in fear of the lake getting even more traffic and fishing pressure than it already has.

Haven't found a recent one but this one covers to 2008.

Here you go...

Thanks. Much appreciated.

_________________
Bruce Ogilvie

"Fish Hard, Hunt Hard, Live Hard"

http://www.muskiescanada.ca/