I recently got out on the Bay of Quinte for a bass fishing adventure out of Quinte West. The Bay of Quinte is one of my personal favourite destinations for targeting bass, and I know I share this sentiment with many other anglers. It’s a popular destination for not only recreational anglers but many bass fishing tournaments also take place on this body of water each season. There have been changes to the bass fishing regulations here in recent years (including the addition of an early catch and release season as well as changes to the regular season), so be sure to check out the latest Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary before planning a trip.
For this outing, my partner Eric and I met up with our friend Colin Friel to join him aboard his boat for the day. We set out to focus on targeting primarily largemouth bass.
BOAT LAUNCHES IN QUINTE WEST
We put Colin’s boat in the water at the public boat launch in Centennial Park. It is free to launch and park here, and this boat launch has been recently renovated and updated. There’s another nearby public boat launch and parking area at Kiwanis Riverside Park which is just a little ways up the Trent River just past the Gateway to the Trent Bridge.
You can find a list of boat launches on the Bay of Quinte here.
OUR BASS FISHING OUTING
We began our day by covering water with moving baits such as a ChatterBait, overtop of submerged vegetation, and along wind-blown shorelines. Our first couple of catches of the day were northern pike, then we began getting into some largemouth bass.
As the day went on and the heat increased, we focused on fishing around cover such as docks, overhanging trees, and blown-in mats of floating vegetation that create a canopy for fish to tuck up underneath. We fished a variety of techniques such as; jigs, punch rigs, and Texas-rigged soft plastics around these various types of cover. It can be surprising how shallow fish can be found—even in as little as a foot or two of water at times. We got into some beautiful fish!
LUNCH ON THE WATER
Since it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to order takeout so that we could enjoy our lunch aboard the boat. We picked up sandwiches from The Counter Restaurant, located on Front Street in downtown Trenton just a few steps from the Gateway to the Trent Bridge. There are a couple of docks and an on-the-water fueling station conveniently located at Fraser Park, so you can walk right over to grab your lunch. This was my first visit to the Counter Restaurant and it won’t be the last. Their sandwiches were delicious and very filling! The elevated deli also offers soups and salads, all available for dine-in or takeout.
It was lovely to be back on the Bay of Quinte and to get to explore around Quinte West. We had a lot of fun getting into a variety of largemouth bass and a few pike mixed in as well. I cannot wait to return!
Ashley Rae is a full-time multi-species angler, international writer, video creator, public speaker and fishing guide. You can check out more of her work at shelovestofish.com.
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