Fishing on the Bay of Quinte
Tips From a Local Angler
The Bay of Quinte region is well-known for its incredible fishing opportunities throughout the year, especially for its world-class walleye and bass fishing.
From a young age, I always had a passion for the outdoors and fishing. Growing up in Belleville on a renowned walleye, bass and rich multispecies fishery, I quickly became infatuated with the thought of potentially catching the “fish of a lifetime,” like I had seen done repeatedly on Saturday morning fishing programs featuring The Bay of Quinte.
After experiencing incredible shore fishing in locations scattered throughout the Quinte region, I wanted to pursue my passion for fishing out on a boat, where I discovered just how thrilling the Bay of Quinte could be.
Written by Alex Meletis
Read time: 3 min
If you’re travelling to The BoQ on a family vacation, stopping in for the day to explore or are a serious angler looking to catch a “fish of a lifetime”, there are many species during the spring, summer and fall seasons to pursue. Boat launches are easily accessible from the Highway 401 corridor and Highway 2. The city of Belleville has signage on where the locations are nearing the launches.
In the spring, many migratory Lake Ontario and residential walleye focus their spawning in the Moira River and shoals in the Bay of Quinte (a naturally shallow area in a body of water, made up of sand, gravel, or small rocks). As the fishing season opens, many anglers from near and far flock to the boat launches for water access to enjoy catching these fish post-spawn as they travel back out to the Lake.
George St. boat launch, Herchimer boat launch and Rossmore boat launch, just across the Bay Bridge, are some of the more popular locations in the Belleville area. Because these boat launches are centralized on the bay itself and so close to the focal point of this species of fish during that time of the year, fishing can be sensational, and anglers of all skill levels have a chance to catch their fish of a lifetime.
Trolling worm harness, Erie Dearie spinners and jigging for walleye are some of my favourite methods for pursuing springtime walleye. Typically, the best time to catch these fish is low-light periods of the day and even throughout the night. The Belleville boat launches have been equipped with streetlights and even dock reflectors to make it easier to back your boat in during low-light conditions. Walleye typically can be targeted in the river mouths, shoals and along early-season weed edges in the spring and into the early summer months.
As the season progresses into the warmer months, the regular bass season opens for the public’s enjoyment. Many bass tournaments are held annually on the Bay of Quinte, like the Quinte Fishing Series. I’ve always enjoyed fishing here for the largemouth and smallmouth bass, both recreationally and in tournament angling opportunities. Largemouth bass can be found in heavily vegetated bays or on the edge of weed beds with access to deeper water, while my best success targeting smallmouth bass has been focused on rocky shorelines or shoals with minimal vegetation where they have access to deeper, cooler water. Peak fishing periods for largemouth bass, as with most targeted species of fish, are sunrise and sunset.
Beyond walleye and bass, the Bay of Quinte is rich in fish species diversity because of its geographical location, ideal fish habitat, and connection to Lake Ontario. Anglers can enjoy a variety of these species throughout the open water season. From shore or boat, a day on the Bay can be filled with joy, targeting specific species of fish or just enjoying a fun day fishing with the family, catching perch, rock bass, or pumpkinseed, commonly known as a sunfish.
