Winter is over and walleye is open - Quinte Report
Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 9:34 am
Well winter is officially over as Quinte walleye is open...
I was not in the derby this year so no need to hunt out the big females heading to Lake Ontario, plan was working areas that would hold a large number of small male post spawn walleye. Most reports at the launch mentioned poor fishing with many reporting low catch numbers...so i knew before heading out the walleye where in a negative mood with the boat traffic and water temperature drop. On day 1 spent 3 hours driving around the areas of the bay looking for fish on the electronics. I started to notice many of the big fish holding in deep water off the first steep break next to shallow flats and spawning shoals away from boat traffic. One area I moved into had what I was looking for...deep water next to a shallow flat and large number of bait fish. Most of the huge archs where right on bottom so I pulled out the bottom bouncers and set-up shop with spinners tipped with crawlers. Fish where spread out in a 1 to 2 kilometer stretch. With the water temp well over 50F I went with a quick trolling pace, I did not have the 4th rod set-up and a fish was on. Did one pass through the area and picked up 4 nice walleye in the 3 to 7lb range. I packed up to run to another spot to save this area for the next day. No boats where fishing the area so I knew it would be safe if I stayed away...I also flipped the fish into the boat so no net was waving around giving away the area.
Made a run toward Hay Bay and looked for the same type of deep water next to shallow flats and got onto more fish. Picked off a few more on every pass and then ran to another spot with the same characteristics. Landed a few more on the same set-up and decided the bouncer bite in 26 feet of water was a good program. After we released the final walleye I decided to head out toward Lake Ontario to see if any big females where suspended out over deep water.
Marked a large number of big fish and bait suspended over deep water, but after a couple of hours trying to get them to go I tossed in the towel and headed for the launch.
The next day was another beautiful morning with winds out of the South. I met up with my crew for the day at the launch and headed out to the spot I left early on day one. First pass we landed 2 nice walleye and every pass after that we netted at least 2 or 3 walleye. As the day moved on and the South Wind picked up to 1-2 footers, the fish started to rise up in the water column and by noon the bottom bouncers where off the lines. Spinners with snap weights/keel weights running down 10 feet over 20 to 26 feet of water produced the rest of the day. The only way to notice the bite was using tattle flags on the board as they would only move about an inch when a walleye would pick up the bait. Once you seen a board flag move you would have to see if the flag would go all the way down or the board would go back - if not you would drop the fish. Many of the walleye would not take the bait and turn so we had to feed them line.
By 4pm the crew was exhausted and we called it a day...the final count for the day was 28 walleyes made it into the net with the largest running 29" with a majority in the 3 to 6lb range.
It was a great opener and it was nice to get out and fish for fun. Hope to head out again soon to stay on the movement of fish on Quinte and also fish the opener this Saturday on Mississippi Lake.
-s
I was not in the derby this year so no need to hunt out the big females heading to Lake Ontario, plan was working areas that would hold a large number of small male post spawn walleye. Most reports at the launch mentioned poor fishing with many reporting low catch numbers...so i knew before heading out the walleye where in a negative mood with the boat traffic and water temperature drop. On day 1 spent 3 hours driving around the areas of the bay looking for fish on the electronics. I started to notice many of the big fish holding in deep water off the first steep break next to shallow flats and spawning shoals away from boat traffic. One area I moved into had what I was looking for...deep water next to a shallow flat and large number of bait fish. Most of the huge archs where right on bottom so I pulled out the bottom bouncers and set-up shop with spinners tipped with crawlers. Fish where spread out in a 1 to 2 kilometer stretch. With the water temp well over 50F I went with a quick trolling pace, I did not have the 4th rod set-up and a fish was on. Did one pass through the area and picked up 4 nice walleye in the 3 to 7lb range. I packed up to run to another spot to save this area for the next day. No boats where fishing the area so I knew it would be safe if I stayed away...I also flipped the fish into the boat so no net was waving around giving away the area.
Made a run toward Hay Bay and looked for the same type of deep water next to shallow flats and got onto more fish. Picked off a few more on every pass and then ran to another spot with the same characteristics. Landed a few more on the same set-up and decided the bouncer bite in 26 feet of water was a good program. After we released the final walleye I decided to head out toward Lake Ontario to see if any big females where suspended out over deep water.
Marked a large number of big fish and bait suspended over deep water, but after a couple of hours trying to get them to go I tossed in the towel and headed for the launch.
The next day was another beautiful morning with winds out of the South. I met up with my crew for the day at the launch and headed out to the spot I left early on day one. First pass we landed 2 nice walleye and every pass after that we netted at least 2 or 3 walleye. As the day moved on and the South Wind picked up to 1-2 footers, the fish started to rise up in the water column and by noon the bottom bouncers where off the lines. Spinners with snap weights/keel weights running down 10 feet over 20 to 26 feet of water produced the rest of the day. The only way to notice the bite was using tattle flags on the board as they would only move about an inch when a walleye would pick up the bait. Once you seen a board flag move you would have to see if the flag would go all the way down or the board would go back - if not you would drop the fish. Many of the walleye would not take the bait and turn so we had to feed them line.
By 4pm the crew was exhausted and we called it a day...the final count for the day was 28 walleyes made it into the net with the largest running 29" with a majority in the 3 to 6lb range.
It was a great opener and it was nice to get out and fish for fun. Hope to head out again soon to stay on the movement of fish on Quinte and also fish the opener this Saturday on Mississippi Lake.
-s
"eye-tracker" indeed! 
I love the long reports like this one - makes me feel like I was there! Thanks!
Must have been a blast.
