The Bay of Quinte is known for its excellent walleye fishing. They may not always be easy to catch, but there are good numbers of fish that move into this area and if you hit it right, you can catch good numbers of them with some very big fish mixed in too. Walleye up to and over 30 inches long are caught here every year.
Migratory Walleye
The migratory walleye are what most anglers are coming here to catch. Walleye will migrate into the Bay of Quinte in mid to late October and they will stay here through the winter and through the spawning season in the spring. They will then migrate back out to Lake Ontario as water temperatures warm up in the spring and early summer.
The migratory walleye are much bigger on average than the resident walleye. Some of these walleye will be absolutely huge fish well over 10 pounds, but you’re going to catch a lot more fish in the 4 to 7 pound range than 10 pounders.
Resident Walleye
The resident walleye are here year round. There are still plenty of nice walleye to catch, but the average size walleye is much smaller in the summer and early fall before the big fish move back in.
Trent River
The Trent River is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which flows from Rice Lake to the Bay of Quinte. This river is full of locks and dams that covers a vast area. Closer to the Bay of Quinte, anglers have lots of public shore fishing options, but if you can get in a boat, you can experience better fishing for a variety of species such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskie, crappie, perch and more.
Trenton Bay
Trenton Bay is located at the northwest part of the Bay of Quinte. The Trent River flows into into this bay and the mouth of the river is a popular walleye spot, especially in the spring and fall. You can catch other species of fish here as well, but walleye are definitely the preferred species of fish among most anglers. When the bite is going good, there will be plenty of other boaters fishing this area.
Moria River
The Moria River flows through downtown Belleville. The mouth of the river is a popular spot for many boaters since there are multiple spots with boat slips down here. Walleye move into this river in the spring and fall, however, a lot more fish move into the river in the spring. Anglers target walleye, smallmouth bass, pike and other fish along the shorelines, while wading in the river and by boat. The upper part of the Moria is known for having a good muskie population as well.
Belleville Bay
Belleville Bay is located at the mouth of the Moria River and it is another popular spot for walleye, especially in the spring and fall. Anglers also target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and panfish in the bay throughout the fishing season.
Salmon River
Salmon River flows into Big Bay. This is a smaller river that does offer some good fishing early in the season. Walleye do move into the river to spawn, so you can catch some nice walleye from shore or in a small boat. Some fish do move back into the river in the fall also, however, the spring is the best time to target big walleye. Anglers also will find some bass, northern pike and panfish in the river as well.
Big Bay
Big Bay is one of the largest areas on the bay and it is a popular area to fish. This is big water out here so you don’t want to be caught out here in a smaller boat. Anglers do well on Big Bay for walleye. You will usually see a lot of boat trolling for walleye so they can cover more water out here and find more feeding fish. Some of the popular spots to fish in the bay are Point Anne, Big Island Shoal, Minnie Blakely Shoal and Horse Point. Largemouth bass are found along the shorelines and in the smaller bays within Big Bay. Pike are here too. Smallmouth bass are usually found offshore during the summer and fall months and perch are here as well.
Moscote Bay
Moscote Bay is a weedy bay located south of Big Bay. The weeds attract plenty of largemouth bass and northern pike, so make sure you tie on a leader if you plan on targeting bass in this area. You may also run into some smallmouth bass and panfish in this area.
Telegraph Narrows
This long narrow stretch is located between Big Bay & the Deseronto bridge. This is a good area to fish for walleye and smallmouth bass during the transition times of the year. In the spring and fall, good numbers of fish will move through this area.
Napanee River
This river runs through the town of Napanee. The Napanee River provides a good spawning run of walleye as well as a fall spawning run of salmon. Anglers also catch northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie and perch in the river.
Long Reach
This narrow stretch connects to Hay Bay. It isn’t a super popular spot to fish, however, some anglers do report good success in this part of the Bay of Quinte. Walleye move through here in large numbers every spring and fall.
Hay Bay
Hay Bay is the long arm that comes off of Long Reach. To the eastern part of the bay, you will find lots of weeds and shallower water, which is great for largemouth bass and northern pike. In the west end, you will find deeper water. Walleye anglers usually troll the deeper part of the bay.
Adolphus Reach
This part of the Bay of Quinte is very popular since this is where walleye will stack up before moving farther into the bay. You will also find schools of walleye in this area as they move back out of the bay after the spring spawning season. You have a lot of deep water out here and there are usually plenty of anglers out here trolling for huge walleye.
Best Baits for Walleye
Walleye eat a variety of different baits, however, when push comes to shove, it is much easier to catch them with live baits. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for walleye.
While most anglers will just use live baits, many anglers will also target walleye with lures as well. Crankbaits and soft plastics are the best lures for walleye, however, you can catch walleye with a variety of different lures.
Learn More
Best Rigs for Walleye
When targeting walleye, there are many different rigs that you can use to catch them. While most anglers will keep it super simple and just use a simple jighead, many anglers will use a variety of rigs such as spinner rigs, 3 way rigs, bottom bouncers, drop shot rigs and many others.
To learn more, take a look at our best rigs for walleye page.
Best Techniques for Walleye
Jigging is by far the most popular technique for walleye fishing, however, you can catch them a variety of different ways. Casting, trolling and drifting are some of the other awesome techniques that anglers use.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for walleye page.
Learn More About Walleye
Our walleye fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our walleye fishing website to learn more.
