|
 |
|
|
|
text
by Rocky Crawford
photo by Glen Hales
illustration: Robert Biron |
June - Largemouth Bass,
Bay of Quinte, Ontario
|
The Bay
of Quinte may be best known for its trophy walleye, but in my
mind there’s no other fishery in Ontario that comes close
to the quality and quantity of largemouth bass that Quinte keeps
producing. Skilled anglers commonly catch-and-release 40 to
50 bass a day, for example, with the average fish weighing in
at close to three pounds. And on a good day, four- to five-pounders
aren’t out of the question. Take it from me: a 6.1-pound
brute won me the big-fish prize at the 2002 Chevy Mercury Bass
Tour National Classic. In early July (the season opens the last
Saturday of June) and sometimes into August, a lot of bass can
still be found relating to their spawning areas. Good bets include
the back ends of Hay and Muscote Bays and the western end of
the bay around the Murray Canal. That said, just about any area
with typical shallow largemouth habitat will have fish. And
far from being just an early-summer fishery, Quinte gets even
better as the season progresses. That’s when you’ll
find the bass tightly schooled on weedlines and fast-breaking,
hard-bottom shorelines—and willing to play along.
| BEYOND
LARGEMOUTH BASS |
| Quinte’s
walleye fishing is legendary, with anglers catching
numbers of good-sized fish throughout the season;
Hay and Picton Bays also produce trophy ’eyes.
For huge smallmouth bass, nearby Main Duck Island
on Lake Ontario is well worth a visit. |
|
TACKLE
AND TECHNIQUE
Horizontal
presentations, including topwaters, spinnerbaits, soft-plastic
jerkbaits and buzzbaits, work well. But for big fish, most
are caught by pitching a jig-and-pig. Targeting overhanging
willow trees on sunny days with this approach is particularly
deadly.
GETTING THERE
The Bay of Quinte is roughly two hours east of Toronto along
Highway 401, which follows the bay’s north shore and
accesses Trenton, Belleville, Deseronto and Napanee.
BEYOND
QUINTE
Looking
for more local largemouth hot spots? Also try:
•
St. Lawrence River at Gananoque
•
Presqu’ile Bay
•
West Lake
|
 |
LOCAL
EXPERTS
• Quinte Outdoor Sports,
(613) 967-6600
• Ministry of Natural
Resources, (613) 531-5700
|
FOR
MORE INFO
• Bay of Quinte Tourist
Council, (613) 962-4597; www.quinte.on.ca
• Prince Edward County
Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, 1-800-640-4717; www.pec.on.ca |
|
| BACK
TO HOT SPOTS |
 |
|
|
|
|
