Always interesting on the Bay of Quinte

[pooch]

Always interesting on the Bay of Quinte

 

I was busy pre-fishing the Bay of Quinte this past weekend, and I am still amazed at the variety of life that lurks beneath those waters. This past weekend was no different, as we caught lots of bass in the two to three pound range plus some unusual catches too…

 

Two years ago at the CSFL BassMania Classic I was working a 10 ft weed flat with a spinnerbait, slow rolling it along bottom. It was the final day of three days. I had been catching lots of bass with this tactic and was struggling on the last day. I remember setting the hook on a fish and yelling to my scrutineer to grab the net, this one is big. I thought I had caught a world record largemouth bass until my drag (which was set very tight) started peeling out, and I could not stop this fish. “What the heck have I got?” I wondered as I battled this fish for several minutes. Finally we got it along side of the boat, netted it and hauled in a 10 plus pound channel cat fish!

 

I should be used to strange catches on the Bay of Quinte, but each time I am surprised. This past weekend I cruised through a school of hundreds of gar pike, (catching one on a spinner bait), flipped a jig and almost caught a six lb bowfin and just about ran over a 20 lb snapping turtle with my trolling motor! For just plain fishing fun the Bay of Quinte never fails to excite.

 

 

This weekend I will be fishing three days on the Bay of Quinte in the last weekend of the eastern series, should be fun! I need some stellar results if I’m going to qualify for the year-end classic, fingers crossed…

 

What worked?

Lure – 3/8 oz Black / Blue Strike King Pro Model flipping jig, and Zoom trailer

Rods – Shimano Crucial Medium Heavy / Extra Fast

Reels – Shimano Curado 201E7

Line – 65 lb High-Vis Power Pro braided fishing line

 

Weather Conditions:

Sunny

Winds – Moderate from the south east at 15 km/h

Surface water temperatures 77-80 Fahrenheit

Air temperatures reached a high of 27 Celsius

 

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[Guest Johnny Bass]

Its always great to get surprises when fishing unless you are targeting a specific species. Sounds like you have a great set up but 65lb is a little extreme, dont you think???

 

I use 50lb test for my flip and jig and I'm going to downsize to 20lbs soon.

[pooch]

Thanks JB

 

I used to use 50lb, switched to 65 this year. I use it in really heavy cover, so the fish would not be "line shy". The thick bright yellow line is very easy to see on top of the water and helps me notice any slight strike indications not unlike fly line. I have also found 65 to be less susceptible to wind knots as lighter 50. No need for lots of line on the spool when flipping and pitching so the heavier the better!

 

Obviously personal choice, but 20 would be way to light for the applications I'm flipping and pitching. Think pads, slop, docks, trees, and the thickest of weeds.

[ehg]

Cool pic of the gar! Quinte can produce interesting catches, once caught a gar on a jigging rap while ice fishing. You never know there, could be musky, pike, sheepshead, bass, rainbow, brown, mudpuppy etc...