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Fishing Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte: what the data says
21,909-acre section. The Bay of Quinte off Trenton, Belleville and Deseronto. one of North America's premier walleye fisheries, with trophy smallmouth, muskie and pike in the weedy reaches. The lake tops out around 35 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Walleye fishing at Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 11 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sharp break: a drop-off around 11 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 11 to 35 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte
Spring smallmouth bass on Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 11 to 35 ft. Shoreline point is the standout, a point at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Northern Pike fishing at Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. Weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Muskellunge fishing at Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte
In spring, muskellunge run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for fall muskellunge. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Yellow Perch fishing at Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Weed flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer), white perch (11 to 35 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 31 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 20 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 11 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 11 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 7 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 5 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte?
Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte is about 35 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, channel catfish, muskellunge, yellow perch, rock bass, white perch, pumpkinseed on Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte?
Sharp break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Pleasant Bay · North Bay · Moira Lake · Varty Lake · Sheffield Long Lake · Gull Lake
See how Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA hydrographic surveys. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.