Fishing guides › Ontario: Great Lakes & St. Lawrence

FISHING GUIDE · EASTERN LAKE ONTARIO & ST. LAWRENCE

Bay of Quinte & Thousand Islands, Ontario Fishing Guide

The Bay of Quinte is best known for big walleye that come in from Lake Ontario in fall and winter. Downstream, the St. Lawrence River and Thousand Islands are famous for giant muskie, mostly caught trolling in fall, plus smallmouth bass and pike. Ontario rules for Fisheries Management Zone 20 apply on the Canadian side, and the river is the border with New York, so know which side you are on.

📍 Eastern Lake Ontario, Ontario, Canada. The Bay of Quinte runs from Trenton past Belleville, Deseronto and Picton to Bath. East of Kingston the water becomes the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands, with Gananoque on the Ontario shore and Clayton, New York across the border.

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Ontario: Great Lakes & St. Lawrence map →

Quick facts

What you can catch

Month by month

JanuaryWalleye and pike open; vertical jigging for walleye through the ice on the bay. Bass catch-and-release only.
FebruaryIce fishing for walleye. Bass catch-and-release only.
MarchWalleye season closes after Mar 1; pike open to Mar 31.
AprilWalleye and pike closed. Moira River and Belleville Harbour sanctuary closed from Apr 1.
MayWalleye and pike open the first Saturday in May; drift a worm harness for post-spawn walleye. Bass catch-and-release ends May 10.
JuneMuskie and largemouth bass open the third Saturday in June.
JulySmallmouth bass open the first Saturday in July. Many big walleye are out in Lake Ontario.
AugustMuskie season builds from late summer on the St. Lawrence.
SeptemberWalleye start moving into the bay; muskie peak begins late September.
OctoberTroll crankbaits for walleye; prime muskie trolling.
NovemberPrime muskie month; walleye trolling continues on the bay.
DecemberMuskie season closes Dec 15; walleye open into the ice season.

Tips

Rules and license

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Fisheries Management Zone 20); New York State DEC on the U.S. side · Official rules page ↗

  • Non-residents 18+ need an Outdoors Card plus a sport or conservation licence; a one-day sport licence needs no card; eight-day licences are sold online.
  • Walleye/sauger: open Jan 1 - Mar 1 and first Saturday in May - Dec 31; sport limit 4 (conservation 2), only 1 over 63 cm. East of the Bishops Point - Howe/Wolfe Island line, no size limit.
  • Muskie: third Saturday in June - Dec 15; sport limit 1 and it must be over 137 cm; conservation limit 0.
  • Pike: Jan 1 - Mar 31 and first Saturday in May - Dec 31; sport 6, conservation 2.
  • Bass: catch-and-release only Jan 1 - May 10; largemouth opens third Saturday in June, smallmouth first Saturday in July; sport 6, conservation 2.
  • Bay of Quinte west of the Glenora Ferry: no second line when fishing from a boat in open water.
  • Moira River and Bay of Quinte sanctuary (Lott Dam downstream, including Belleville Harbour): closed Apr 1 to the Friday before the first Saturday in May.
  • Check the current Ontario summary before your trip; dates and limits can change.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 80 boat ramps and 25 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.