Smelt fishing - Southern Maine

[Clousseau]

Just wondering if anybody has been North to the smelt camps this season? Thinking of heading up in a week or so.

[hagstah]

following.........i've been considering it too. my next trip up there will be my first so any and all info is appreciated. I've been told that incoming is better then outgoing tide and new moon better than full.??

[Clousseau]

Night fishing is better than day fishing, incoming tide is sometimes better than outgoing. If fishing incoming tide, start at low tide & fish through the tide to high tide 5 - 6 hours total. About the moon, I do not know. The colder the outside temp is the better.

[AT Grimaldi]

I was at Bakers Smelt Camp last Friday night fishing the 930- tide.  It was incoming.

 I used my 6 reel jig board and did 110 smelt solo.  I could have done many more if my fishing partner was with me, but as he is 7, he had a basketball game the next day. 

Going back up to Baker's this upcoming Friday for the 830 tide.

 - ATG

[BogMan]

110??? with those numbers with us it usually means two of us got one each and the last person got skunked!! Haven't done good at smelting in years. Maybe gotta try somewhere new??

[Clousseau]

Thanks for the info. Keep the dialogue going so we can all have a heads up if going to do that trip!

[PenguinIII]

Nice to hear that the smelt are coming back. Used to be an annual trip for us each year up to Maine but the last three or four have been horrible.

[Bluedog11]

following.........i've been considering it too. my next trip up there will be my first so any and all info is appreciated. I've been told that incoming is better then outgoing tide and new moon better than full.??

 
I was just up at Leighton's this Saturday and only did 25 on the incoming tide.  One of my worst tides in a long tide.  It was tough with the full moon.  It made for heavy currents and tangled lines on the smelt boards.  I normally do much better and have done as good as 700 in one tide with three of us fishing.  I'm headed back up on the 11th to Jim's camps for a tide or two.  Smelt boards or jig rods will also out perform house lines 10 to 1 every time. Out of ten shacks we got 25 and none of the other shack got more than 10.

[BFD5]

I'm heading to Bakers tomorrow am for the 8AM outgoing tide. Seems they've had better luck on the outgoing tide up there this year. I prefer night fishing for the entertainment, but gotta take what I can get. I'll post how we do. We're fishing jigging rods with sabiki's and those habib or whatever they're called jigs, the ones with the hook hanging off a chain on the bottom.

[THE JIGGER]

Isn't the limit 4 quarts in zone 1 and 2?

[Bluedog11]

Yes the limit is 4 Quarts or a gallon

[KillerFish]

Do people eat smelt? I am just curious and wonder what they are kept for...

[Bluedog11]

Do people eat smelt? I am just curious and wonder what they are kept for...

Yes! They are delicious with a light batter and fried with a side of fries

[PenguinIII]

Fried smelt are tasty treats for sure.

[THE JIGGER]

I'm heading to Bakers tomorrow am for the 8AM outgoing tide. Seems they've had better luck on the outgoing tide up there this year. I prefer night fishing for the entertainment, but gotta take what I can get. I'll post how we do. We're fishing jigging rods with sabiki's and those habib or whatever they're called jigs, the ones with the hook hanging off a chain on the bottom.

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Hali jigs

[rally]

I've got those Hali jigs in stock Dick, a lot of diffent colors. There's been good call for them this year. More ice up that way than here.

[THE JIGGER]

I've got those Hali jigs in stock Dick, a lot of diffent colors. There's been good call for them this year. More ice up that way than here.

Ya I heard they are really hot for smelts up in Maine. Do you have them or are they at Toms bait?

[rally]

At Toms in Westford