IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Michigan => Ice Fishing Michigan => Topic started by: smeltbuster on Jan 03, 2022, 12:24 PM
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Time to fire up this thread ! 1st. ice report , finally ! South Bay is skimmed over & 2nd. bay should be completely skimmed over in the next day or so. The rest of the lake is wide open. There will be LIMITED parking available @ the south end across the street from Capt. Mo's party store. Getting gear down to the lake may be a bit difficult, due to a narrow access point. Capt. Mo's has adult beverages & snacks, fresh bait & they also sell Gull Lake Smelt Factory Smelt flies. As for Baseline rd., there is a county or twp. owned garbage can there now. Hope this helps keep the area clean. I will post updated rates for Prarieville twp. park on the north end, in the next week or so. We also will be checking south bay every day starting in a couple of days. Hope to be fishing by the end of the week.
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Checked south bay tonight & it is not safe yet. Ice cracked under my feet about 10' from the end of the dock. About 1 1/2" of ice. Should be ready in a couple of days. We did not get as much snow east of Kalamazoo. 2nd. bay is pretty much locked up & the main lake is starting to lock up. Keep ya posted on what we find. No one has been out past where I went.
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Two guys on the baycam now.
Hope they stay on the north side of the ice.
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Thank you Smeltbuster for the update on the ice conditions. Looking forward to seeing you out on the hard water..
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Thanks Smeltbuster. I aee those people out there seems pretty iffy to me. Glad you didn't get the snow we did around GR.
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Two guys on the baycam now.
Hope they stay on the north side of the ice.
from the Jaqua dock I just looked at the baycam & it looks like they walked on from the dock across the street from Jaqua . I checked the ice at the party store dock last night. I was told last year,by the lady at Jaqua, that anyone walking on at that spot is Trespassing. Jaqua does NOT own that dock, & anyone that says they do ,is wrong.
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South bay has about 5" out near the Narrows. the dock at the salon on 2nd. bay is a big NO GO . The bubblers are going & there is open water where we would usually walk on. I am going to try & access 2nd. bay tomorrow ,from south bay. I will also check more of the lake tomorrow. Have not heard of any great success on pannies on south bay.
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Any report for the 2nd bay yet
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Checked it last night,2 1/2 - 3" on the south part of 2nd. bay. Hit a couple of thin spots, so I'm not gonna say its safe yet. Yes, there are a few smelt there, but its not worth going for a swim. The salon is wide open due to the bubblers, so its a long walk from south bay.
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No gills because me and the kids caught them all ;)
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Thanks for the update! So will we be able to park across from the salon again this year if the ice gets good around the docks? Seems like they had the bubblers going last year too but the ice was thick enough to walk on there am I right?
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Lots of guys out on 2nd. bay last night. About 5" of ice. The smelt are there, but all the noise is killing the bite. I did manage to get 82 last night.Lots of action 10'-25' down, when you get them under you. The rest of the lake is locking up. The north end is usually not fishable till around the first of Feb. . Smelt jr. & I will be checking it daily, once it starts getting close. Lots of open water the past few days has locked up w/ the cold weather ,we just have to wait. As for the salon on 2nd. bay, the bubblers in front of the access were still going 2 days ago. I will check them again this afternoon. The walk from south bay is 550-750 yds. on avg. just to let ya know. Smooth ice ,no snow,pretty easy, even for an old fat guy like me !
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Thanks for the update Smeltbuster. I’m going to give it a try tonight. First time on the hard water this year. I’ll stop and say hello if I see you out there. Hopefully those little buggers will co-operate…
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The lake is Locked up ! We will start checking Baseline & the north end in 2-3 days & let ya know what we find. 2nd. Bay has been producing some good #s for some guys & others are struggling. I have had a few good nights & a couple of mediocre nights. 316,200,82,106 230 . A few friends have done very well. 4"-6" of ice on 2nd. bay. The salon is still bubbling.
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Planning on trying to chase some smelt tomorrow any word on the north end yet? Kinda worried about the parking situation on the bay :o
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Smelt jr. & I are going to check the north end tomorrow. I will post what we find, after I get home from fishing . 2nd. bay is slowing down a bit & has lots of fishing pressure right now. The lake locked up about 4-5 days ago. We had less than ideal temps on Tues. & Wed. ,so it might not be ready for a while. Keep in mind, the north end & Baseline rd. are usually unsafe till about Feb. 1st , I think we are ahead of normal ! Dont be a fool & venture out on it till everything is good, Phil
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Slow night on the bay for us. Anybody else have much luck?
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Took a look at Baseline last night on the way home from work. Probably ten or more hubs off the shore. I talked to one gent who was heading out after parking his vehicle. He said there was 7 inches of ice, but I can't confirm.
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Took a look at Baseline last night on the way home from work. Probably ten or more hubs off the shore. I talked to one gent who was heading out after parking his vehicle. He said there was 7 inches of ice, but I can't confirm.
I fished Baseline Friday Night & Sat. night. There is about 4" of ice. Fishing Fri. night was pretty good Smelt jr. & I caught 158. I left a bit early Sat. night w/ 39 & he had almost that many & is still fishing as I type this. Friday night the ice was very sketchy (several spots w/ 2"). Tonight it was getting better ,but fishing was very slow.Lots of fish but a slow bite. As of now there is only a small amount of snow & the ice is crystal clear & hard. You can see smelt swimming under the ice & see your rig down to almost 10' . Quite a few guys out tonight (Sat.) ,but most left around 10:00 p.m. . We did find 2 bad spots tonight,so make sure to use a spud when venturing out. Watched several guys walk out Friday night to deeper water, & none of them were using spuds. Walking on uncharted ice. STUPID ! I really expected to see someone go through.It has only been locked up for a week.I am fishing every night & will post updates.
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Went to Ned's Saturday night after fishing Upper Crooked. Saw a bunch of people fishing the north end. Even saw a guy drive a 4- wheeler out on the ice!!! Can't be enough ice for that yet.
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Went to Ned's Saturday night after fishing Upper Crooked. Saw a bunch of people fishing the north end. Even saw a guy drive a 4- wheeler out on the ice!!! Can't be enough ice for that yet.
They could not have gone very far out. We did not see them, And YES, you are correct,there is not enough ice yet !
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(https://i.postimg.cc/QKgc6JZX/IMG-2195.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/QKgc6JZX) Fun Night on the ice. 112 Smeltzillas
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Thanks for the ice update SB. The 7" report sounded a little fishy, but I couldn't confirm. Thanks for doing that. I saw the guys out at the boat launch out past the creek but I can't imagine that spot is very thick. That always seems to be open water a good part of the early season.
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Forgot to mention last night; there was about 4' of new snow & we have got another inch or so today. Had a solid 5" of ice last night. Also,quite a few pike getting hooked while smelt fishing. Seen 2 successfully landed last night, on 3 lb. test. If you hook one,loosen your drag, stick your rod tip down in the water,take your time & have fun. Good chance you will land it if you follow these few tips.
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Monday night was SLOW, but Smelt jr. & me each iced 100 last night & quit about 9:25 p.m. . Also, the access at the party store on south bay is now GONE . Fenced & posted. They had a barricade up that only allowed limited foot access & someone tore it down last week. I put it back up one afternoon & when I came in from fishing that night it was torn out again. 6" 3/8 lags ripped right out of the wood on the stairs. And people wonder why we keep loosing access points, DUH . Many other places are now also roped off & posted. I would make sure you have permission before walking on. If law enforcement is called,you will be getting a trespass ticket.
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So where can a guy get on the ice nowadays legally without permission from some landowner? I'm Local here in Portage and haven't been to Gull in a few years since the Smelt die-off. The places I got on in the past were the Party Store (not anymore), the Salon? (Bubblers?), the North End Boat Launch (Safe Yet?), Baseline Rd? (Never Been Yet), The Bible Camp? (Went once in Blizzard and had a Hell of time Walking out). I prefer not to walk to far if possible as I'm gettin older and my knees aren't the greatest. I got me some of them Gull Lake SmeltBuster Ice Flies ready to go.
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So where can a guy get on the ice nowadays legally without permission from some landowner? I'm Local here in Portage and haven't been to Gull in a few years since the Smelt die-off. The places I got on in the past were the Party Store (not anymore), the Salon? (Bubblers?), the North End Boat Launch (Safe Yet?), Baseline Rd? (Never Been Yet), The Bible Camp? (Went once in Blizzard and had a Hell of time Walking out). I prefer not to walk to far if possible as I'm gettin older and my knees aren't the greatest. I got me some of them Gull Lake SmeltBuster Ice Flies ready to go.
Guys are getting on at the north end launch,but I dont know what the ice conditions are . It SHOULD be ok if you stay away from the creek. Baseline rd. is safe for foot traffic. I suspect there will be snowmachines & quads out there soon. I do not know about the bible conf., but guys have been out there. Thanks for buying the flies, it is much appreciated. After 14 nights in a row of fishing, I took tonight off. Getting up early & heading for Franks in Linwood to pick up a new shanty. Decided to get something that was not so recognizable.
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They need to make a white one for you ;D. To bad about the south end. :%$#!: Their will always be idiot's to ruin it for the rest of us.
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Dont get a white shanty smeltbuster.lol i dont need the crowd thinking i am you!lol
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Dont get a white shanty smeltbuster.lol i dont need the crowd thinking i am you!lol
Dont worry, its not white.But the one I am getting is pretty common out there. BTW Dr. Speckler fishes in a white shanty & catches thousands of Smelt every night & loves it when other folks spud him in. He likes loud music & really enjoys folks coming over to visit him while he reels in triples all night long. He even has extra beer to share . Heck of a nice guy ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Hahaha.yep sounds about right.minus the smelt,beer,loud music and getting spudded in part.trying to get a first trip out there soon tho.
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Dont worry, its not white.But the one I am getting is pretty common out there. BTW Dr. Speckler fishes in a white shanty & catches thousands of Smelt every night & loves it when other folks spud him in. He likes loud music & really enjoys folks coming over to visit him while he reels in triples all night long. He even has extra beer to share . Heck of a nice guy ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
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^ :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Are there quads out on the north end?
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Well this weather is going to make a slushy mess on the lake :'( :'(. I hope and pray we don't get all the snow they say we could get.
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Thinking about heading there 4 Feb. Any hints. Will be going to the north end
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Find at least 65' depth & get as far away from others as you can ,especially if you have a green light. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get away from the crowd. Gull is not a lake where Smelt Cities produce big #s of fish. If you have a rangefinder ,use it & get at least 150 yds. away from anyone else. It amazes me how many guys every night come out & want to set up 50 yds. away, & then wonder why they have low catch #s. Or as we seen tonight, guys come out a 1/2 hr. after dark & set up near someone w/ a green light & fire up a gas auger & punch 15 holes. Very disrespectful. If you are going to come out after dark,keep your distance, & if you dont have your own green light, go buy a good one. Seen 3 parties tonight spud a good friend in. Total disrespect is running rampant on the lake. Pic is Thurs. nights catch. Smelt Jr. & me , 255
(https://i.postimg.cc/qNxfRPvQ/IMG-2275.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qNxfRPvQ)
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Thank you for the info. I appreciate it and will use it
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Find at least 65' depth & get as far away from others as you can ,especially if you have a green light. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get away from the crowd. Gull is not a lake where Smelt Cities produce big #s of fish. If you have a rangefinder ,use it & get at least 150 yds. away from anyone else. It amazes me how many guys every night come out & want to set up 50 yds. away, & then wonder why they have low catch #s. Or as we seen tonight, guys come out a 1/2 hr. after dark & set up near someone w/ a green light & fire up a gas auger & punch 15 holes. Very disrespectful. If you are going to come out after dark,keep your distance, & if you dont have your own green light, go buy a good one. Seen 3 parties tonight spud a good friend in. Total disrespect is running rampant on the lake. Pic is Thurs. nights catch. Smelt Jr. & me , 255
(https://i.postimg.cc/qNxfRPvQ/IMG-2275.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qNxfRPvQ)
Total disrespect is running rampant on all lakes. I was in my one man flip last weekend and had two guys surround me with holes at 10' away. They came from 100' away right to my shanty and started boring holes. Funny part I was catching nothing. My shanty didn't move for 3 hours because it was so cozy warm inside I didn't want to get out. This was Cass county near the Van Buren line. Same thing at an Allegan county lake the weekend before. Late arrivals set two shanties less than 20' away from me on both sides. They actually helped me by moving fish. I ended that trip with 21 gills 7" plus.
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Anyone know how much ice at the north end boat launch?
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Anyone know how much ice at the north end boat launch?
No I dont. Checked baseline last night on the way home & guys busted up the shore ice pretty bad.
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yep been the same way for pike at the bible conf. for the last few years now it don't matter what time u get there in the am come light u have tip ups 10 yds from urs and there keeping hammer handles whaaaaaaaat a waste we useed to get 36" to over 40" keep the one and be gone now just a waste of time
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Two good smelt nights this weekend. And one nice pike 29". Thanks Phil for helping land it. It was nice and quite out there and people seemed to be spread out. Shore ice does seem to be broken up though. Hope it will harden up during the week. It looks like people are taking quads out on north boat launch.
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Fished the boat launch last night. Marked fish all night but they were very tight lipped. Me and thr daughter ended with about 35. Lots of snowmobiles and 4 wheelers running around on that end. And a ton of people. Probably about 100 shanties.
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Been doing decent fishing every night. Did miss this past Wed. . Not posting to many #s anymore ,but the catches are good. Right now,for 23 trips for the year,I am about 125 fish ahead of what I had for a total last year w/ 27 trips. I attribute a lot of the success to my new light, new custom built 58" Patriot rod, some hot new colors on my Gull Lake Smelt Factory Ice Flies, & getting way far away from everyone else. On nights when others set up close , w/ green lights ,the bite pretty much shuts down by 9:00 p.m.. With no one close by, the fish are usually still biting when I leave ! Several nights I have had well over 100 fish & some nights approaching 200. As for the green light it is an "Aluma-Glo Super-Brite 4800 C". I put it 24"-30" down,& 6' from my fishing hole. Most of my fish have been biting 8'-20' down. I dont mess around w/ the high fish too much,or the really deep ones. Later in the evening around 9:00 p.m., try working those thick schools 25'-32' down. Been pulling lots of Doubles every night on those fish. Rarely, do I fish past 10:00 p.m. & most nights its around 9:00 when I quit.
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Fishing is still producing some fantastic #s for me. Sun. nite the bite started at 6:54 p.m., Mon. nite it was 6:33. Just a skiff of snow on the ice @ 10:30 p.m. Mon. nite. The bite started to slow down around 9:00 p.m.. Lots of ice.
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Thanks for the report SB. I just got my parking pass in the mail the other day so I may give it a shot early in the evening. Good to know you don't need to stay out all night just to get some fish. Gotta get up for work the next morning.
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Thanks for the report SB. I just got my parking pass in the mail the other day so I may give it a shot early in the evening. Good to know you don't need to stay out all night just to get some fish. Gotta get up for work the next morning.
Most nights the bite is slowing by 9:00 p.m. , & if they do bite past that,you usually will have a good mess at 9. Even if I quit at 9:00 p.m., by the time I get off the ice & drive home,its usually 10:30. & I only have a 15 minute drive !
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Wondering if anybody knows if the entire lake is safe for a snow machine? :tipup:
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I believe so. A few running around. :thumbsup:
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Lots of snow machines out on Sat. nite. Pretty much fishing Baseline rd. but seeing lots of shanties up at the north end. Dont know what they are doing,but shanties there every night. As for me, I am laying low & racking up some decent #s. 211 Sat night fishing by myself. 1 fish under 3,000 for 30 trips this year. Had I known I was that close tonight, I would have fished for another 15 seconds !
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Wow. Good job Smeltbuster. You killed them. You deserve a great night. After what some guy's have done. :bow: :clap:
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You smashed your record. I wish I could of been there.
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Way go go Smeltbuster. What a difference from a couple of years ago eh.
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Way go go Smeltbuster. What a difference from a couple of years ago eh.
Definitely ! I have made a lot of changes in the way I fish & am racking up decent #s every night. Right now I have 5 trips more than I did last year & 1,500 more fish than last years total. Last night I had 150 Smelt Jr. had 160,Sun. Night was 169 by myself. Last night our 3 man total was 414 fish. Had a newbie w/us that had been out by himself 2 times & had caught 2 fish. Last night he had 104 fishing w/ me ! Also, as I have said before, I give almost all of my fish away. Last night they went home w/ the Newbie. If I do bring them home, I clean & bag them & then give them to folks that cant fish. I am not sharing this info to get a pat on the back for helping others. I am sharing it so people dont think I am way over my possession limit. I get asked about that a lot, like every day. Chances are real good that if you fish w/ me,you will be taking home my catch or at least a good share of it .
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Way to keep on ‘em Smeltbuster. Got out last night on the North end. I ended up with 159 and my buddy had 132. It was a pretty consistent bite with some flurries of fish occasionally. Going to hit it again tonight before this crazy weather pattern begins…
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Definitely ! I have made a lot of changes in the way I fish & am racking up decent #s every night. Right now I have 5 trips more than I did last year & 1,500 more fish than last years total. Last night I had 150 Smelt Jr. had 160,Sun. Night was 169 by myself. Last night our 3 man total was 414 fish. Had a newbie w/us that had been out by himself 2 times & had caught 2 fish. Last night he had 104 fishing w/ me ! Also, as I have said before, I give almost all of my fish away. Last night they went home w/ the Newbie. If I do bring them home, I clean & bag them & then give them to folks that cant fish. I am not sharing this info to get a pat on the back for helping others. I am sharing it so people dont think I am way over my possession limit. I get asked about that a lot, like every day. Chances are real good that if you fish w/ me,you will be taking home my catch or at least a good share of it .
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Hey Phil,
What do you do with all those smelt?
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I got a few spots away from the crowd, usually just keep the bigger ones for tip up bait these days. Better fish to eat then fish French fries just curious?
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Hey Phil,
What do you do with all those smelt?
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Hey Phil thanks for all the tips that you share with everyone. I took 3 newbies out last night & they had a blast. All 3 guys are in there 70s and had never fished smelt with hook & line. Using your "Smelt Buster Flies", we caught just over 300 between the four of us. NO record for sure, but that's not what we were out there for. Every one has enough to enjoy a good meal with their family & some good stories to share around the dinner table.
Thanks Again & Thanks for the "little care package" you gave us, they worked just as you advertise.
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Hey Phil thanks for all the tips that you share with everyone. I took 3 newbies out last night & they had a blast. All 3 guys are in there 70s and had never fished smelt with hook & line. Using your "Smelt Buster Flies", we caught just over 300 between the four of us. NO record for sure, but that's not what we were out there for. Every one has enough to enjoy a good meal with their family & some good stories to share around the dinner table.
Thanks Again & Thanks for the "little care package" you gave us, they worked just as you advertise.
You sir are very welcome ! Glad to hear that you got into them & that the new flies worked! Smelt Jr. & me each ended up w/ 102 apiece. I was done at about 8:45 or so. Also Thanks for the ride out,that was very nice . Hope to see you out there again soon. Took tonight off because of the wind forecast & I needed to tie a bunch of flies. 3rd. night I have missed since Jan. 11th. ! Cant keep stores stocked w/ the flies right now.
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I loaded up my junk and went over to the boat launch on Tuesday night just to fish for an hour or two only to find out my gate code didn't work. Turned around and went home but since I had all my stuff on I went out on LLL for about an hour just to see what was biting. Answer..... not much. One small crappie and a little gill. I should have just gone to Baseline since I had my stuff in the truck. I really want to see if I can tune my depth finder to reject other fish finder signal. It's a Humminbird graph and work fine when I'm by myself but it was pretty much unusable if I share a hub with someone with a Vex.
I called the township and it turns out the gate code wasn't activated when they sent my hang tag out. I should be all set now.
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Can you still pay to park at the north end or do you have to have a pass now? Sorry it’s been a few years. Thanks!
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What’s up gentleman? Haven’t been on the site in a few years. Cool to see some of the same guys commenting on gull lake. Haven’t been to Gull in years. Probably since an old iceshanty outing. Was gonna take my boys to Higgins this Sunday, but may just make the king drive to Gull instead. We never do that well at Higgins and I’d like them to catch a few more than a handful seeings we only get out usually once a year for them. Too busy chasing walleye in our area. How did the ice hold up down there in the north end area the last few days? Thanks guys and good luck out there.
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Yes the north end accepts other payment methods besides the annual pass.
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Junkie, They are doing good at Higgins but they are north of the west launch. West launch has been dead. Gull has seen a very solid year if you know what you are doing.
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Junkie, They are doing good at Higgins but they are north of the west launch. West launch has been dead. Gull has seen a very solid year if you know what you are doing.
Thanks Bud. Guess I’ll decide Sunday by which drive I’m up for making.
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The ice held up fine w/ the warm spell. Baseline was busted up last night at the launch, but should freeze back up & be OK if guys are careful. The Smelt fishing has been very good for myself & folks that fish w/ me. I have fished 34 of the past 37 nights & have personally caught 3,590 smelt.Smelt jr. hit 2,300 last night,just for trips on the north 1/2 of the lake this year. A good green light & getting away from everyone seems to work the best.
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I hope to get out tomorrow night for a few hours. I need to check to make sure my pass code works on my way home. I'll post back if I have any luck. Just got my new Clam Rise float bibs in the mail yesterday. Most places I checked were either out for the year or full price (~$180). A place in WI had them on sale for $109 in regular sizes besides small or 3XL. Showed up in a couple days.
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I been wanting to come up to Gull lake for years and life has always got in the way. This morning I watched Michigan out of doors Gull lake smelt fishing. Did I see right they don’t use bait and use a green light. I now am amped up to get up there and try it. Thanks Iceon
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Most use spike's or wax worms iceon. There is other bait that works also. Smelt flies above a hali. They didn't mention on the show about the smelt flies they were using which they were catching most of their fish on. And yes to the green light. Smelt flies are getting really hard to find this time of year. Good luck if you try it iceon.
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Most use spike's or wax worms iceon. There is other bait that works also. Smelt flies above a hali. They didn't mention on the show about the smelt flies they were using which they were catching most of their fish on. And yes to the green light. Smelt flies are getting really hard to find this time of year. Good luck if you try it iceon.
Hey, I know the guy that ties those Smelt flies ;D. He's so busy fishing,he doesn't have time tie any for himself ! The flies were not mentioned probably because of show sponsor rules. Jimmy has to take care of his sponsors. The smelt fly guy is doing fine w/out them being mentioned. Run the green light 2' down & about 4'-6' from your fishing hole. If you can keep it inside your shanty,it wont ice in. White spikes are my favorite bait,followed closely by Berkley Gulp maggots (white), & also smelt eyes. Concentrate on the fish that are 10'-25' down. The higher ones will bite but not as well. Same goes for deeper fish. Get away from everyone, I try to keep at least 150 yds. between me & anyone else. 65' depths at least. 70'-75' is better. If you decide to come up,shoot me a PM. I pretty much fish every night. Missed 4 nights since 1/11/22.
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Thinking me and my boys are gonna head down there instead of Higgins tomorrow night. They’ve only smelt fished Higgins so I’m gonna show them a new lake. Probably just fish out of the north launch. Don’t know the lake well enough to go elsewhere. Just gonna venture out, find some deep water, and break off from the others. Best of luck to all hitting it this weekend.
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Went with brotherNlaw last night. Caught 3/4 of a 5gal bucket in 3 hrs. First time catching smelt for each of us.
Thanks to everyone on this site for all the info! I wanted to say the ice at ramp on north side is slushy and we both had ice break under our feet until we were 50' or so away from bank. There was a trailered shanty that one tire had gone thru and was stuck when we arrived. With warmer temps today be careful.
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Went with brotherNlaw last night. Caught 3/4 of a 5gal bucket in 3 hrs. First time catching smelt for each of us.
Thanks to everyone on this site for all the info! I wanted to say the ice at ramp on north side is slushy and we both had ice break under our feet until we were 50' or so away from bank. There was a trailered shanty that one tire had gone thru and was stuck when we arrived. With warmer temps today be careful.
Heading there tonight with my boys. What depth were you fishing if you don’t mind sharing. Congrats on the fish.
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Smelt: Congrats on the shoutout from MOOD segment on TV a few nights ago. That was fun to watch. bb
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Smelt: Congrats on the shoutout from MOOD segment on TV a few nights ago. That was fun to watch. bb
Thanks ! Chris is a good friend of mine 1 When I seen him last night, I had to ask for his autograph. He declined to give me one. Some guys just cant handle all the fame ;D.
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Heading there tonight with my boys. What depth were you fishing if you don’t mind sharing. Congrats on the fish.
75ft. Fish at 6p started at bottom, then at dark with green light we were watching them in our holes.
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Thank you.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/14Bg1tvv/IMG-2489.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/14Bg1tvv) Got to fish w/ "Smeltman" last night & had a great time as usual. Dont know what it is about him, but he tends to catch pike when we smelt fish ! He iced a nice 27" Slimer on one of my flies. We ended the night w/ 340 smelt & were done by 10:00 p.m. !
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(https://i.postimg.cc/14Bg1tvv/IMG-2489.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/14Bg1tvv) Got to fish w/ "Smeltman" last night & had a great time as usual. Dont know what it is about him, but he tends to catch pike when we smelt fish ! He iced a nice 27" Slimer on one of my flies. We ended the night w/ 340
smelt & were done by 10:00 p.m. !
Hoping for a night like that with the boys. Nice catch.
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Thanks again for letting me fish with you Smeltbuster. It has to be you that brings out the Pike. I don't catch them when I'm not fishing with you. You might have to change the name of the flies from Smelt flies to Smelt/Pike flies ;D. It's always a good time fishing with you. We both broke our record last night. Even though we got spudded in. Just don't get people. You Try to help them catch fish. And they don't listen. It's not the location you catch smelt, it's how far away you are from other's.
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People do the same thing to me on the river. I always fish well away from the packs and people always show up on my doorstep. Especially if I hit the same spot a couple days in a row. I appreciate the tips Phil, but I will not come sit on top of you. Promise.
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Heading there tonight with my boys. What depth were you fishing if you don’t mind sharing. Congrats on the fish.
I’m doing the same, first trip for my son as they don’t have school tomorrow. Hopefully the shore ice isn’t gone with the warm up
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I’m doing the same, first trip for my son as they don’t have school tomorrow. Hopefully the shore ice isn’t gone with the warm up
Hopefully. Just tread lightly. Best of luck to you guys. That’s why we’re hitting it too. Good ol Presidents’ Day, no school.
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Just got set up on the north end. 73’ of water.
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Fished tonight w/ Smelt jr. & a couple of his friends & 1 other guy we met on the ice that recognized me from posts on a FB page. We fished 2 green lights(4,800 lumens & 3,450 lumens) that were spaced about 8' apart. When I left,our group catch was 765 fish. I had 204 by myself. The wind was terrible & I thought my new shanty was going to be destroyed , but it held up w/ 12 ice anchors in it ! The ice was going out at Baseline when we came in at about 11:00 p.m. . It was a good 15' of open water. There also was a large crack that developed about 30' out from the edge. Going to be a skating rink again. All the snow melted.
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We ended up with about 150, missed twice as many off the north end. Only the fish at the top of the schools would bite. Ice was slick as snot leaving at 11. Lots of slush, especially at shore.
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I went out last night around 7 PM for a few hours, just to get out. Parked at the boat launch and walked out a couple hundred yards and drilled a couple holes away from other shanties. I didn't have my depth map and was guessing at where to drill. I was in 54 feet of water but there were smelt below as soon as I put the transducer in the water so, rather than move, I figured I'd fish. Pretty much stacked from 10 feet down to 45 feet. I only caught about 25 and they were all small. French fries. I had a Hali on the bottom with a white spike and a gold tungsten jig/fly about two feet up. Everything I caught was on the Hali. I used the same spikes all night. Tough to tell when you had a fish on, they were so small. The bite was kind of slow for me. Two years ago I don't think I ever caught one under 5 " with plenty of 8"+ fish. I didn't go out last year so I have nothing to measure against.
Is the size class much smaller this year? Are there bigger size class schools around or is there a reason they're all small (in my bucket, at least). I might try it again tonight in deeper water. It's gonna be a sloppy mess out there. I did not find any weak spots near the launch but I give the creek mouth a wide berth. I don't really wanna try out the float suit. I went on the ice right next to the bathroom building and it was OK.
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This year & lastyear, the smelt have been running smaller. There are a few nice ones being caught. One of the biggest smelt I have ever seen caught in Gull, was 2 weeks ago,by Smeltman. It was definitely a master angler fish. He threw it back before we could measure it. He does not keep the big mature spawners. There are plentyof big ones in there. Smelt jr. & me seen them this past spring when they were spawning on another small creek that flows into Gull. Lots of big ones.
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Thanks SB. Might give it another go tonight. I left my flip in the truck, so why not? Maybe they'll feel like biting a little better tonight. I watched your video on tying your smelt rig on FB and it was pretty helpful. I think I've been shorting myself a few hooks. Need to read the regs closer.
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Sorry to hear you only caught 25 skibumm100. Next time try deeper. I only caught one really big one this year. But they are bigger than last year. I believe there are many year classes. I haven't heard of many big ones being caught. Not sure where they are. I prefer the smaller ones anyway.
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Fished the north end last night, 79 FOW, mainly to get some distance from the others. Same story as everyone else, 40 feet of fish from just below the ice to half way down. The wind sucked - I had 6 anchors in and it bent one pretty good. We only fished until 9:30, ended up with a 100 or so. Ice was slushy and wet, pretty slick in spots. Shore ice was ok but sinking a little, if it makes it through tomorrow should be good for a bit.
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Went out again last night for a couple hours. Moved out another 150 yds or so. 85 FOW a little ways away from the other guys. Farther west than most. Plenty of smelt on the graph but not a real hot bite. Quit about 9:30 also. Spoke to a couple guys coming off the ice and they had 44 between the two of them. I had 25 or 30, didn't count, but I think a few more than Sunday. I added another four hooks to my rig but caught 90% of them on Hali at the bottom. Three doubles, which was nice. Same size as Sunday, on the small side. The bites came in bunches. I'd catch three or four in succession and then it would die down. I would guess between 8 and 10 inches of ice. Should make it through today's mess. I don't think I'll go tonight but it's supposed to cool down again so maybe it will get rid of some of the slush on top. Hope we don't get too much snow.
Tight lines boys!
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Last night was a different kind of smelt trip for us. I fished for a short period of time & caught 60. I had 8 doubles & 1 triple. Met a guy that knew me from a FB group & let him sit in my chair & use my rod. He beat his record catch by quite a bit & ended up w/ 97 in less than 1 1/2 hrs. . It was fun sitting there unhooking fish for him & re-baiting hooks. I am at the point where I'd rather do that than keep railing the fish every night. Smelt jr. gave half of his 125 smelt to the guy & the other 1/2 to another guy that was fishing near us. Giving my catch to a sport shop owner today .Gave some to the guys at Smittys in Battle Creek yesterday. These folks cant get out fishing,so just trying to share w/ them. Funny thing, I have given away so many smelt this year,I only have 50 for myself at this point ;D.
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:thumbsup:
Last night was a different kind of smelt trip for us. I fished for a short period of time & caught 60. I had 8 doubles & 1 triple. Met a guy that knew me from a FB group & let him sit in my chair & use my rod. He beat his record catch by quite a bit & ended up w/ 97 in less than 1 1/2 hrs. . It was fun sitting there unhooking fish for him & re-baiting hooks. I am at the point where I'd rather do that than keep railing the fish every night. Smelt jr. gave half of his 125 smelt to the guy & the other 1/2 to another guy that was fishing near us. Giving my catch to a sport shop owner today .Gave some to the guys at Smittys in Battle Creek yesterday. These folks cant get out fishing,so just trying to share w/ them. Funny thing, I have given away so many smelt this year,I only have 50 for myself at this point ;D.
Well done SB... :thumbsup: Curious... how was the ice conditions? Might be making my first trip this year Thursday night. Thinking this rain certainly hasn't helped but supposed to get cold again. Thoughts?
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Baseline rd. is a mess due to some guys that busted it up w/ a quad & trailer last night. Checked it this afternoon & with the cold weather coming, it should freeze back up if idiots dont destroy it. I picked up my season pass for the north end today, so I will now be able to check that too. I think the ice will be fine,its just the shore ice that we need to worry about right now.
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Baseline rd. is a mess due to some guys that busted it up w/ a quad & trailer last night. Checked it this afternoon & with the cold weather coming, it should freeze back up if idiots dont destroy it. I picked up my season pass for the north end today, so I will now be able to check that too. I think the ice will be fine,its just the shore ice that we need to worry about right now.
10-4. Thank you sir.
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Just got back from an ice check. Boat launch is a go. Baseline...not so much. Open water to about 20' out. Gonna give it a shot tomorrow evening.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/LYQydt48/IMG-2544.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LYQydt48)
(https://i.postimg.cc/RNHg8Jkv/IMG-2551.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/RNHg8Jkv)
Wed. Night Trip; Smelt jr. jigged up a couple of Slimers ! 206 Smelt.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/LYQydt48/IMG-2544.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LYQydt48)
(https://i.postimg.cc/RNHg8Jkv/IMG-2551.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/RNHg8Jkv)
Wed. Night Trip; Smelt jr. jigged up a couple of Slimers ! 206 Smelt.
Nice job fellas. Sent you a PM sir.
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Fri. night 2/25; After 2 nights of a bit slower bite, Fri night was pretty good. We had 4 guys in our group & ended the night w/ a total of 553 smelt .Plus, Smelt jr. iced another pike ! i shared my shanty w/ WGorby, he is a member on here. 1st. time we have fished together in the same shanty & it was fun. He had a new PB of 136 fish, & also had 6 doubles ! Up till then,he had never caught a double. I only had 18 doubles ;D. Lots of guys out there & a few snow machines coming off the north end. Baseline rd. is only foot traffic, due to busted up shore ice.
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Glad you had a good night again Smeltbuster. My night was slow. Had a hard time finding a consistent depth where the biters were. Might of been the last time on Gull. Suppoe to warm up this week. Baseline was a mess, people continually take Quads and dogs off there and braking up the shore ice. It has had time to freeze back up, then they drive on it. >:(
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Glad you had a good night again Smeltbuster. My night was slow. Had a hard time finding a consistent depth where the biters were. Might of been the last time on Gull. Suppoe to warm up this week. Baseline was a mess, people continually take Quads and dogs off there and braking up the shore ice. It has had time to freeze back up, then they drive on it. >:(
Yeah. I don't understand the taking quads and sleds from Baseline. What's wrong with going from the boat launch...other than not wanting to pony up a couple of bucks to get in? Geesh. Be nice if someone could post signs...
"No vehicle access allowed from this launch from Dec. 1st to April 1st"...or something like that.
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I think someone launched or tried to launch one of those mobile ice shanties last weekend too ::). Parking is easier at the boat launch for them too.
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Sat. nite Solo trip; had a last minute cancellation on a FREE guided smelt trip. Their loss ! 193 iced & all were given away to others that had a slow bite tonight. 21 doubles 3 triples ,Stopped at 9:00 p.m. Personal season total catch so far for 41 trips, 4,515 smelt. "Iceassin" ,I like your idea about no motor vehicle launch at Baseline. Sadly,some idiots ruin it for other guys that are very careful there. Also,there was a BIG ice shack being hauled out from the north end tonight, at around 10:00 p.m., last I seen of them,they were down past Johnson's point.
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I went out Sat night but didn't get out until about 9 PM. Set up away from the crowd but ended up in the 50 FOW flats to the west. Saw very few fish on the finder so moved out deeper to the 85 FOW near where I was the other night. Very slow bite for me and only pulled up a few. Spoke to a guy coming off the ice when I was headed out and he and his buddy got (24). I quit and went home about 11:30.
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We started in 70' closest group to the creek and marked nothing by 7:25pm. Grabbed our gear and heading out to 80'+ and set up in and we were on fish by 7:40pm. Picked away at them until 10:15pm and ended with 172. Very light bite and they stayed pretty deep most of the night 20-40' down. Vibrating fishing pole, red spikes, and eye balls helped our bite out.
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I broke the tip off the UL rod I use for smelt a couple hours earlier on panfish. It was new this year so I hated to see that. Switched rods to my next lighter one and took that one with me. I probably should have put a spring bobber on it but I wanted to get going. Might get out sometime later this week, maybe Wednesday.
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136 smelt for me Friday night (2/25/22)...and i owe it all to Smeltbuster! Thanks again for letting me share a shanty with ya. Gull is a hike for me and i usually can only make it there once a winter.
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Fished solo last night (N) ended up with 77. Bite started later than usual. They were still biting when I packed up at 10:00. When I came in the creek was flowing pretty strong. I could hear it from the launch with no problem. The water seemed to be flowing West as there was about a 6” opening all the way down the shoreline. Anyone headed out use caution, I may have just had my last trip…🙁
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Went out on the north end for a couple hours last night. Got there late, as usual. Quite about 9:30. Mostly a slow bite for me but there were fish on the graph the whole time. Fished 75 FOW. I had six hooks on my line and almost all came on the Hali at the bottom. Next jig up caught a couple. White spikes for bait. Still 8+ inches of good ice out in the lake but the shore ice at the launch is deteriorating. Be careful and stay away from the creek mouth if you go out. I only caught 21, which isn't good, but was about the same as what a couple other guys got. I don't have SB's touch. Must be all in the wrist. :-)
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Went out on the north end for a couple hours last night. Got there late, as usual. Quite about 9:30. Mostly a slow bite for me but there were fish on the graph the whole time. Fished 75 FOW. I had six hooks on my line and almost all came on the Hali at the bottom. Next jig up caught a couple. White spikes for bait. Still 8+ inches of good ice out in the lake but the shore ice at the launch is deteriorating. Be careful and stay away from the creek mouth if you go out. I only caught 21, which isn't good, but was about the same as what a couple other guys got. I don't have SB's touch. Must be all in the wrist. :-)
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: A quick flick of the wrist does work better than the standard "Bassmater hook set " ;D .However, even I am guilty of that move way too often ! We are still fishing 74' of water, This weeks catch #s have slowed a bit (my catch #s only ) 2/28-130, 3/1-130, 3/2-60, 3/3-120. Wed. night (3/2) we tried some deeper water after a 1,200 yd. walk & it did not pan out. We quickly packed up & went back to our secret spot ,where we managed to pick up a few in an hour. Smelt jr. & I are smashing our previous years catch #s. Friday or Sat. will be the end of my smelt fishing season. It has been nothing short of Phenomenal ! Baseline rd. ice should hold up for foot traffic through Saturday at least. No motor vehicles, Please. it will destroy any chance for anyone to get on. I have my season pass for the north end,but have not been up there yet.
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For those that haven't met Smeltbuster, he does have wrists of steel!! His off season conditioning program must be stellar!
I don't start smelt fishing until later in the season so that commenced a week ago. I have made three trips so far off the north launch. 1st trip was 90' and that didn't pan out to well. Didn't mark that many fish. The second and third trip set up around 75' of water and marked fish 10-65' down the whole time. Did well on the smelt both of these nights and left them biting at 10:30pm both nights. All three trips I landed keeper pike. Some on the Hali jigs and some on tip ups. Released several 25' on down to swim another day. The pike are looking healthy again. Fat for their length. The last few years the pike have been skinny but now its back to normal. Also made a separate run at the pike only one morning at an undisclosed location on Gull. Tagged out then in quick order. Again good healthy, fat, clean looking fish.
Pretty sure that's a wrap on the smelt and pike for this winter season. Good luck to all that are still fishing.
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I have my parking pass and I stopped in the lot after work to see what the shore ice looked like. It was OK so I went home, grabbed my stuff and when I got back to the gate my code wouldn't work. I had to pay to get in. I need to call the town hall and see if they will credit me my fee. That's the whole reason I got my pass early this year, so I didn't have to pay at the gate. I might go out one more time and then hang up the smelt rod. It would be nice to have one good night out there. Still have plenty of ice on LLL but we'll see how it holds up.
Fish Killa: What do you typically use for bait on pike? Are you buying minnows/chubs or using fresh caught bait? I put a dead smelt on a tip up and tried it in LLL last weekend and never had a hit. I've used little gills before and had some action.
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I start with a dead shiner or sucker and then upgrade to live smelt. So there is some truth to me eating my bait. ;D
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skibumm100, the twp. has gone to a new pin code program & they are having lots of problems w/ it. I have not tried my pass yet,but guess I should. They heav sent Smelt jr. 3 different pin #s & none of them have worked. Thye should refund your entrance fee, A few yrs. ago,before I was able to get my pass, I paid 2 times to get into the launch. They applied it to the purchase of my season pass. I did keep my receipts, so if you have yours, you should be good. As long as I can catch at least 45 smelt tonight, it will be my last trip of the year. Time to start tying more smelt flies for next year.
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I start with a dead shiner or sucker and then upgrade to live smelt. So there is some truth to me eating my bait. ;D
An article I was reading about smelt says everything loves smelt.... humans, game fish, bigger smelt.....
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skibumm100, the twp. has gone to a new pin code program & they are having lots of problems w/ it. I have not tried my pass yet,but guess I should. They heav sent Smelt jr. 3 different pin #s & none of them have worked. Thye should refund your entrance fee, A few yrs. ago,before I was able to get my pass, I paid 2 times to get into the launch. They applied it to the purchase of my season pass. I did keep my receipts, so if you have yours, you should be good. As long as I can catch at least 45 smelt tonight, it will be my last trip of the year. Time to start tying more smelt flies for next year.
I would recommend checking your code also. Turns out they didn't upload mine when they issued the pass. I called and they fixed it and it worked. I was wondering if there was a limit to how many times you can use it in an hour or something like that. Maybe to discourage people from sharing their codes. I'll call an find out. Is Ken's sold out of your flies?
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I would recommend checking your code also. Turns out they didn't upload mine when they issued the pass. I called and they fixed it and it worked. I was wondering if there was a limit to how many times you can use it in an hour or something like that. Maybe to discourage people from sharing their codes. I'll call an find out. Is Ken's sold out of your flies?
Probably will leave a few min. early today & try my code. As for Ken's, they have not called me for anymore this week, but They knew I was pretty much sold out. I have about 50 left of just a few colors. PM sent
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What a great night of smelting. I was able to fish with Smeltbuster and witness his 5,000 smelt for the year!!!! :bow: :thumbsup: :clap: . And it was a double to boot. He is finally going to keep his smelt tonight instead of giving them away. What a true sportsman he is, giving to people who didn't do well or people who can't get out there and fish anymore. It is a true pleasure to be able to fish with him. Thank you. It was my last night fishing Gull for the season. Ended with 140 tonight for me.
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What a great night of smelting. I was able to fish with Smeltbuster and witness his 5,000 smelt for the year!!!! :bow: :thumbsup: :clap: . And it was a double to boot. He is finally going to keep his smelt tonight instead of giving them away. What a true sportsman he is, giving to people who didn't do well or people who can't get out there and fish anymore. It is a true pleasure to be able to fish with him. Thank you. It was my last night fishing Gull for the season. Ended with 140 tonight for me.
I have enjoyed fishing w/ you this year ,also. We both set a few Personal Bests fishing together this year,& it has been a blast ! I could still get out tonight, but have decided that I am going to Stop. 46 trips in 52 nights has been a Grind, but worth it.Been going on about 3-4 hrs. of sleep a night,at best. I have been able to help quite a few folks learn how to catch smelt this year, as well as share my catch w/ them & others. Barring any natural disasters on Gull, the smelt fishery should be good for a few years, at least. Time for me to get back to tying smelt flies. All the stores that carried them have sold out. Over 5,000 the past 3 months. If you have bought any of my "Gull Lake Smelt Factory Ice Flies", Thank You. BTW,every single one is tied by me. The ice will still be good tonight & MAYBE tomorrow. If anyone is going out , good luck & be careful. Phil
(https://i.postimg.cc/2bJ57SPc/IMG-2651.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2bJ57SPc)
(https://i.postimg.cc/yWMdJWhW/IMG-2664.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/yWMdJWhW)
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Glad you decided to call it a year. Time for rest and sleep for you. Time to switch gears. Good lord willing we will set new records next year. See you on the soft water.
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ICE REPORT: Prairieville Park north end boat launch access is toast. I stopped by on Sunday afternoon and there is 30-50 feet of open water from the shore to the edge of the ice all along the park frontage. The creek eats up the ice pretty quick. I don't think we'll get enough cold weather to make safe ice. It would take a pretty long cold snap and I don't see it getting that cold in the forecast. I didn't check Baseline but I would expect it's worse.
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Baseline rd. is also done. Lots of open water near shore. The pallet bridge is gone due to open water & wind.
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2nd. bay is done. I was able to gain access from a private residence today on 2nd. bay, but the ice is Rotten.The spud went through 5"-6" w/ 2 easy wacks.
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With the cold snap we had for a few days, Smelt jr. & I were able to get 1 final trip in Sunday night (3/13). I was also able to share my shanty w/ my good friend & smelt guru, Bob. Bob ended up w/ 138,Smelt jr. had 116 & I had 102. It has been an awesome season, 47 trips & 5,217 smelt iced by me. Seriously doubt I will ever be able to top that . The ice was a bit sketchy last night & I'm sure tonight will be the last safe night to fish at Baseline. The north end is wide open by shore. Once the lake opens up & we try for smelt, I will post how it goes. Headed to Lk. Erie in a couple days to chase some Walters, on the open water. If anyone ventures out,Please be very careful, lots of springs on the lake , & soft spots will be all over the place.
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I'm surprised it firmed up enough to get out. Glad you got out and back safely. I've started cleaning out the tin boat and have posted an eviction notice on the stern of the Astro for the red squirrel. I may have to go in after him. Apparently there's a walnut tree somewhere in the neighborhood, based on what I see under the cover. Good luck on Erie!
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Ok...certainly not an ice report. But I am looking for a report...of guys who use or have tried plastics for Smelt. Yea or nay?
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We have used Berkley "Gulp" maggots before & done quite well. Some nights they will outfish live spikes. I like the white ones cut in 1/2. I have had limited success on the Chartruce colored ones also. The red ones have been useless IMO .
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Does anyone use or has tried this light? Reviews seem good. Just looking for first hand info. Thanks.
https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Water-Marine-Underwater-Submersible/dp/B01F2PH2PS/ref=asc_df_B01F2PH2PS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312134190667&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12593471770150975430&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017467&hvtargid=pla-491404735390&psc=1
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I have a size smaller fire water marine light.bring it as a backup for smelt in case davess1 his light quits.i have used it for specks and its decent.think mine is only 12 or 16" long.i had to add a 4 oz sinker on the bottoms to get it to sink as it was neutral buoyant and it floated.
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I have a size smaller fire water marine light.bring it as a backup for smelt in case davess1 his light quits.i have used it for specks and its decent.think mine is only 12 or 16" long.i had to add a 4 oz sinker on the bottoms to get it to sink as it was neutral buoyant and it floated.
Thanks Doc. Looks like I'll grab one then. Planning on a little more Smelt fishing this season. Just picked up a bunch of flies from Smeltbuster so tying up a few rigs.
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Just bought this one. It is really bright! I haven't been over to smelt fish in about 3 years. I am hoping to this season.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/313914889915?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D7f99cc39c4234f0c87aae9a9014f2dad%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D273904578388%26itm%3D313914889915%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26brand%3DUnbranded%2FGeneric&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A0b3772c0-46a3-11ed-b9b2-5e8b41547f64%7Cparentrq%3Ab51166361830a77d141af823ffff0960%7Ciid%3A1