Live Smelt vs. Dead Smelt?

[AdkIceman]

I was just wondering if anyone has notice a difference fishing with live smelt and dead smelt. Would u rig dead smelt the same way on a tip up as live ones? Thanx
~AdkIceman~

[deadsmelthead]

ADK i dont realy know we have fished all day with deadsmelt and have been sore the next day from chasing flags down. and then we have had days when they will not touch them. So we jig up some live ones throw them on and kabam!! the fish start bitting so now we usually mix it up half and half if we get a couple on deadsmelt we switch them all over if we get a few flags on live then we put all live on.. NOTE this is for lake trout, salmon seem to prfer live smelt but we have had them hit dead smelt. My own personal opinion??? well just look at my name... But i am still unsure?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? so did i answer any questions here ?           answer.......... NO.

[mooseslayer]

HEYADKICEMAN,UP THIS WAY WE HAVE TO OR CHANGE OUR SMELTS EVERY HR. OTHER WISE THE SALMON WONT TOUCH THEM.ALSO THE SAME WHEN JIGGING. ALL THOUGH ON REALLY HOT DAYS IT DOESNT SEEM TO MAKE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE.GOOD LUCK AND TIGHT LINES!

[bart]

Is there a preference with Pike or Tigers?

[ScreaminReels]

My father and I drove all over creation looking for live smelt (when you could buy it in Vt) one year. When were setting up we saw an ol' timer whackin his bait on the ice before baiting his hook. My Dad went over to talk to him and ask what he was using for bait. He was taking live Smelt (that we couldn't find or jig up) and was whackin them on the ice to kill them, he said the big fat ones (lakers) were lazy and liked to just clean up the bottom. We got skunked and he was slowly getting flags. Now I like to slice the gut on a couple and leave them on the bottom. Never caught a hog but caught plenty in the 3-4# range. Perfect for the pan.

[dave b.]

Dead smelt work well for lakers. I used to go on a smelt trip every year and save some for bait. I would thread a snelled hook through them and freeze them up for targeting lakers. Some days they would work better than live bait. One benefit of dead bait is the perch and other non target species don't mess with your bait. When you get a flag it is most likely a laker. Not a pike guy, however I have seen pike scrounge up a dead smelt bait also.