smelt

[hillmann]

Since there is no catagory for smelt I decided to post my question here.  Whan you jig for smelt how do you do it? Mostly I am wondering about Depth, time of year, hook type and bait. Their is a lake near here that has them that I net in the spring but would like to try catching them hook and line.

[Drifter_016]

I used to catch them in Lake Simcoe using a balance tipup and pin head shiner. I can't remember depth as we used to use an outfitter. We would drop the bait down 10 to 25 feet.

[fish_finder]

We get em here in 20-40 feet of water about 6"-foot of the bottom usually but have caught them everywheres in the water column. Use small jigs or single hook with small live minnows or pieces of fresh fish under a slip bobber

[jabers69]

I'd say the same as fish_ finder. We use small live minnows or fresh dead ones

[hillmann]

I'm not sure if I understand you.  Are u saying you use a small minnow for SMELT?  I am asking because I can't picture a smelt eating anything bigger than a small grub. 

[Drifter_016]

I'm not sure if I understand you.  Are u saying you use a small minnow for SMELT?  I am asking because I can't picture a smelt eating anything bigger than a small grub. 

Yep!!! Little pinhead shiners 1 to 1 1/4" in length.
That's all I have ever caught them on.
Smelt are pretty aggressive little predators!!!

[nbguy]

We get smelt here up to 1 foot long, they will hit anything they can get in their mouth.  We get them alot went fishing for landlock salmon using shiners 1-2 inch long.

[hillmann]

I didn't realise thy got that big.

[fish_finder]

 Heres a pic of a few we get here, mind you they get bigger than the ones in this pic, most here are about 10- 11", good eaters, smaller then that they go down for burbot




My little bro's 12"


11 incher from last year

[hillmann]

once they get that big how do you clean them, just cut of the head and gut them? I seames like to  me that the bones would kindaget in the way on a smelt that big.

[fish_finder]

I just gut em and fry em as is, eat them like pan fried brookies, meat will pretty much fall off the bones

[hillmann]

Do you mean you pick the meat off the bones or you eat the bones and all like with smaller smelt?

[Drifter_016]

Do you mean you pick the meat off the bones or you eat the bones and all like with smaller smelt?

You can use a fork and comb the meat right off the bones. 

[jacksmelt71]

i fish hali type glow lures on a u.l rod reel. blue or chart. seem to work best. pink sometimes. use sm. pieces of cut smelt or sucker for bait. usually bottom to 5ft. up during the day . 20ft to just under the ice at night. get em' in 40ft. of water near deeper water. if you have a flasher use it! good luck!

[Barleydog]

Hillman eat them bones and all.  Fin, bones, scales,flesh...  I use a scissors to gut and de-head them but some of the natives out on the peninsula of AK eat them with the guts attached.     Try them smoked too, it's fantastic!
I used to catch them through the ice with a tiny swedish pimple.  In some areas they are extremely agressive and will hit moving bait quickly!  They're kinda like little mini walleyes.

[Whitefish Slayer]

I'm not sure if I understand you.  Are u saying you use a small minnow for SMELT?  I am asking because I can't picture a smelt eating anything bigger than a small grub. 

Your likely going after the little guys!! I fished them last year in the river and the biggest was about 9" all the rest were those little falla's.

We'd just use swedish pimples, tear drops, and bare hooks, baited with very small pieces of gaspereau.  Or until we got a smelt then it was fresh smelt meat.  had a blast on the river.  fishing about 1 foot off bottom.. you could jig for them but smelt will hit a still bait as well.

On the lake where we fish the get much bigger and will take a good load of bait in their mouths.  Live minnows work well but dead bait can be just as effective.  1-2 feet off bottom but i've taken them pretty well everywhere in the water column.  Like NBGUY said we get lots of the landlocked lines up near the ice too.

Hope this helps ya out.
ther are fairly easy to catch once u get them in the area

[viciouscircle]

i have never tried it, but since the regs say you can have four hooks on a line here...thats how i read it...correct me if i'm wrong...i'm zone 5.........i was thinking the very small fish skin Sabiki rigs would work, just limit the rig to 4 hooks.

[jacksmelt71]

imagine a smelt muskie hybrid! the size of a muskie w/ the teeth and aggressiveness of a jacksmelt! would look like a freshwater barracuda!