Sinking or Floating bait on QR

[jpicks]

So last year I fished smelts almost exclusively on QR's for pike.  However, the smelts needed to be thawed, or else they'd just float at the surface or upside down.  And when you're fishing in -30 weather in Saskatchewan, thawing them can be a little difficult.

With that said, how do frozen (not thawed) Ciscoes, Herring, Sardines, or Mackerel act? Do they need to be thawed in order to sink, or will any of them sink like a rock right off the bat.

[ctibbetts]

I found that a little boot stomp or just cutting a slit in the belly would help them sink and didn't seem to affect performance.

[SDFlagChaser]

run a nail in the body of the smelt, length wise.  you can either go down the mouth, or from a** hole up.  used it several times last year with success.  it also keeps the smelt sitting upright

[Litchfield Fisher]

slitting the belly will help, and releases more scent