smelt/ cust

[brett me hot]

is it legal to take smelt.. and were is the best place to catch cusk on Alton deep in the rocks or what?

[fishingonly2002]

I here people taking cusk all around the bandstand area right in downtown alton, I am gonna do a little fishin there. I here people doing really well on flat areas with structure. I nailed my 5 piund 13 ouncer over a flat area with some sunken branches on the bottom. kept pulling up branches, but did get a nice cusk. not a veteran of cusk fishing, duck doctor seems to know his cusk pretty well, read some of his posts, I'm sure he'll hit this one though.

~Neal

[duck doctor]

duck doctor seems to know his cusk pretty well, read some of his posts, I'm sure he'll hit this one though.

~Neal

Neal, how did you know?

Anyhow,

The cusk will be moving into the shallows to spawn soon.  When I am targetting cusk, I look at a lake map and find where there are sharp drop-offs with 10-35' flats near shore. I like flats that drop off to over 60' of water. I have found this winter that the bigger cusk are hanging right on the edges of the drop-offs and I am taking smaller cusk in on the flats.

If you have a camera, look for structure. I like big rocks that are spread sparsley throughout the flat. Use the biggest shiners or suckers in the 6-8" range and you will catch fewer small ones.

Hamadog:  Anything else you want to add?

[hamadog]

I was told by a reliable friend the F&G biologist said the cusk spawn every year on the same day late in February. We always catch the biggest from late Feb into march. Last week I was fishing out deeper and seeing alot of cusk on the cam but this week I'll be moving my cusk lines into the rocky shallows bordering deeper water.