smelt???

[TipUp85]

does anyone know where the smelt are biting? i would really like to get a good meal and maybe even enough to throw a fewnin the freezer.........

[adkRoy]

Lewey Lake by indian lake. Loaded with them I went a couple of weekends ago and they were nailing the hali-jig tipped with spikes.

[TipUp85]

thanks, thats a little ways away from me but it doesnt mean i wont try, does anyone know anywhere near the mineville/ port henry area? i heard someone the other day talking about them biting up near saranac area bu ti dont really know where to go up there. any tips or directions woud be greatly appreciated!

[Snowrd]

you are catching decent numbers in Lewey?

[adkRoy]

you are catching decent numbers in Lewey?

I couldn't catch anything else that day. They would light up my vex like a christmas tree. caught lots of these guys:

[Snowrd]

Good to know. Thanks for the info... Can you get on the lake at the campground.

[adkRoy]

Good to know. Thanks for the info... Can you get on the lake at the campground.

They don't plow the campground but I did park by the gate and walked out. Its only 100 yards from the gate to the lake.

[bigredonice]

2x on Indian/Lewey Lake.   I was up there a few weeks ago and there was tons of smelt EVERYWHERE.   15', 25', 60' - they were everywhere!!   Just throw a spike on a hali, and you can catch all you want.

[saquelie]

Tipup been getting all i need on parodox

[shearinsanity]

I had good luck with them at Lake Luzerne about a week ago near the island. Marked huge schools of them on the finder every 30 mins or so.

Jim

[Skeeter23]

Are you talking about Lake Luzerne in Warren County? If so I have fished there most my life and have never once caught a smelt or heard of anyone else for that matter.
No mention on the DEC site that smelt are even in the lake.

If your speaking about another Lake Luzerne please disregard my post.

[woodroce]

.


Howdy,

I have some experience with the smelt.  This is my third year catching smelt on hooks.  Four years ago, I would have LMAO had you told me that you were catching smelt on jigging poles.   Heck, I love catching them almost as much as eating them.  I get them on Canadice Lake mostly, but did get some one night on Hemlock Lake.  I suspect you could use the techniques you read about in here on any lake that has smelt, really.

You can use a little piece of cloth or nylons on the hook to help catch them, like people suggest.  Makes sense to me and I bet if I tried it, I wouldn't lose as many as I do, but it's still fun.  I use Mousies and sometimes wax worms or spikes when there are no Mousies to be had. 

I had a LED tent light that takes a couple of AA batteries that I set on the ice that blasts some light down into the lake pretty good and I burn a couple Coleman lanterns.  I have seen guys that use underwater lights, too.  One night, a bunch of us got in a circle and all put out lights down together.  That was cool, but the action wasn't all that great that night.  I have no trouble catching them, but there are good nights and bad nights, naturally.    The best nights are when you can get them a foot or so under the ice.  You can really get nailing them when they are thick just under the surface.  I love to watch my fish finder's depth reading go from 20' to 2' and then stay that way because they are so thick under me.  I have learned in iceshanty.com that a lot of guys get them during the day, too.

Here's how I roll when targeting smelt:




You can see that I keep tip-ups going while smelting.  I have heard that if you use any smelt that you catch as bait that you can somehow be harassed by the man, but don't ask me how.  So, there may or may not be a smelt on that tip up.  If there is, he must have got himself hooked on there somehow.

I have yet to nail anything on a tip-up at night like this, but I have only put out tip ups while smelting twice. 

Here's what it looks like on the inside.   You can see that I have my Fishin' Buddy fish finder clamped on my bucket.  Once the smelt come in, I really don't need the fish finder anymore, it's useless.





Smelt sure are tasty!  I love eating them!  I hope you get into them real soon, tipup85!


.

[TipUp85]

THANKS EVERYONE! I am hoping to get out a few times within the next two weeks while i am on vacation. the ice in port henry is starting to look better and with the sub-zero weather the next few nights i imagine its only going to get better. good luck to everyone and i will post if i do get into them!

[adkRoy]

All the smelt I have caught has been in broad daylight.

[adkwiley]

what size jigs/hooks do you all use?  I was out last weekend and they were flooding my screen but i couldn't get the hook set,  they were moving my line and the tip of my  noodle action pole at times and still couldn't get them hooked....

[slabspanker]

smallest jig you own tipped with a spike

[adkRoy]

Hali jigs tipped with spikes or mousies

[crappiepants]

.


Howdy,

I have some experience with the smelt.  This is my third year catching smelt on hooks.  Four years ago, I would have LMAO had you told me that you were catching smelt on jigging poles.   Heck, I love catching them almost as much as eating them.  I get them on Canadice Lake mostly, but did get some one night on Hemlock Lake.  I suspect you could use the techniques you read about in here on any lake that has smelt, really.

You can use a little piece of cloth or nylons on the hook to help catch them, like people suggest.  Makes sense to me and I bet if I tried it, I wouldn't lose as many as I do, but it's still fun.  I use Mousies and sometimes wax worms or spikes when there are no Mousies to be had. 

I had a LED tent light that takes a couple of AA batteries that I set on the ice that blasts some light down into the lake pretty good and I burn a couple Coleman lanterns.  I have seen guys that use underwater lights, too.  One night, a bunch of us got in a circle and all put out lights down together.  That was cool, but the action wasn't all that great that night.  I have no trouble catching them, but there are good nights and bad nights, naturally.    The best nights are when you can get them a foot or so under the ice.  You can really get nailing them when they are thick just under the surface.  I love to watch my fish finder's depth reading go from 20' to 2' and then stay that way because they are so thick under me.  I have learned in iceshanty.com that a lot of guys get them during the day, too.

Here's how I roll when targeting smelt:

(Image removed from quote.)


You can see that I keep tip-ups going while smelting.  I have heard that if you use any smelt that you catch as bait that you can somehow be harassed by the man, but don't ask me how.  So, there may or may not be a smelt on that tip up.  If there is, he must have got himself hooked on there somehow.

I have yet to nail anything on a tip-up at night like this, but I have only put out tip ups while smelting twice. 

Here's what it looks like on the inside.   You can see that I have my Fishin' Buddy fish finder clamped on my bucket.  Once the smelt come in, I really don't need the fish finder anymore, it's useless.

(Image removed from quote.)



Smelt sure are tasty!  I love eating them!  I hope you get into them real soon, tipup85!


.

Using smelt as bait on that body of water you shouldn't get harassed especially if you can prove that your catching them in that location. but if you walk off ice with smelt still alive in a bucket of water you mite get alittle bit more then harassed

[beerfish]

 i do pretty good on canadice for smelt i use spikes with glow in the dark tiny tiny jigs. with lots of light oh yea and a spring on the end of the rod so you can see them bite its all lot of fun. i need a beer helmet though because you cant stop once you start getting them especially  one you work them up close to the hole, I heard people getting them in the day but they must be deep.  boy do they taste great.