Gull Lake 2021

[smeltbuster]

Have not been able to get out this week due to stuff gettin in the way. Did drive by south bay yesterday & that ice looks fine. I have heard of a couple of guys going out on 2nd. bay from the south end & did see some tracks out that way. Without checking the ice myself,I cannot say its safe. Last week it was very thin. We have only had a couple of days of cold weather ,so hoping that thickens it up. I will try to check it Sat. morning. Cant fish tonight ,but I want to tomorrow night. Will also see whats happening @ the bible conf., & the rest of the lake. I was on 2 different area lakes yesterday & each of them had about 3" of ice, w/ some bad spots mixed in. South Bay is getting hammered hard by guys chasing Gills & Crappie. Personally, I would'nt waste my time doing that right now. Fished it last Sat. night & only caught Dinks. Hoping to start chasing Smelt Soon ! Sorry for a lack of reports,but who wants reports of thin or no ice ?

[smeltbuster]

 Ice report from Smelt jr.,The lake is wide open from just north of the Bible conf. all the way to the north end. As of last night ,there was still a few spots of open water @ the bible conf.

[RX1 Yamaha]

Hey Fellow fishermen: any smelt being caught on Gull Lake yet this seson?

[smeltbuster]

Lots of guys on south bay this morning, but did not see much catching. Guys fishing @ the Bible conf. but not a lot of area to fish.Still open water or unsafe ice. Seen some tracks headed toward 2nd. bay, not sure if they were from someone smelt fishing, or just walking. Dont expect very many reports about smelt until the whole lake locks up. Last year 2nd. bay was very spotty w/ lots of small smelt. Hoping to have some better news in the next few days.

[smeltbuster]

2nd. bay report; 3 1/2"-4" of ice. Was able to fish Sat night & there were a few others out there too. Ended the night w/ 35 Smelt. Most of them small, just like last year. Good news/ bad news.  The salon is open for parking & access to the lake again, after being shut down for 3 yrs. I talked w/ them today & we are good to go. Just be respectful of the folks that live in the area .  As for the bad news, the south bay access across the street from the party store looks like it might be gone. The guy that owns the "Chicken House" next to the parking area has been telling guys he is going to have their vehicles towed if they park there. Along w/ several others today, I found a note on my windshield telling me not to park there anymore. Pretty sure the party store owns the property where these notes are being posted. I WILL get a straight answer on this situation w/in the next few days. Parking for ice fishing has always been allowed. If they stop this, they will loose a LOT of business from icefishermen. On the other hand, Trespassing is common on south bay,along w/ parking w/out permission. Most of the lake is locked up, pray for cold temps & no snow. Expect more smelt reports , gonna do my best to get out as much as I can !

[rgp198328]

Anybody been out?

[smeltbuster]

Anybody been out?

Yes, Sun night I caught 64, Mon. night 32. Sun. night there were a total of 4 groups. Mon. night it was 7-10 groups. There is a fair amount of open water from Hickory point to the south,down to north of the island.I will start checking Baseline rd. on Wed. , The boat launch @ the north end has some open water but that should lock up in a day or 2. I will also try to get some info on the Bible conf. ice conditions tomorrow, if time allows it. The steps down to the lake @ the party store on South bay are no longer an access point,we lost it. Not sure about parking there either. The guy that owns the "Chicken House" is a real jerk. He has threatened several guys w/ towing their vehicles if they park there. 1BIG Problem, He does not own the property. Hoping to talk to the REAL landowner in a day or 2. Trying to keep ya informed as best I can. If you fish 2nd. bay & see a Clam "Jason Mitchell" hub shanty, stop by & say "Hi" .

[ddykehouse]

Thank you SMELTBUSTER for the awesome updates on the ice conditions.  Was thinking about heading out this upcoming weekend - was hoping the North End was ready, but may hit the 2nd Bay. 

[Bassslayer87]

Thank you for the updates smeltbuster. I'm hoping to get out on Gull Lake sometime soon chasing those smelt. How big are they running there this year?

[smeltbuster]

Most of the smelt in 2nd. bay are 3"-4" long. Once in a while you will get a 7"-8"er. Been averaging 2 big ones per trip. The little ones are very light biters. Guys have been fishing almost all the way out to the north end of 2nd. bay,but I dont know how the ice is out there,or if they are doing any good. Last hr. of daylight & 1st. hr. of dark has been the best. We did not get as much snow as predicted, so I am hopeful that it wont ruin what ice we have. If you do fish the Bible conf., tread lightly & use a spud.

[rgp198328]

I was part of one of the groups Monday night. We fished in a camo popup blind just north of you smeltbuster. Water column was solid fish from 5' down to 50'. Didn't do well though. Was hard to be on point and ready to tug when ya got 3 people in a 1 man tent lol. Do you happen to know the 2gents that were by us sitting outside? I was watching them and they seemed to do fairly well.

[moose49017]

I got out for the first time Monday night.
Was in the red XD250 next to smelt buster.
I missed the hot time and managed to slug out 13 by 11:00 but the majority of those were back around an hour after dark. Tried staying to see if they fired up again anytime later. Waste of time. Gave me a chance to fiddle with my Helix and get it dialed back in. But that was about it.

[smeltbuster]

I was part of one of the groups Monday night. We fished in a camo popup blind just north of you smeltbuster. Water column was solid fish from 5' down to 50'. Didn't do well though. Was hard to be on point and ready to tug when ya got 3 people in a 1 man tent lol. Do you happen to know the 2gents that were by us sitting outside? I was watching them and they seemed to do fairly well.

Yessir I do know them & they ended up w/ 98. That was BOB, & his friend Ed. He was out again tonight & had about 40 when I left. I did not count tonight but it was around 20. The guy fishing w/ me had over 30. We caught almost all of our fish before 6:30 p.m.. Tonight Bob was getting them about 15' down. The past 2 nights have been tough for me, but Bob, my brother & the guy tonight have been doing better than me. & yes they are using the "Gull Lake Smelt Factory Ice Flies", that I tie. If you see Bob sitting out there, go over & talk to him for a few. Chances are, he will give you a few pointers. Ask him what his favorite fly is . Watch & learn,just dont ask too many questions & keep the visit short. He is a good friend of mine & I dont spend a lot of time talking to him on the ice , unless he fishes in my shanty. Also,forget eye contact w/ him or me for the most part. If we are fishing our eyes are on the rod tip. Moose 49017  when I came out today I seen your tracks, looks like you pulled an "All Nighter"! If the north end gets good enough I am going to be doing that a few times.

[ddykehouse]

Where do I find those Rigs you Tie up Smeltbuster?

[smeltbuster]

Where do I find those Rigs you Tie up Smeltbuster?

PM Sent.

[badfish182]

Hi smeltbuster! I've seen you posting on this forum for years now, and I've also watched the live cam of the bay for years now. I've never lived closer than a 50 minute drive to the lake. But, I finally made it to Gull for a couple hours this past weekend mainly just to check it out. Didn't catch much, but was nice to finally be on the lake. I'm hoping to try for smelt this year, and I'd be interested in some of those smelt flies if you have extras. I am about to try some closer lakes today but would like to make it back to Gull in the next week or so. Thanks for always posting awesome reports!

[smeltbuster]

PM Sent

[smeltbuster]

Fished 2nd. Bay tonight & I ended up w/ 58 Smelt. most were caught 30' down in 59 FOW. Bumped into an old friend thats on here & met a new one thats on here . There was 7 or 8 other parties out tonight. The bite was good from about 6:45-7:30 p.m., had 7 doubles. As for Baseline rd., I checked it today & there is about 1" maybe 1 1/2" near shore. The ice cracked real bad when I hit it w/ my spud. I will be checking it again tomorrow ,on my way out. Will post what I find, late tomorrow night. Honestly, I think the 1st. safe fishable night will be Sunday at the earliest, we can hope & pray for Saturday,but time will tell. The lake is wide open from Hickory point, to the south,all the way down to just north of the Bible conf. . Seen a couple of guys quite aways out SW of the Bible conf. access today. No one is parking @ the south end  access, looks like that one is History.Also, no one has been Crappie fishing South Bay the past 2 nights. Got a feeling its a waste of time. Guys have been hammering it for the past several yrs. & pretty sure the Crappies have been thinned out in that area. Same goes for Pike, on the week-ends south bay has been "Carpet Bombed" w/ tip-ups.

[mokwa]

Was nice to meet you Buster! Thanks for the flies.

[fishin4smelt]

Smeltbuster, great seeing you last night and catching up on how you’re doing. We fished until 11:00 and decided to call it a night. Jeremy ended up with 21 and I ended up with 55. They all ran small but I’m sure they’ll crisp up and make a wonderful meal...Take care & be safe, see you on the ice.

[smeltbuster]

7 nights in a row, this retirement thing is getting out of hand  . I ended up w/44 tonight & my brother had 43. Fished 2nd. bay 59' . At least 16 other parties out tonight. Marked very few fish & most of mine came 30' down. Had a few before dark. As for Baseline rd., Smelt jr. checked it tonight & said it was still "Sketchy". Him & I are going to check it in the morning. I honestly think it will be at least Sunday before we can get on, & that depends on how much snow we get tomorrow night. He did see 2 guys tip up fishing the north end tonight, but they trespassed onto private property to get on the lake. Plus,they were on ice that was open water 2 days ago  . Sorry folks,not me. The 2nd. bay smelt fishing is hit or miss, more miss than hits. At least there are fish to be caught. Also, pretty much everyone out there has been very quiet. Only had 1 group this last week playing loud music. Its been very enjoyable. As for the south bay, I noticed tonight that there are "Private Property" signs up now. & it is blocked w/ snow fence. No one Crappie fishing tonight either. The land owners want this lake to be private, they have lots of $$$$$$ & thats probably going to happen,at least on the south end of the lake. As for the Salon access , pick up any trash you see, dont park in peoples yards & be QUIET when you are on shore.

[ddykehouse]

Finally put a face with a name last night and met the infamous SMELTBUSTER!  What a pleasure it was.  I ended up with almost 40 as well and they were light bites!  It seems the size of the fish are much smaller which makes sense considering the die off roughly 4 years back.  Parked at the Salon and got there early - I foresee tickets and towing coming next -near the salon considering the number of vehicles on the roadway in front of houses and illegally parked - police were there when I got off the ice and asked if there was a party or if these were all Ice Fisherman.  I was one of the lucky ones with an actual parking spot- SMELTBUSTER is correct, they "Lake Property Owners" do not want us on the lake for sure.  I personally stopped in a gave the salon owner/renter some cash for parking in his lot, we would have to do that on the North End, so why not down on the South End?    Anyway, had a great time, met some new friends and put a meal in the freezer!  Looking forward to fishing the North End as long as the ice holds!

[WaterfowlNut!]

Fished the 2nd bay tonight didnt spend too long on the ice between the 3 of us we caught 30 smelt in 62 FOW. We caught them in all depths but most came from 10 foot under the ice. It was my first time fishing since the die off. I sure have missed it!

[smeltbuster]

Mon. night smelt report; Had a pretty good night, I caught 110 & my fishin partner in a shanty next to me caught 39. We normally fish together in the same shanty, but this Covid thing has him on edge. The fish really started biting good around 8:30 p.m. for me.Before that, it was not looking good.  Hoping to check the ice @ Baseline rd. Tues. afternoon.We ended up w/ about 3" of snow ,hoping it does'nt hurt what ice was already there.  Hate to post this next part but I have to. PLEASE do not PM  me asking if the ice is safe at Baseline rd. or the North End. I have been getting up to 10 PMs a day asking the same thing.  We are checking it physically every few days & Smelt jr.  is watching it every day. When it is safe I will let you know. Just understand I do not post on a phone, I use my laptop at home. So, if the ice is good one afternoon, I will be fishing that night & posting afterwards. We will not check it if we feel we might go for a polar plunge. When Smelt jr. & me do check it, we wear auto inflate PFDs, have a 50' rope tied to us ,use ice spikes & a spud. I have not gone thru the ice since 88' & dont plan to any time soon. Believe me, there is no one on here that wants to get after the smelt on north 1/2 of Gull more than me. I know what is there, I watch them all summer on my graph !

[Dianam]

I talked to the dam project lead last week.  Once construction is done on the spillway, they will open it, but at the same flow as the pass through pipes.  They will do everything they can not to alter the water level during opening (it is a permit requirement) and don't plan to bring the water up until the normal time next spring.  That should help keep from impacting ice formation.  Now we just need nature to get on it.  As for access, I'll look for opportunities as I talk to businesses in the area and the township.  We keep losing these one at a time and it's a big problem.

[WaterfowlNut!]

What is everybody's favorite smelt set up?

[smeltbuster]

 Dianam, thanks for the update on the dam. I was worried that the ice was going to get messed up. We probably are going to loose the Salon again. Guys parking in the road & in peoples yards, plus being loud , late at night. Last night there were 2 groups that came out on the ice after 9:00 p.m. & they were making a fair amount of noise. One group left just ahead of me , & was in the parking lot being very noisy,shouting back & forth,slamming doors & revving up their loud trucks, around midnight. & then folks wonder why stuff gets shut down. Sadly its just a few loosers that are doing this. The ice is staying cleaner though. Should have an update on Baseline rd. late tonight.

[smeltbuster]

What is everybody's favorite smelt set up?

Mine is 5 of my #16 smelt flies tied on short dropper loops about 10" apart,w/ a med,or heavy Hali jig on the bottom. The 4 1/2' long rig is tied on 4lb. ice line w/ a loop at the top to snap onto a small swivel on my 56" Patriot rod.Bait is spikes & Berkley gulp white maggots cut in half. I dont leave my hooks on my rod, the rig gets wrapped around a short piece of foam water pipe insulation. I only use 1 rod, seems to help w/ less missed fish.

[smeltbuster]

Smelt jr. & me checked Baseline rd. Tues. afternoon. We got out about 100 yds, before we hit bad ice,
 Had a report of guys fishing it tonight in 40' of water on about  1 1/2" of ice. Lets give it a few days. Got a feeling it will be ready by then. Scratched out another 87 Smelt tonight before 9:00 p.m. on 2nd. bay . They were biting good but I had to leave. 5 other parties out tonight.

[fishin4smelt]

We ended up with 167 on Monday. Hoping to get back out tonight. Really hoping to get onto the Northend after this cold snap, next week...Tim