IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Michigan => Ice Fishing Michigan => Topic started by: Budwinn42 on Feb 04, 2013, 12:03 PM
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Drove by gull on Saturday, saw Atleast 50 guys out, didn't have time to stop, but with that many guys and that many shanties, ice must be pretty decent,. South bay off m89, looked like most guys were setting up to smelt fish.
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Anyone reports from anyone that has been out to the smelt grounds?
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Looks like alot of snow on that lake :(. Ice can't be that thick with all that snow? I hope I'm wrong. I live an hour away so with gas at this price I can't check :(...
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I'll be going out to fish tomorrow morning.. if no awnser by then ill give a report...
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I'd like to get one more weekend of smelt in before I move to Hastings.
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North end was wide open Sat., I was boat fishing,but had to dodge lots of skim ice. I will start checking the north end, Thurs. ,early afternoon,& keep ya posted.I plan on fishing 2nd. bay ,Thurs.night.
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Any reports on the 2nd bay? Prob going out tonight so if no replies I'll give an update tomorrow. Also, does anyone know who is selling the smelt spear tips out there on gull?
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I though spearing on Gull was illegal since its a trout lake?
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I though spearing on Gull was illegal since its a trout lake?
Just bumped the Gull smelt spearing thread..
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Anyone been out the past couple days? How's the bite? How much ice in second bay?
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Went yesterday... Bite sucked. Fishin fo gills
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Whats it looking like for smelt Steve?
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Set some tipups out that way.... Ice is fine.... Might smelt this weekend...
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Thanks for the info.I'm going to check the north end Thurs. afternoon & probably hit 2nd. bay Thurs. night.
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Ill be headed to gull around 1:30 today. Im gunna fish for pike the rest of the afternoon and then try for smelt later tonight. Will report back later. Ill be in a black and gray frabil flip over if anyone is going to be out and about. Good luck guys and gals.
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Gonna give it a shot tonight,2nd. bay if possible. I will have an ice report for the north end later tonight,as well as how it went tonght.
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Well,I just got home & heres what happened,the bite was very slow tonight.I had 11 heard a couple of guys that had 4 between them,another 2 guys had none ,one guy had 1 another guy had about 15,& the top dog tonight had about 35,he was fishing about 30' from me.Like I said ,SLOW ! Fished the south end of 2nd.bay ,about 51' deep. Watched a couple walk out from the salon,headed my way,until the guys spud went through w/1 whack.Yes they turned around.The ice is anywhere from 2 1/2"-5",depending on where you are standing.2 other guys & myself were the last ones to leave 2nd. bay,it was snowing very heavy & there was probably about 3" of new snow,as of 10:00 p.m.. As for the north end,about 2-2 1/2" of good ice,but the snow isnt going to help it.I will be checking it again on Friday,but dont expect it to be safe enough yet.Please keep in mind,I was fishing in a boat there on Sat. afternoon & the lake was wide open.BTW,Icebreaker,glad I got to meet ya tonight,hope to see ya out there again.
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Thanks for update Smeltbuster :) To bad all the ice isn't 5". This snow sucks >:( >:( was hoping you guy's weren't gonna get all this snow. They said North ??? can't ever believe them ::). Guess i will head north for perch, smelt, and lake trout :). Hope we get more ice on that north end.
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Appreciate the report. Was hoping the smelt were cooperating better though.
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I managed only a handful of smelt last night ad was fishing in 41' of water. only marked a couple schools of fish all night. Bite was very very slow. The ice was about 4" where I was sitting but it wasnt great ice.
Great to meet you too smeltbuster! Im sure ill see ya around in the future.
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Going to head back out,around 3:30p.m.,w/ my oldest son & some friends,to run tip-ups,then stay for the smelt bite.Not looking forward to the walk through all the snow & slush.He is going to check the north end on his way out.I will post what he tells me, later tonight,but dont expect much,w/all this snow we got.
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The bite was slow again tonight,did about the same as last night,maybe a few more.With the falling temps,the slush was locking up on the walk in.4 guys walked out from the salon tonight,but they stopped short of getting to that 60 ft. water.I'm still a bit nervous about going much further north on 2nd. bay,but I may try it tommorrow night.The north end was still unsafe this afternoon,the snow did not help it out.We will check it again tommorrow(hopefully mid-morning).
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Smelt bite was slow again for me & several others,Sat. night.I got 20. Made it a bit further out into 2nd.bay,& guys are walking on from the salon.Got a report from my son,Sat. night, that some guys were going out on the north end.He is checking to see how far they got out & if they went swimming.Heard that there were 8 guys out there,Sat. night. Got to meet Mud-nFun, on the ice;one heck of a nice guy,& 2 great kids! I really like his smelt fishing set-up.I'ts been quite an adjustment for me ,going from fishing in a nice,warm portable,to having to deal with the elements.Keep ya posted on the north end.
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Is anyone fishing the north end yet?
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I recon so.... Might go out in a little bit and try to get on the south side.... I'll let u guys know.... Last time I was out it was an inch of good clear ice with like 3 inches of slushy crap.... So hopefully its all froze up ...
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I'm going to check it out Thurs. afternoon on my way home from work.I am planning on fishing it Thurs. night.
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Has anyone been on 2nd bay and the north boat launch? How much ice is there? Would like to take daughter out this weekend for some smelting. It was nice last weekend fishing on 10"-12" of ice with No water coming up ;D ;D ;D. and smoking the smelt :).
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I just got done checking the north end.I think it might be fishable.I walked out about 20 yds. & the ice held me.About 3-4" of ice.Again,I was by myself,so I did not go out further.I also could not tell if anyone had been out fishing,no tracks,signs of holes,trash.My son who lives about 2 min. from the north end is going to go down tonight & see if anyone is fishing.I will post what he tells me ,after I hear from him.There was 1 guy on the bible conf. ,fishing. No one on the bays,but 2 large perm shanties at the north end of south bay.Lots of water on the ice.As soon as I find out about the north end,you will be the first ones to know ! Cant fish tonight,I forgot it is Valentines day,my wife of almost 29 yrs. said it was ok to go, but I think I'll pass,just tonight though !
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Well,I just got home & heres what happened,the bite was very slow tonight.I had 11 heard a couple of guys that had 4 between them,another 2 guys had none ,one guy had 1 another guy had about 15,& the top dog tonight had about 35,he was fishing about 30' from me.Like I said ,SLOW ! Fished the south end of 2nd.bay ,about 51' deep. Watched a couple walk out from the salon,headed my way,until the guys spud went through w/1 whack.Yes they turned around.The ice is anywhere from 2 1/2"-5",depending on where you are standing.2 other guys & myself were the last ones to leave 2nd. bay,it was snowing very heavy & there was probably about 3" of new snow,as of 10:00 p.m.. As for the north end,about 2-2 1/2" of good ice,but the snow isnt going to help it.I will be checking it again on Friday,but dont expect it to be safe enough yet.Please keep in mind,I was fishing in a boat there on Sat. afternoon & the lake was wide open.BTW,Icebreaker,glad I got to meet ya tonight,hope to see ya out there again.
Hey that was me...the guy that took one whack and went through. Went down to the store and then walked out. Same deal for us....we caught about 20 smelt between the 2 of us.
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Hey that was me...the guy that took one whack and went through. Went down to the store and then walked out. Same deal for us....we caught about 20 smelt between the 2 of us.
I sure am glad you had that spud,that was kind of scary for those of us that were watching,probably more so for you.Glad your safe. Still waiting to hear from my son.
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North end,Heres is what I have: as of 6:00 p.m.,no one fishing,parking lot empty,9:45 p.m.,parking lot empty,no one fishing.I am going to try & get one of my sons to go help me check the ice ,further out in the morning.I will let you know what I find.Yes , I will be wearing a PFD w/ a rope on me attached to my SUV!(OVERKILL!) I am betting that there is at least one more person that wants to get out there after those tasty little things! I do believe that the ice is good enough,but I am going to be very cautious.I do not want to go for a polar bear swim,& I do not want to tell ya the ice is safe ,unless I am 100% sure. Yes,I will even do the "JUMP" test!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Smeltbuster, your a rare breed and I thank you for your extra generous and thorough ice reports. I myself have only been on gull a few times, we targeted pike off the bible conference. Again, thanks for sharing your findings as most would not!!
Eric
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let me know what time your going to be there I"m only 5 miles from there. work 3rd. so maybe meet and be there to help..
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I will be checking the north end ice conditions w/ my son,around 12:15-12:30 this afternoon.I should be able to post what I find by 1:30 p.m., by the way Eric,thanks for the kind words. I dont mind one bit trying to help peolple out. I didnt realize until 2 yrs. ago how far some people drive to fish for smelt.I've met folks from,G.R.,Lansing,Detroit,Albion,Northern Indiana. With gas at almost 4 bucks a gal.,that gets expensive real quick.
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Smeltbuster, your a rare breed and I thank you for your extra generous and thorough ice reports. I myself have only been on gull a few times, we targeted pike off the bible conference. Again, thanks for sharing your findings as most would not!!
Eric
X2
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Thanks again Smeltbuster for report. That comes from a fellow printer up in GR. My buddies and I appreciate the reports throughout the season. I hope to meet you on the ice sometime :) :). I think more fishermen and women need to be like you and be helpful with gas prices around $4 to find a good and safe place to fish. I'm sure your wife was glad you stayed home on Valentines Day.
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Thanks Smeltbuster! I hope you post good news because I'm itching to make it out tonight for some tasty smelt!
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Just got back from checking the north end.I had quite a few holes w/ a good 3" of ice,the problem is there is lots of inconsistent ice.I went out 55 yds. from shore The Vex.said it was about 9' deep. 3-4 more steps & my spud went thru w/ 2 whacks,I also heard some cracking under my feet.I went out in front of the bath house & stayed well away from the creek.Someone was out there fishing this a.m.,but they only made it to probably 15' of water & they were farther west.Very light skim of snow on the ice.I am sure there will be some guys out there tonight,just not me,I will be on 2nd. bay,where its a bit safer.We will check it again tommorrow to see if & where guys went.I did see a guy fishing out in front of Ross twp. park,he was about 100yds from shore.Baseline rd.is busted up at the shore,so I couldnt really check there.If it stays cold & we dont get a bunch of snow it should be fine in a day or 2 for everyone.Hey Tip-ups,thanks for showin up,it eased my mind knowing that my son had help in case I went swimming !
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Thanks for the Report smeltbuster! Sounds to iffy for me to venture out on the North tonight. Might see ya on the south bay. Good luck tonight if I dont see ya!
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Well I just got home from 2nd.bay,smelt fishing for most people was not good tonight.One guy with a light about 50yds from me was doing pretty good,but everyone else was having a tough time.I did not get skunked,but I came close.I had less than 10 bites tonight.On the bright side,I managed to hook & land a 26" northern on my smelt rig.That was fun!First one I have caught while smelt fishing,20' down,hit the Hali.Whats funny ,is my son had a tip-up & a pole w/pike minnows on,less than 20' away.Now,about the north end;when I got done fishing I drove up there.There were 6 vehicles in the parking lot,all the guys were in shanties& they were out in front of the creek,in probably 40' of water.I figured some guys would try it tonight.I am going to check it out tommorrow again.I am still nervous about going out there though.
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was there smeltbuster stop by on my way home from work thought you were on of the 2 out there fishing guess should asked for names.. said the bite was slow and ice but not decent.. can only check the board on breaks here..
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We are going to give the north end a try tonight.I figure there is going to be even more guys out there tonight,now that the word is out.If any of you are out there,look me up.I am fishing in a small pop-up that says Trophy jr. on it.I just use it for a wind break.I also have about a 3' long metal reflector that I put out in front of me to relect light.Kinda goofy lookin,but it helps. Phil
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Just wondering if anyone has been out by the ministries? I would like to drive down there and put out some tip ups, but i dont wan to to get there and the ice suck on that part of the lake.
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Thanks for report. Was going to head down there with Daughter tonight but she's sick so no smelting for me. My buddy was down there last night and said the same thing SLOW :( :(. 14 is all he could get. But he forgot one important thing when its slow ;D. I think north end Is the place to be this late in season. Good luck tonight.. Be SAFE on that north end.
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Just wondering if anyone has been out by the ministries? I would like to drive down there and put out some tip ups, but i dont wan to to get there and the ice suck on that part of the lake.
I fished next to a young guy last night that said he fished the bible conf. on Thurs. & got a few fish.I did see him out there when I drove by.There was a couple guys out there last night,but I dont know what they were doing.The kid told me the ice was fine.
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Just got a call from my son;he said that there is quite a few guys on the north end,& a few down toward the dredge.Thats down on the west side of the north end. Headin out soon.
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Blizzardy nightmare out there today... Lol... Prolly half dozen ice boats sailin round the lake today... Thems awesome..
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Finally! Yes I did fish the north end tonight.Ice is anywhere from 3-5".Not too many guys out for the smelt bite,maybe 30-40.Sounded like it was pretty slow,I ended up w/51.When I left,there was only 1 shanty w/ 2 guys,they had 1.Made some new friends & had a good time.Fished 42 FOW,straight out from the creek.Most fish came 7-15' down.No big ,steady schools,& the Vex never did look like a Christmas tree.14th. smelt trip this year,not the biggest for #s,but it sure did feel good to be back on the north end.
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Any bites during daylight hours for smelt that is? I remember three years ago catchin 500ish early mornin to mid afternoon. That was nice
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Any bites during daylight hours for smelt that is? I remember three years ago catchin 500ish early mornin to mid afternoon. That was nice
That was a good day. Right around this time, Nat's Birthday. I could use a good stock pile.
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Not for me.I tried for them too.Didnt hear anyone mention catching them until dark.
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has the fire lane locked up yet?
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Just got back.....
North end has about 10 guys out on it.
The fire lane was 5" with snowmobl tracks on it.
Bbl con. had about 20 guys on it.
South bays had the usual spattering of people on it.
The yacht club had a lot of tracks going out, but I didnt see people.
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I have fished a couple of times in the morning for them. they would bite up to day light then just stop :( :(. Unlike Higgins later in the season were they would bite all day long ;D.
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I have fished a couple of times in the morning for them. they would bite up to day light then just stop :( :(. Unlike Higgins later in the season were they would bite all day long ;D.
2 years ago we killed them smelts all day. Just about this time.
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Sweetdad was that on the North launch or south bay? I was on the North launch both times. Thanks. I always wonder why Higgins and not Gull on the day bite.
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Sweetdad was that on the North launch or south bay? I was on the North launch both times. Thanks. I always wonder why Higgins and not Gull on the day bite.
North launch, February 2011, May be hard to believe but four of us fished all day pulled roughly 5-600 each NO BS.
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i was there and no bs we werent the only four who got em like that. buddy of mine was gettin em like that for a week straight before we finally decided to check for ourselves no bs
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i was there and no bs we werent the only four who got em like that. buddy of mine was gettin em like that for a week straight before we finally decided to check for ourselves no bs
That was a great day
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I tried the north side too. must of been to early or late i know it was in February 2011 we were there. Hope this year too, if ice holds up.
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I'll be out there this weekend, bite or not. I need my fix. Havent been out in two weeks.
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better take her easy on friday!!!!!
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better take her easy on friday!!!!!
I think I might skip the Friday evening beers so I dont feel like crap Saturday. How about you??????
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I think I might skip the Friday evening beers so I dont feel like crap Saturday. How about you??????
:'(
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liar youll b siitin right next to me swillin away
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I agree!
liar youll b siitin right next to me swillin away
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Sound like u might no him
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I've hung out with him once or twice.
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ahh now i know who u r. DUHHH!!!
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Just wondering if the rain had an impact on the ice around the ministires. by the way thanks for the reports last weekend.
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I will be out,Thurs. night on the north end.42FOW,straight out from the creek.Blk. Trophy jr. pop-up,+ a jet sled.Look me up.
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I will be out,Thurs. night on the north end.42FOW,straight out from the creek.Blk. Trophy jr. pop-up,+ a jet sled.Look me up.
Cant wait for your report. I'll be out there this weekend no matter, my stock pile of fish is depleated. Fat guy gotta eat..... A day bite would be great.
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Just got home,had to make it an early night,gotta work a 1/2 day tommorrow.Well what can I say,it was a beautiful night,made a couple more friends,fished w,/my oldest boy & 3 other friends,good food,plenty of ice,cold beer,(1),fishing...... well it was SLOW ! In our group of 8 guys(5 shantys),1 smelt was caught! This is the first time I can remember getting SKUNKED! Still had fun!Will be back out Friday afternoon trying for pike & trout,before the smelt bite.I was in 42' of H2o,straight out from the creek.There were guys out deeper,maybe 60' deep,dont know how they did.Everyone in the area we were in ,was not doing good.I did not have 1 school come through ,at any depth.Fished from 4:30 p.m. till 8:30 p.m.,stay tuned ,will report tommorrow night,hopefully with better results.
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How much ice did you have out on the north end?
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Ouch. ;)
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Now I would call that sloooooow
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There is probably 5-6" of ice.Be careful if you walk out, by the swimming area,there are a couple of soft spots right by shore.I am headed back out, in a while to try it again.Hope I dont get spanked 2 nights in arow !
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Well guess what? I aint been spanked this much or this hard since I was 5 yrs.old !And I am not the only one! Yes I will be out there tommorrow night,because I'm still havin fun!Dont know whats going on,but guys are not marking or catching fish.One more thing I need to vent about:If you do get lucky enough to get the fish one night; I'm talking about anywhere from 500-4,000 per person,( those are the #s I'm hearing),post a pic. so I can believe you.Had a guy tell me tonight,that last Fri. night,he caught over 700 in less than 2 hrs., he quit fishing because his 5 gal. bucket was full! I was out there ,seen how the bite was,& really wanted to call the guy a liar,but bit my tounge.Read Carefully: 700+ smelt,5 gal. bucket???????????????
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He must of been talking about bluegill, crappie, or something. 700 perch won't even fill a 5 gal. bucket half full. Unless maybe he filled the bucket half full of ice before putting the smelt in it... Just thought of something, maybe he was fishing a lake that has larger smelt in it.
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Somebody messed with my post from last night.I did not put those smiley faces in there! But since someone did,I have a really stupid question,& please do laugh. How do you put those in a post? I cant figure it out & have looked all over for info on how to do it. OK,go ahead & laugh,I can take it !
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Somebody messed with my post from last night.I did not put those smiley faces in there! But since someone did,I have a really stupid question,& please do laugh. How do you put those in a post? I cant figure it out & have looked all over for info on how to do it. OK,go ahead & laugh,I can take it !
If you use the quick reply theres no option for smily faces, etc. If you use the reply, the option is there and also a more that you click on! ;D :thumbsup: :clap:
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:flex: ;) :whistle:
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5 gallons is a couple fish over the limit. Maybe that has something to do with the low catch rates this year. ???
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Ove the years,I have learned,that when someone says something that ridiculous,not only are they probably lying,but they probably have no clue that there is a 2 gal. limit.I just sit & listen & act like I'm really impressed! :bow: :bow:
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Just got off the North end. The day bite is NOT happening yet. I think in about two weeks.
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Action is getting better. 67 smelt and 2 pike but had to leave early.I was about 200 yards west of the boat landing25-35 fow
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Straight out in 42' was NOT the place to be tonight if you wanted smelt.It was however the place to be if you wanted to enjoy good company.If you ever get the chance to fish w/ Mud-n-Fun,& his sons,you will have a great time.Thanks guys.Got a call from a friend who said that some were being caught on 2nd. bay tonight.2nd. hand info,I dont know how reliable it is.
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Action is getting better. 67 smelt and 2 pike but had to leave early.I was about 200 yards west of the boat landing25-35 fow
Were you fishing tonight,or was that for Friday night?Either way,sounds like you were on them .
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I think in order to get 700 smelt you need to be using a big hole with a cast net or at least 7guys fishing about 2' under ice ??? ::) just saying. I hope theirs enough ice left in 2 weeks to get them during the day.
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Straight out in 42' was NOT the place to be tonight if you wanted smelt.It was however the place to be if you wanted to enjoy good company.If you ever get the chance to fish w/ Mud-n-Fun,& his sons,you will have a great time.Thanks guys.Got a call from a friend who said that some were being caught on 2nd. bay tonight.2nd. hand info,I dont know how reliable it is.
When the bite is as slow as it was yesterday, people tend to chat more, met some great guys out there yesterday. Heard great storys, seen some awesome pictures. Did,nt catch many fish but still had a great day.
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When the bite is as slow as it was yesterday, people tend to chat more, met some great guys out there yesterday. Heard great storys, seen some awesome pictures. Did,nt catch many fish but still had a great day.
X2
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Are the fish there and just not biting? Heading that way Saturday, seeing how I have to work and wont be able to get to Higgins for the gattering. Only familiar with the south end of the lake second bay.
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Are the fish there and just not biting? Heading that way Saturday, seeing how I have to work and wont be able to get to Higgins for the gattering. Only familiar with the south end of the lake second bay.
I marked a few fish very tight to the bottom. I was their all day. I left at dark, I figured it was easier and more productive to go home and catch a pizza. I gotta think they will be in there soon. Probly staging at the firelane now, heading North.
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Somebody messed with my post from last night.I did not put those smiley faces in there! But since someone did,I have a really stupid question,& please do laugh. How do you put those in a post? I cant figure it out & have looked all over for info on how to do it. OK,go ahead & laugh,I can take it !
You put those in on your own. When you type three question marks in a row ? ? ?, without spacing in between, ??? The question smiley pops up. It's actually hypertext that activates itself. Same as if you type : ) (Without the space in between) The regular smiley pops up. :) @ ) = @) and so on.
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Ye
You put those in on your own. When you type three question marks in a row ? ? ?, without spacing in between, ??? The question smiley pops up. It's actually hypertext that activates itself. Same as if you type : ) (Without the space in between) The regular smiley pops up. :) @ ) = @) and so on.
s ,I did!Mud-n-Fun explained it to me last night on the ice.Sweetdad, thats what I seen the past 3 nights. Marked very few fish higher up ,near the ice
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Heading up there tomorrow. Trying to decide between second bay or north end. Anyone think one is more productive than the other?
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We gave it a shot this past saturday fished for a couple hours at dark with little success but the guy behind me with a long jigging rod and an underwater light big enough to blind ya..he was doing the best that i could see with a smelt every minute or two..id say he left with around 70
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We gave it a shot this past saturday fished for a couple hours at dark with little success but the guy behind me with a long jigging rod and an underwater light big enough to blind ya..he was doing the best that i could see with a smelt every minute or two..id say he left with around 70
North or South end ?
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Just got off the phone w/ a friend.He did terrible on 2nd. bay last night ,but said quite a few guys were doing pretty good.I'm guessing that "steelheader" was fishin on 2nd. bay. That guy has been doing quite well,& he was out there last night too.The light he is using is a 2400 lumens LED, it costs $150.00,too much for my pocket! I just got one at D&R sports last week-end for 50 bucks.Its an Aqua-star halogen w/ a green sleeve.600,000 candlepower.Yes,I have to drag my deepcycle battery out there,but it seems to light up a pretty good size area.Please keep in mind ,the info I got about 2nd. bay is from a good friend,I was not there. Phil
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How much snow came down last night?
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3-4 inches of super heavy wet snow
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Any reports on Gull lately? I was thinking about making my way to the north end tonight.
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I just talked to a friend& he said the north end is not safe. I am trying to find out if this is true. With all the wet snow we got yesterday,I wouldnt doubt it.Trying to get one of my sons to check it out,but that wont be until later this afternoon.I am headed for 2nd. bay tonight,I keep getting reports of some fish being caught,but dont know if I can trust the info.Going to find out first hand.I will post later tonight,after I get home.
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Highly doubt unsafe.... 5 inches on conference this morning along with 4 inches of watery slush... Kept 22 gills.. biggest a hair over 9 .. (http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/stevenmang85/IMAG0443_zps6a1c1225.jpg)
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Nice fish ! Yes I do have my doubts about the info on the north end.But I will find out for sure.Just passing on,what I was told,thats why I let ya know,it was 2nd. hand info.After the bad luck I had last week-end,I was planning on tryin 2nd. bay tonight anyways.BTW,if its an early night,you might see me out there on the conf. in the a.m. .
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When will you be out smeltbuster? You still planning on heading to the south ?
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5:30 p.m.,straight out from the salon access,west side of smeltville.
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Alright I think I'm still going to try the north end tonight. I'll report back later
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Stay safe friends and good luck!
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Ice was fine on the North end as long as you dont mind sitting in about 4" of water/slush. Found out today that my boots are not waterproof anymore and my feet were soaked within an hour of fishing so I packed up at 6. Caught a couple small gills and one 26" northern in about 3 hours. Only a hand full of guys going for smelt when I decided to leave. Sorry I dont have a report on how the smelt fishing is for tonight. Good luck guys and gals!
Icebreaker
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Hahaha... Yea found out the same thing.. hahah
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Ice was fine on the North end as long as you dont mind sitting in about 4" of water/slush. Found out today that my boots are not waterproof anymore and my feet were soaked within an hour of fishing so I packed up at 6. Caught a couple small gills and one 26" northern in about 3 hours. Only a hand full of guys going for smelt when I decided to leave. Sorry I dont have a report on how the smelt fishing is for tonight. Good luck guys and gals!
Icebreaker
Wet feet make for a short trip.
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Yes Icebreaker,same thing happened to my buddy last night!I'm giving him a pair of knee highs tonight,that I dont use anymore.As for 2nd. bay;lots of ice,slush & water.There was less than 20 people out there last night.The bite was slow for most.My buddy got 2 & the few guys I talked too,had less than a dozen.I managed to scratch out 36,& marked tons of fish,the later it got.After everyone left & I was the only one there,the Vex. lit up solid red,from 5' down,all the way to40' down.Couldnt see my jig,but I think most of the active fish were around 20'.The high fish wouldnt bite.As far as I know,one other guy did better than me,he was sitting on the ice,using that 2400 lumens green light.It was pretty disapointing seeing the Vex. solid red & the fish were not biting.I will be back out tonight,on 2nd. bay.I will be in my Trophy jr. pop-up,& probably north & west of the main group.
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Could anyone tell me how much ice there is by the North boat launch? And how the smelt fishing is there? Hate to drive there and end up on the south bay. PM me if you would like. Its been a few weeks since i have been down there. Thanks.
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5 inches of ice in most places. Smelt fishing has been slow from what ive heard. Yesterday there was about 4 inches of water and slush, but im guessing its going to be pretty froze up after these cooler temps at night.
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Fished 2nd. bay last night,the bite was slow.I ended up with 9.It sounded like it was slow for just about everyone,right before I left,I heard one guy say that him & his partner had about 25.I fished until 10:30 p.m.. The slush on top was freezing up nicely.I will be fishing the north end tonight,to try it.Sorry I havent been able to get any fish info for there this weekend.I did mark quite a few fish early,but they disappeared.There is 2 ways to get to the north end launch from G.R.; take M-37 south at 28th. st,to Hastings At the M-43 & M-37 junction,turn right & you will head south through Cloverdale & Delton,3-4 miles later,Gull will be on the left.If you come down 131,take the Plainwell exit for M-89 east.follow that through Plainwell;When you get to the stop light at the M-89& M-43 junction(Blackhawk restaurant will be on the se corner)turn left onto M-43.Drive about 4-5 min.,the launch will be on the right.Look for the green lighted sign that says"OPEN".Entry fee is $5.00.Sorry for such a long post,but Ive met a lot of guys that have had trouble finding out,how to get there.
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Thanks again for keeping us updated on ice conditions and how well the fish are biting. I sure wish the bite would pick up. Oh well, just one of those years. Not much better around here.......
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Thanks for info. I wish i knew how fishing was on north end. I guess make trip and find out. Hate to go to north and pay $5 and end up going to south bay :(. How much ice is on the South bay?
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2nd. bay has 5-7"; my 2 sons seen some guys on a quad this morning,near Hickory point(north part of the lake,east side). They also seen some guys out by the "hogsback" this morning.There were snowmobiles running on the lake,last weekend.I think the ice is fine,& the info I was given a couple of days ago was questionable,sorry bout that.Any of you come out tonight,look me up.
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Thanks Smeltbuster. We will be out there tonight. I will be in a Clam Big Foot. Gonna start on north end. Hope to see you out there :). Maybe we can change things and get them biting ;D ;D
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I just got some more 2nd. hand info:there were a LOT of shanties on the north end last night & it appeared they were in about 60-70' .There again,2nd. hand info.I do wish that some other people fishing Gull would give up some info from time to time ???.I have talked to lots of guys this year,on Gull,that say they read these posts.Come on share the info for the guys that drive from ,G.R.,Lansing,Detroit,Ind.,& farther.PLEASE ;) Phil
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Last night north end. Just cleaned 83 that i caught last night. Me and my buddies hammered them for about 2 hrs, then they shut down. As for bait use your imagination, had a few guys ask what we were using and had said that he hadn't caught any yet. Seems as if everytime I share what I'm using people look at me like "whatever" so I'm done. Happy fishing. Oh yeah these 2 guys were 20yds away. Lol
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Thank You :thumbsup: And welcome to the shanty.
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Off to good start, 2nd bay 48' vex is mark pretty solid all the way. 50 or so in first hour plus for two of us.
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Well we were out by the shanty town on north end. I too didn't know where to go when we got there . I'm use to fishing in front of creek in about 40' of water, no one was there when we got there :-\. We had a first timer with us. And you couldn't miss us we had 2 hotels set up ;D ;D. 4 of us must of left with well over a 100, not great but OK. I believe I saw your shanty Smeltbuster in front of creek I wanted to come and say hi but it was a long slick walk :'( :'( and with a new hip didn't want to take chance. Next time :).
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I was on the north last night. 72 fow and slayed the fish from 6 to 8pm then it died. Buddy and I ended our night with 100+ fish. Marked fish solid down to 40 ft and had tons of smelt about 10ft down that just wouldn't bite. I was the guy with really bright green light in a frabil flip.
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Icebreaker - I was out there last night as well. 2 of us might have got 25 total. We were almost straight across from you, you were easy to spot with your green light. Talked about coming over to find out what kind if light it was. It does one hell of a job lighting up the ice. Can you tell me what it is and where you got it.
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This is the light I bought, but I bought it at D & R sports in Kalamazoo for $109. I hope the link works
http://www.bluemarlinchronicles.com/alumiglo-superbrite-1200-green-fishing-light.htm?feed=Google&gdftrk=gdfV2475_a_7c563_a_7c7197_a_7c100_d_1200_d_G&gclid=CJ7doJCW4bUCFc0-MgodtFcAmg
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Two of us ended with 120 with most caught from 7-9 marked fish all night, after 9 we tried everything and had to work for what we caught. Marked solid fish all night.
That light is similar to one I bought this year, I got one from fishing lights they sell for $99 but offer some with minor flaws for $50 which is what I went with. I honestly cant see the flaw and the 3 trips this year using it has been great
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Thanks for the info icebreaker. Our light went out early, due to bad battery, sure that didn't help. We talked about moving over closer to you and your light. They were biting super lite for us. We have done well on Higgins and Crystal in the past. Much shorter drive to Gull, just haven't done very good there yet.
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OK,so I set up in the WRONG spot last night :(Went with my gut feeling & fished where I always do.42' of water,in front of the creek;I ended up w/16,my brother had 4.Did not mark too many fish either.I had a group of friends out in the deepwater & they did not do good at all.I did notice that almost everyone was off the lake by 11:00p.m.I am glad to hear that some of you guys got them.Makes the trip worth the effort! :thumbsup:
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Sounds like we had a Ice Shanty Gathering and we didn't even know it :o. I think next time I should holler out Sound off Ice shanty member ;D. Yeah you couldn't miss that Green glow under the Ice and we were 100 yards away. Look me up next time I have the Clam big foot. We even did Venison on the Ice ;D.
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Sounds like we had a Ice Shanty Gathering and we didn't even know it :o. I think next time I should holler out Sound off Ice shanty member ;D. Yeah you couldn't miss that Green glow under the Ice and we were 100 yards away. Look me up next time I have the Clam big foot. We even did Venison on the Ice ;D.
I've thought about doing the same thing!I did see where you were at.Funny that you did venison;we were eating an early St.Pattys day dinner,of boiled cabbage,taters,carrotts & homemade corned venison.At least the food was good.BTW,I met a fellow shanty member,Fri.night,I dont remember your username,but Nick it was a pleasure to meet you.Smeltman,I really like that shoutout idea,good one :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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I fished crystal lake last weekend and between 3 guys we caught over 400 BIG smelt. The fish on gull were biting very lite for me as we'll Saturday. I missed my fair share of fish that night. Ill be heading back to crystal lake this Thursday night. The green light seems to make all the difference in my smelt fishing experience, but have had nights where the light just didn't matter. The nice thing about the green light I just bought is the fact that I can use a vex battery and the light will stay bright 8+ hour. Good luck fishing everyone it's great to get good information from a good group of people.
Icebreaker
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Caught 43 last night on the south end between the two of us. Left at 9.
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icebreaker --- where did you fish on Crystal? I'm thinking about heading either to Crystal or Higgins this weekend with my 10 year old?
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Well it took me a couple of years to finally agree that the green light is the key. I usually wouldn't have a problem getting a fair amount before, but this year has been tough. Next year I'll have one bright enough to land aircraft. Can't fit it in the budget this year because we're going to Lake of the Woods, Minn. this weekend. One more item off the Bucket List. Hopefully there will be ice when we come back next week. So good smelting to all of you while the season lasts.
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Well it took me a couple of years to finally agree that the green light is the key. I usually wouldn't have a problem getting a fair amount before, but this year has been tough. Next year I'll have one bright enough to land aircraft. Can't fit it in the budget this year because we're going to Lake of the Woods, Minn. this weekend. One more item off the Bucket List. Hopefully there will be ice when we come back next week. So good smelting to all of you while the season lasts.
This year has been real tough for some of us ! I bought an Aquastar light at D&R Sports ,a couple of weeks ago,I have only had 1 decent night of fishing since then. I always seemed to do good w/out a light,but this year has been tough for me.Nick, is that your post?? Anyway ,good luck up in Minn. . 2 quads & a Polaris Ranger on the north end tonight,parking lot had about 15 cars/trucks ,& some guys out in that 70' water band.My son was giving me an update from the boat launch,so I could let you guys know whats going on.Tryin to get them to do this ,but they are too busy !
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Hey Smeltbuster, yes this is Nick. I'm fishing Sherman this afternoon. If I go smelting it will probably be Wednesday night at the 2nd Bay. It's closer to my house.
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Going to hit it Thurs. night,dont know where right now,but I'm sure it will be in the wrong spot :woot: :woot: :woot:
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Going to hit it Thurs. night,dont know where right now,but I'm sure it will be in the wrong spot :woot: :woot: :woot:
Then you'll see me there. I've done terrible this year. This Saturday has to be the one to turn it around.
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Come on Sweetdad & Smeltbuster i know you guys are better then this :o :o. Saturday night i have never seen the vex. lit up so much. My buddy agreed and he fishes Higgins. Has anyone heard if they are biting during the day yet?
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Green Gulp alive.
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How sloppy do you think it will be Saturday with this bit of a warm up. I see mid 30's / low 40's during the day the rest of the week, back down in the 20's at nite. Mid 40's for Saturday. Dont get me wrong I will be out, but should I wear boots or waders.
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Sandals! ;D
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Just be sure you have your creepers it will be like walking on glass
How sloppy do you think it will be Saturday with this bit of a warm up. I see mid 30's / low 40's during the day the rest of the week, back down in the 20's at nite. Mid 40's for Saturday. Dont get me wrong I will be out, but should I wear boots or waders.
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Green Gulp alive.
Thanks,I wondered ,I didnt use my imagination enough ! I will post a fish /ice/slush report tommorrow night when I get home ,or early Friday morning.Smeltman,its been tough & kind of embarassing this year!I hope it turns around.Like I have said before: I marked tons of clouds of smelt last summer,while trolling,thought it was going to be an awesome year.The fish are there,just cant get right program going.Gettin payed back for all the pike I caught last summer !
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Just be sure you have your creepers it will be like walking on glass
The last time I was on the 2nd South bay, there was 4" of water on top of 3" of ice, it had just gott'n safe, and I seen a dude slip, both feet straight up in the air, flat on his back. That's a long, cold, wet walk to the parking lot from out there. He was laughing at himself so I assume he was ok.
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The last time I was on the 2nd South bay, there was 4" of water on top of 3" of ice, it had just gott'n safe, and I seen a dude slip, both feet straight up in the air, flat on his back. That's a long, cold, wet walk to the parking lot from out there. He was laughing at himself so I assume he was ok.
Been there,done that, figured if I laughed,it would drown out the sound of others laughing at me ;D ;D ;D.Gonna be on the north end tonight;I think I just might steal Smeltmans idea & do an Ice Shanty call-out.Heck, those of us that fish out there,have probably talked before; we might as well meet, instead of just being a name on a PC. Phil
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Yeah, I've talked to plenty of guys out there, and read stuff on here that I seen or heard happening around me out there. I thought about getting a Shanty mafia flag and patch to show
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Hey guys, Just wondering how deep water anyone getting smelt at, how thick ice is, north or south ?and how many smelt your averaging. would like to get some melt in freezer before the big thaw, would like to have one last weekend of fishing with the kids and Ill be driving an hour so any info will be very helpful . thanks in advanced.
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48' south end has been fairly productive, been marking alot but only on the feed for short time then spotty
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North end about 80' of water. You have maybe a 2 hour window to catch them in. Then slows down. That was last week Sat. Not sure now ???. Ice is about 7".
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I finally got some fish last night! 108,in 50 FOW. 3 other guys fishing by me, had about 50 between them. Most of mine came 20-25' down.Did not mark too many high fish.Guys in that 70' band did pretty good too,talked to one guy who said they had about 250(I dont know how many guys).Bring your ice cleats,its slick! Be careful not to get too close to the creek,its opening up.The bite started at dark.I will be out there tonight ,look me up,I will probably be there around 5:30 p.m., gotta go clean some fish,finally ;D ;D ;D
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Might be our last weekend I heard 51 and rain for Sunday, that is not going to help the ice.
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I finally got some fish last night! 108,in 50 FOW. 3 other guys fishing by me, had about 50 between them. Most of mine came 20-25' down.Did not mark too many high fish.Guys in that 70' band did pretty good too,talked to one guy who said they had about 250(I dont know how many guys).Bring your ice cleats,its slick! Be careful not to get too close to the creek,its opening up.The bite started at dark.I will be out there tonight ,look me up,I will probably be there around 5:30 p.m., gotta go clean some fish,finally ;D ;D ;D
Thats the report I've been waiting for. Thanx SB
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Headed down there tommarow. Going to hit the ice around 7. Sure is a nice change from Dec. When it was getting dark at just after 5. Kind of kicks you in the ass the next day. Gets late fast. There will be 8 of us. Look for a otter shack (snow camo blue) and stop by for a beer.
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Last night was horrible. Fish were biting for about 20 min. Ended up with 27. Lot of frusterated people at lanch when i was leaving. We had firework show though. Thankyou for making my night. Lol. North end 75fow.
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Last night was slower than Thurs. night,I ended up with 51 & one guy fishing next to me had 30,3 other guys that set up with us had about 15 between them.Marked very few fish.Fished in about 50 FOW.My shanty was the closest one to shore.The fireworks was a nice distraction,& I got to meet 2 more Shanty members.Smeltman how did you do? I will be out again tonight.
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We had a decent night on Gull Last night. We fished until about 10:00, 3 of us iced around 175 smelt. We were fishing in 75ft of water and the vex was full of fish starting about 15ft below the ice. Lots of biting fish when we left also. Here is a few pics from last night.
Trying to find the smelt at dusk trying to figure out where we want to set up for the evening.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull_zpseb0c7232.jpg)
The Vex is full of fish.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull-3_zpse840e0ca.jpg)
The action is getting good.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull-4_zpsa2667040.jpg)
The evenings catch.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull-1_zps2bb30644.jpg)
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Just wondering if anyone found a nice metal Jiffy skimmer on the walk in last night.I left around midnight.It is not in my sled now.
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I,ll be out tonite. I,ve gotta get a bag in the freezer. Soundz like the bite is later in the evening. Look for me about 3-4 this afternoon, I,ll be there till late. I can sit on the couch or the ice. The bite is very slow from the couch.
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We had a decent night on Gull Last night. We fished until about 10:00, 3 of us iced around 175 smelt. We were fishing in 75ft of water and the vex was full of fish starting about 15ft below the ice. Lots of biting fish when we left also. Here is a few pics from last night.
Trying to find the smelt at dusk trying to figure out where we want to set up for the evening.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull_zpseb0c7232.jpg)
The Vex is full of fish.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull-3_zpse840e0ca.jpg)
The action is getting good.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull-4_zpsa2667040.jpg)
The evenings catch.
(http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp113/dbretes/3-8-13SmeltonGull-1_zps2bb30644.jpg)
Nice mess of smelt. Glad to see you had some action.
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Was there standing water on the ice last nite?
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No,just a bit of thin slush & that froze up after dark.Probably the same thing tonight,bring your cleats !
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No,just a bit of thin slush & that froze up after dark.Probably the same thing tonight,bring your cleats !
Cleats for sure.
Last weather check.... Lows in the mid 30's, winds SE 10-15, 60% rain about 8.
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Last night was horrible :( :( :(worst night i had this year :'(. Marked very few fish until after 10 then vex lit up like a Christmas tree. for about an hour the bite was on :), before 10 pm we had 7, when we left we had 40. Sounds like you did pretty good dgb i wish we could of found them like you. Most guys i talked to did poorly. It was really nice to meet you Smeltbuster :) :), next time we will have to fish closer together, that was a cool rig ;D ;D but would i would have lots of trouble with it. Maybe out Sunday will have to see what the weather will bring.
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(http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z408/sweetdad040/2013-03-10_00-01-05_57.jpg)
My top 10 of 30 for the nite.
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My report.
I hit the North end about 4 to set set up and settle in.
4" of hard pack, on 4" of clear, with a 1/4" skim of slush.
I was in 60fow, sitt,n alone between the 40 footers and the 70 footers. I never marked o fish till 8:00 then the bite was slow but steady till I left with 30 at 11:00, and they were still marking and biting.
I did carch my personal best, most times 4-6 inch smelt is my norm. but I got afew close to 7 last nite.
I hope theres one more weekend left.
I talked with guys coming off the deep water with reports of 20 to 100.
I talked with guys on the shallow water when I came off with reports of 2 to 50.
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I ended the night with 58,fishing in the same holes I used Thurs. & Fri. nights.50 ft. of water.Almost all of my fish came30'-40' down.And yes Sweetdad ,them are some nice size smelt.The past 2 nights I have been getting some big females.The size is getting very close to what they used to be ,back in the 70s' & early 80s'.Smeltman ,I'm glad I got to meet you finally;also met some others that are on here from time to time. Sweetdad, I think we walked off the at the same time!Even though the fishing hasnt been all that great this year,for me,I have met a lot of nice people because of this thread.That has made my season turn out to be a good one :) :) :) Phil
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I ended the night with 58,fishing in the same holes I used Thurs. & Fri. nights.50 ft. of water.Almost all of my fish came30'-40' down.And yes Sweetdad ,them are some nice size smelt.The past 2 nights I have been getting some big females.The size is getting very close to what they used to be ,back in the 70s' & early 80s'.Smeltman ,I'm glad I got to meet you finally;also met some others that are on here from time to time. Sweetdad, I think we walked off the at the same time!Even though the fishing hasnt been all that great this year,for me,I have met a lot of nice people because of this thread.That has made my season turn out to be a good one :) :) :) Phil
I believe we did walk off together. I remember a guy say,n he had 58, good to kinda meet ya, lol.
I talked to a guy that was coming off the deep water that mentioned The Shanty, camo suit maybe a graying beard. Said he had 100 +/-. Didnt get a name from him.
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(http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k600/wmu1989/100_0564.jpg) My buddy and I ended up with 131 in about 2 hours Sat. night. Fished the north end in 68 fow. Flasher was lit up lick a christmas tree all night
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We caught a couple of smelt that were 9'' on friday they looked like trout instead of smelt :o. We let them go, good spawners :) rather eat the smaller ones. I doubt I will be able to get out again :'( :'( :'( we will see. All in all a pretty good year :) ;D :).
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I'm pretty sure were done with hardwater smelt on Gull. :(But, my sons & I, will check the ice conditions on the north end & 2nd. bay the next few days.I will post what we find.Hoping to get on 2nd. bay Thurs. night,but I got a gut feeling it aint gonna happen!Gettin the pontoon uncovered & in the barn Tues. afternoon,if I cant get on 2nd. bay,& the north end is open,there will be some idiot out there,Thurs. night! Keep ya posted on ice conditions, thats what I do :)
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I'm pretty sure were done with hardwater smelt on Gull. :(But, my sons & I, will check the ice conditions on the north end & 2nd. bay the next few days.I will post what we find.Hoping to get on 2nd. bay Thurs. night,but I got a gut feeling it aint gonna happen!Gettin the pontoon uncovered & in the barn Tues. afternoon,if I cant get on 2nd. bay,& the north end is open,there will be some idiot out there,Thurs. night! :icefish:Keep ya posted on ice conditions, thats what I do :)
I was really hoping for one more weekend. Finger crossed.
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One more weekend...
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Thanks for the honest repot guys good job. Have a great summer.
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Thanks for the honest repot guys good job. Have a great summer.
Probably the best thread all season
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Probably the best thread all season
7,256 reads & 9 pages as of now;People drive 2 hrs. to fish here,some spend a couple of days. Sad to say,NO local bait shops,with good info.Gull lake is a GEM ,& for those of us that live close to it, we better realize just how blessed we are :), if time permits,I will check the ice tommorrow,after work. I still have all my stuff in my SUV.The "toon" is ready to go,but I want to sit on the hardwater some more. Keep ya posted.
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Sad to say,NO local bait shops,with good info
Sounds like a good place to open one up.
7,256 reads & 9 pages as of now;People drive 2 hrs. to fish here,some spend a couple of days. Sad to say,NO local bait shops,with good info.Gull lake is a GEM ,& for those of us that live close to it, we better realize just how blessed we are :), if time permits,I will check the ice tommorrow,after work. I still have all my stuff in my SUV.The "toon" is ready to go,but I want to sit on the hardwater some more. Keep ya posted.
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Doesn't look like I'll make it down Smeltbuster...I appreciate the thread...always checked it a few times a day.
Looking forward to meeting a few of you guys on gull one day.
Cam
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Sad to say,NO local bait shops,with good info
Sounds like a good place to open one up.
Wish I could,but I dont think I would make enough money to make the wife happy :nono:,Maybe when I retire :),As for the ice:I drove around 2nd.& south bay about 4;30 p.m.,no one was out there.My son seen one guy fishing on the north end last night,& he is going to check again tonight,on his way home from wings at Players in Augusta(excellent wings,& waitresses)!Gonna try & fish tommorow night,but that may get cancelled ,my mom may have to have a heart valve replacement tommorrow,she's in Borgess now & doing quite well actually.When I left today,she told me to go fishing; one less kid bothering her! Any ways keep ya posted on the ice & maybe the fish.
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Hope your mom's doing well and you get to go fishing.
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In the last hour or so: talked to my mom,talked to my boss,talked to my mom again!Not working Thurs.,bringing her home from Borgess in the a.m., (heart valve replacement in a week or 2) goin fishin tommorrow night.Working extra long hours next week.Full ice/fish report for the north end late Thurs. ,or early Fri......yee haw ;D ;D ;D
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Just drove by 2nd. bay awhile ago.There are quite a few tracks going out to smeltville,so some guys did fish it last night.Didnt check the ice.There was 1 guy fishing on southbay .that was about an hour ago.gonna try the north end tonight.
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Just drove by 2nd. bay awhile ago.There are quite a few tracks going out to smeltville,so some guys did fish it last night.Didnt check the ice.There was 1 guy fishing on southbay .that was about an hour ago.gonna try the north end tonight.
Good luck, and take a buddy. High 20's with a 7 MPH SW wind. Tonite
After never getting above freezing all day yesterday or last nite I think it will be OK.
However the forcasted warm up tmrw, along with the predicted rain and snow, will not help things for this weekend. Our only hope is the nite time lows in the 20's.
5-10 MPH winds out of the NE Friday and Saturday, should be decent weather if we can get on :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\.
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Buddy fishing out from the conference say 7" still. That a few minutes ago.
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Correct... Still plenty of ice out there....
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Correct... Still plenty of ice out there....
North end?
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My fishin buddy checked the north end this afternoon & said it was bad.We fished 2nd. bay tonight with 3 other guys.One guy had about 30,the rest of us around 20 each,I had 18.Ice is fine on 2nd.bay.Marked tons of fish tonight but they wouldnt bite,The vex was red from 15' down,all the way to bottom(62'),for most of the night.I will try to check the north end early in the a.m.,& let you know what I find.There have been a few guys out there earlier in the week. Headed to G.R. in the a.m. to check out the "Titanic exhibit",my son & me are thinkin about leaving the wife & future daughter -in -law there,& go hit some sporting goods shops ;D
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The ice on the north end is fine. I walked out about 150 yds., no problems,probably 5-7".Guys have been fishing it, plenty of tracks going out.I will be out there tonight,probably in the 40-50' depths.
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Told ya... ;
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Yes you did! Sorry.There is 1 guy out there right now.On my way home from G.R.,had to check.Be out there about 6:30-6:45.
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Well, last night was my 23rd. smelt trip for the year,& it was pretty good.I fished the north end in about 50' of water.I ended the night with 131 of the tasty little buggers.2 of my friends had 110 between them. I will say I fished later than planned & someone was not very happy with me when I walked in the door at 2:00 a.m. :%$#!:,seems my phone battery died & she got worried.As for the ice: it is ok for now,but it is going to get tough to get on the north end real soon.The creek is opening up the launch area,& the shore ice is starting to go out;also walked across about a 4" pressure crack in 45' of water.I think that we may only have a couple of days left,I hope I'm wrong.The ice on the lake is still good,its just the shore thats the problem.Gonna try to go again tonight, but I dont know;if mama aint happy,its not too fun around here !
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One more night then maybe
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Will be out tonight in my shappell fx100. Hope to do as well as you did last night. What time did they turn on?
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One last whoraa. Me and my green chair will be out tonite
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Will be out tonight in my shappell fx100. Hope to do as well as you did last night. What time did they turn on?
They bit steady on bottom all night for my 2 friends.I never caught a fish till almost 9:00p.m.,after that it was pretty steady,anywhere from 15' -40' down. Yes I will be out there,probably around 6:30 p.m.,Guys were still doin pretty good in that 70' water also.
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Horrible. Walked off at 11:00 with 6 smelt. Everybody in our group was Shanty folk, good meeting all of you. Slow nite for everyone.
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Worst night ever . I Had 12. Lol. What a crazy year. Were you the guys in shallow?
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Worst night ever . I Had 12. Lol. What a crazy year. Were you the guys in shallow?
50-55 fow
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Gave up at 11:00. Ended up with 25. Nice meeting you guys last night.
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It was a SLOW night of fishing,but it was pretty cool to have 4 other guys from the Shanty in our group,It was great to finally meet you guys.I ended up w/ 35.We were in 51'-55' of water.BTW,the ice is still fine,just stay away from the creek.
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I,m seeing cold temps for the majority of next week, could we get in another weekend?
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I ended w/24 slow night!!! Even slower for others ::) ::) ::) NICE meetin the other shanty members though. Good to put a face with a screen name
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Gave up at 11:00. Ended up with 25. Nice meeting you guys last night.
Where did you say you got that carbon fiber, in line reel?
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Last night 32 of my 35 were males,the night before,most were males.I am wondering if the females are going into spawning mode & slowing down on feeding.Their eggs are getting really runny & they will be spawning soon.Also,we usually dont get to fish the north end this late in the season,just a thought.
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Last night 32 of my 35 were males,the night before,most were males.I am wondering if the females are going into spawning mode & slowing down on feeding.Their eggs are getting really runny & they will be spawning soon.Also,we usually dont get to fish the north end this late in the season,just a thought.
The second weekend of March 2011, me a four buddys were out there during the day and got 400-600 each. That whole week was crazy. No BS.
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That would be a day to remember for sure..
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Anyone fish the bible conference this am?
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The second weekend of March 2011, me a four buddys were out there during the day and got 400-600 each. That whole week was crazy. No BS.
I believe you;what I cant figure out is why I did good Fri. night,& then last night not so good,if it wasnt for the company,it would have been boring :) I wish I could hit that day bite just once,I know they are there,just tryin to figure out why its been so inconsistent this year& why all of a sudden my male to female catch ratio has changed so much ???.Anyway, lets just hope for 1 more weekend of fishing,after all ,thats whats important :icefish:
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Is anyone out right now? Markinl smelt yet?
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Wind from the east fishing the least! >: Don't feel bad I had same report where I was at this weekend.
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Look'n at the foercast, after today, COLD, till Friday, then only high 30's/low40's, still below 30 at nite. I think we got one more weekend left.
Primetime, you better get off those bluegill/crappie honey holes you got and hit Gull one time this year, I know its a long haul for you.
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That is a long haul. Dont no if its worth it honestly!!!
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Caught 8 smelt last night from 7-10... Fish didn't come in till about 9... And they weren't really biting......... I was over by the country club...
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That is a long haul. Dont no if its worth it honestly!!!
Yeah if its any thing like last Saturday, its not worth the 20 miles it is for me, let alone you.
But the nite I dont go, that will be the nite they are jumping out of the hole.
The nite before we went, they killed them. Maybe Smeltbuster caught them all Friday nite ;D ;D ;D ;D.
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The long drive there don't bother me it's the long drive home I'm worried about. ;D ;D ;D
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The long drive there don't bother me it's the long drive home I'm worried about. ;D ;D ;D
I avoid drinking beerz. I had to stop in the road going through Delton Saturday nite cuz there was deer in the road, suckers didnt want to move, just stood there. Then about halfway between Delton and Hastings there has a group of 5-6 on the side a few feet from the road. I didnt have my gear real secure in the back of the jeep so it made a pretty good racket as it "settled in".
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(http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z408/sweetdad040/Week_forcast.png)
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Hey Sweetdad,I noticed Sat. night you had a 2 litre of water;good idea! I always bring 2 24oz. tall boys ,but only drink 1,sometimes it lasts all night(like Fri.)! When its gone I start drinking tea,or sugar free lemonade,or cheap,rock gut whiskey in my flask!Pretty sure we got 1 more weekend left,I just need to decide if its worth the 18 min. drive to the north end ;D Actually,I need to decide if I want to tell the wife I was wrong, & theres 1 more weekend left ??? ;D ??? ;D,what the heck,I'll tell her, spent all day yesterday goin through antique shops ,lookin for china,
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I avoid drinking beerz. I had to stop in the road going through Delton Saturday nite cuz there was deer in the road, suckers didnt want to move, just stood there. Then about halfway between Delton and Hastings there has a group of 5-6 on the side a few feet from the road. I didnt have my gear real secure in the back of the jeep so it made a pretty good racket as it "settled in".
What about the jager?
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Usually I,m hungover from Friday. Waters about all I can handle.
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I've been doing a little researce trying to figure the little buggers out. Some reports say that spawning smelt dont feed. I'm also getting conflicting reports the bright lites may push smelt deep, away from the light, but they only register white lite, such as sunlite. Maybe my lite is too bright. I'll keep looking and what else I can dig up.
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Think about that guy on 2nd. bay,he's got the same light you do,& he always hammers them!From what I seen,you are setting up the same way.BTW,that is a sweet light!Its either the weather,spawning,moon phase,east wind,how were holdin our mouths,or something else we cant figure out !I think I need to start holdin my mouth differnt ;D (practicing now for Thurs. night !) :P I forgot to add this: 2 yrs. ago when they came in to the creek,I was out there 1 morning before daylight;the launch area was solid smelt;I had an ice pole w/ me & was standing in about 12" of water,could not get even 1 to bite,they were so thick,I could have dipped them w/ my hat! No,I did not do it !
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So maybe its the spawn and feeding patterns. Could be moon phase too, they are nocternal.
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Im mad that I went to my parents house two weekends ago in Hart Michigan and decided that ice fishing was all done for the year. Now I sit here in my apartment in Kalamazoo and im kicking myself in the butt for leaving all my gear at my parents place. Ill be heading back home this weekend and I might grab a few items just in case there's ice for the rest of the month. I could be putting more fish in the freezer right now!
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If you want to fish this weekend ,I can spare a rod or 2 & a lantern. Do you want 1 rod w/12-15 hooks,or 2 rods each w/3 hooks ?I will be on the north end. PM me if interested.This is for Icebreaker, I dont need a hundred pm's for equipment!
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If you want to fish this weekend ,I can spare a rod or 2 & a lantern. Do you want 1 rod w/12-15 hooks,or 2 rods each w/3 hooks ?I will be on the north end. PM me if interested.This is for Icebreaker, I dont need a hundred pm's for equipment!
Bahaha, good save. Start calling you Cabela.
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Usually I,m hungover from Friday. Waters about all I can handle.
I can relate to that. The kids B-ball tourneys are over so I may be able to make it up let me know if your going.
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Bahaha, good save. Start calling you Cabela.
If you could only see my barn & my basement ;D,The barn looks more like Knutsons waterfowl,& icefishing areas, My basement shop looks like I cleaned out Schanz' in Plainwell,& my yard is starting to resemble a boatyard, forget about the lantern collection,& I am trying to downsize !
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Smeltbuster,
I've been out there a couple of times and haven't done very good,
hope to be back out Friday night, how deep are you fishing?
How is the ice?
Thanks,Dave
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I've been fishing in 50' of water, on the north end,thats where I will be Thurs. night.The ice was fine this past weekend & I figure it will be good this week end.Looking back over my 24 trips this year,I have not done real good,but I have had a blast ;D When the fish dont bite,you have to make the best of it.Granted,I do not have to drive the distance that most of you do,but every trip is special.When your out there,look me up;I have a black pop-up that says Trophy jr. on the side,I also park my Jet sled behind my hole w/ a metal reflector propped up on it(I fish out the end of the shanty).Anyone is welcome to fish w/ me,but I have 2 rules & I am NOT afraid to tell you what they are;Dont be a foul mouthed jerk& if you absolutely cant go a few hrs without smoking grass,dont let me smell it,I cant stand the smell !
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Thanks for the info all season. I'm new this year to smelt fishing on gull, typically fish gills through the ice on Barry County lakes. Got a few when we've been out. Hoping to get out again this weekend! (hopefully Friday)
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Thanks for the info all season. I'm new this year to smelt fishing on gull, typically fish gills through the ice on Barry County lakes. Got a few when we've been out. Hoping to get out again this weekend! (hopefully Friday)
Welcome to the shanty& hope to meet ya out on the hardwater.this is a good place to be if you cant go fishin.
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Last night,north end:fished 50' of water,caught 43,probably missed another 20.A total of 5 shantys out there,& 1 guy sittin on the ice,he had 103(the guy that fishes 2nd. bay w/ a 24 lumens,LED light).Talked to the other guys,2guys by me had about 60 between them,3 other guys out in 55' had about 50 each,my buddy had 14,sittin right next to me.Didnt mark alot of fish,no bites before dark.The ice at the launch is ok,but there are some spots that are getting thinned by the creek current.If we get any warm weather,that will be the end of this deal,please be careful. I'll be out there tonight,probably in about 55-60 ' of water.
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Fri. nite fish report:fished 55' of water, ended up w/ 142 pieces of finger food ;D ,my buddy,who usually doesnt do too good, had 98(used one of my poles),5 other guys fishing w/ me all had around 100 when I left.Guys out deep all said they did good,2 guys in the parking lot said they had 540 between them ???. Marked & caught fish,from top to bottom; had 4 triples & several doubles.The shore ice is still fine & it was even making ice last night :)3 things I am convinced of,a green light is a huge help,fine wire hooks#10 or smaller, helps w/ less lost fish( no more ice jigs on my smelt rods),& these fish are unpredictable this year.Trip # 27 for the year begins about 6:30 p.m.,tonight :),whooda thunk we'd be fishin this late in March :thumbsup: Maybe next week too.Keep ya posted on the ice conditions this next week.
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Unfortunately I couldn't afford to make the trip down this weekend, and with temps near, then in the 40's all next week I'm afraid that may have been my last chance. I'm taking my ice gear out of the jeep today and making room for the wet water gear. Looks like if I want a good smelt fry I'll be making a trip to the store.
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Last night in 55' of water,it was pretty slow compared to Fri. night.I ended up w/39 & most others in that area did just about the same,give or take a few.Some of the guys out in the 70' area did pretty good.I talked w/ 1 guy who had 230(I seen the fish).My suggestion for tonight would be go out that way.We marked very few fish compared to Fri..Made some more friends last night, from the Shanty,& I had my 1st. ever quadruple on smelt,now if I can just fill up those other 8 hooks ;D
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Heading out tonight for one last try. Anybody else going to be out there??
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Fished the north end tonight. Fished in 70 FOW and marked fish everywhere. Everyone seemed to be doing pretty well. I ended with 50. Some others definitely had more. Plenty of ice still at 5"-6" and shoreline was just fine.
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I'm going to try to get one of my sons to check the ice Wed.,if not ,I will check it Thurs. on my way home from work,& if possible,be out there Thurs. night.Glad to hear you at least got enough for a meal ,gillgetter :)
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Just checked the ice on the north end.It appears to be somewhat,kinda, maybe OK !The shore ice is gettin busted up & it wont take much to make it hard to get out.If I can get someone to go w/ me tonight,I'm gonna give it a shot,I walked out about 50 yds. & the ice was fine,looks like someone fished last night,& my sons seen some guys out there Tues. night.I will let ya know what I find.
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Two of us went out Tuesday night fished from 9-1 and got 147. Bite was slow compared to Saturday night but still not terrible.
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Just checked the ice on the north end.It appears to be somewhat,kinda, maybe OK !The shore ice is gettin busted up & it wont take much to make it hard to get out.If I can get someone to go w/ me tonight,I'm gonna give it a shot,I walked out about 50 yds. & the ice was fine,looks like someone fished last night,& my sons seen some guys out there Tues. night.I will let ya know what I find.
Good luck SB and be safe.
I've taken the ice gear out of the jeep for the year. Time for some casting gear in there to fill the void. Hopefully better luck for me next year. I'll keep checking the other sites for warmer weather reports.
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I heard on the scanner (I'm a firefighter) that a guy fell through off the bible conference today. Be careful out there. We fished Monday night and did really well, but I'm done for the year.
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Last night I fished in about 70' of water,& ended up w/165 smeltzillas. Looks like what very well may have been my last trip,turned out to be my best of the year ;D.Fish were from top to bottom & bit quite well;I even did some sight fishing,but its kinda hard to do w/ a long rod & a hook string thats over 7' long!The lake ice WAS fine,but the shore ice is gettin busted up real bad.No telling what will happen w/ todays temps.If I go tonight(&that is a BIG if),I will be wearing hip boots to get on the ice.If anyone goes out ,please use extreme caution & do not go out alone.With ice conditions deteriorating so quickly,the end is near :( :( :(
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I want to start this post by thanking Smelt Buster for all the invaluable info this year. It was mentioned before on this thread, but like many of you my time and money is limited so I appreciate having some idea what I'm getting into before making long drives chasing fish. The smelt fishery on Gull is very sustainable and a great opportunity for kids, rookies, girlfriends... to experience the cultic sport of ice fishing. I know we all have our secret honey holes we like to keep quiet about, but there is plenty of opportunity on Gull for more smelt fishing. Guys like Smelt Buster are what the cooperative spirit and brotherhood of ice fishing is all about. Thanks a million.
Last night, my cousin and I ended up with ~300 from 8:30-12. When we left, the bite was slower, but we were still hooking fish deeper. Also hooked a massive Northern that crushed my smelt on the way up to the hole. 2lb test vs 12lb Northern is a predictable outcome. The last ice bite was hot and my guess is it will be just as good tonight. We were in 70' of water right off the launch on the north end. Fish showed up about 8:45 and stayed all night, top to bottom. Big fan of green lights. The shore ice at the launch is breaking up but 50 yards west by the beach it was still good. Main lake ice was still in good shape. That being said, keep your wits about you and buddy up. It's getting into the final days. Good luck and be safe.
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Agreed. The info all year has been much appreciated! Does anyone on here fish for them from boats after last ice?
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Thank you for the kind words,just tryin to help everyone have a good time.Back in 2005, my wife & 2 sons went to Alaska,& we fished the Kenai river for (reds) sockeyes. Didnt do to good for a few days.One evening ,a guy fishing for kings hooked a monster king,I offered to net it for him & did so successfully! A hen, over 50 pounds,& he released it :woot:!After talking w/ him,he showed me what we were doing wrong for the reds.We started catching fish!I decided then, that I would try to help people w/ fishing,whenever I could."Payin it Forward :)".I must say,that the Shanty has made this year,the most memorable year I have ever had in ice fishing.I have met so many nice people out on Gull,it is unbelievable.To all of you,I say Thank You :)Also thanks for using the garbage can,I put ,where you walk on;The ice is almost spotless this year :)28 smelt trips this year & maybe 29, I dont know about tonight,just yet!What a season :)Fishwhistler, I think you were fishing right by me last night,I was the guy fishing out the end of my pop-up(the guy w/ all those hooks on his rod),I had the green light,& I was right behind those 2 old boys in the blue wind break.I couldnt see,but I heard someone say they had a pike on.Anyways,If I go tonight,I will post here tommorrow.
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Good luck if you guys make it out tonight. I would make the trip down there but my wifes patience are wearing very thin since i have been using the excuse "one last time" for a couple weeks now... and I suppose I should spend some time at home since its her birthday and all.. ;)
I did enjoy meeting and fishing with you guys this season.
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Dave,it was great gettin to fish w/ ya;wish you could have been there last night!My wifes patience is also getting very thin,almost thinner than her waist,& thats thin ;D. Spent the morning working in the yard,hopefully thats enough to make up for, "I promise,tonight is the last night".
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Well, this will be my final ice report for this season. Its done :'( Tried getting on the north end & 2nd bay tonight.Both places,my spud went thru w/ 1 whack.On the north end,my brother & me made it out about 75' in front of the beach & decided we didnt want to go swimming,especially while wearing waders,to get past the broken shore ice.2nd. bay ,I went 15' from the dock,same story.It is too unsafe & not worth the risk.I am planning on trying the north end on my pontoon next weekend if it is opened up enough.Never fished smelt from a boat,but I will try it & let everyone know how it goes.Its been a great season, but time to move on to open water, Phil
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Well, this will be my final ice report for this season. Its done :'( Tried getting on the north end & 2nd bay tonight.Both places,my spud went thru w/ 1 whack.On the north end,my brother & me made it out about 75' in front of the beach & decided we didnt want to go swimming,especially while wearing waders,to get past the broken shore ice.2nd. bay ,I went 15' from the dock,same story.It is too unsafe & not worth the risk.I am planning on trying the north end on my pontoon next weekend if it is opened up enough.Never fished smelt from a boat,but I will try it & let everyone know how it goes.Its been a great season, but time to move on to open water, Phil
Thought about that too. My problem is, 60ft of ancher rope and keeping the boat from drifting around to much. Pontoon bout like sitting on the couch.
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Planning on trying for smelt ,this weekend.3 anchors is what I need to hold it rock solid.My sons are watching the ice,to let me know when I can get out there.I guess its like a lack of ice report ;D I'm hoping this works,could be fun :)
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Planning on trying for smelt ,this weekend.3 anchors is what I need to hold it rock solid.My sons are watching the ice,to let me know when I can get out there.I guess its like a lack of ice report ;D I'm hoping this works,could be fun :)
Dont forget fishing lisences expired today.
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You need a license to do this stuff ??? Next thing ya know..youll be tellin me I have to get my boats registered too :woot: Thanks for the reminder, picked it up today,after work :)
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Man, if I didn't have to work this weekend. Good luck!
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My son just called & said the ice is not going out as fast as I hoped!As of now,I could launch my boat,but not go anywhere ::)This just doesnt seem right to be posting here, but I want that ice gone!If I cant walk on it, its in the way of more smelt fishing ;D
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My son just called & said the ice is not going out as fast as I hoped!As of now,I could launch my boat,but not go anywhere ::)This just doesnt seem right to be posting here, but I want that ice gone!If I cant walk on it, its in the way of more smelt fishing ;D
Pre-ice, and post-ice. Waiting to walk on, or waiting to boat on. Like the days leading up to vacation.
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Pre-ice, and post-ice. Waiting to walk on, or waiting to boat on. Like the days leading up to vacation.
Well put ! I find it strange,sitting on my boat, in the barn, trying to decide wich smelt rod to use! Looks like I may try it Fri. night.Still waitin for an ice report from my son.He mentioned laker fishing ,Fri.,A.M.,so we may do that too.
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Gonna try smelt fishing on my pontoon tonight.The ice is starting to go out .Sounds like we will be fishing in about 30'-40' of water.I will post how it goes.
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Last nights smelt fishing was slow!The ice/open water line was right at 50" of water,so thats where we fished.Marked very few fish.Ended up w/3 smelt & 1 nice perch.We then drifted/ & moved around w/ the MinnKota,trying to find fish.No luck.Lots of pike,suckers & mudpuppies in the shallows.No smelt in the creek,but they will be soon,the lake water temp was 38.6, with warm weather it wont take much for it to hit 43 degrees.Heard a rumor that the DNR dumped 8,000 trout in the lake yesterday.Dont know if its true & I dont know what they were,but I'm guessing lakers.
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The north end is unfishable w/ a boat today :( The strong SE wind has blown the ice in almost to shore.No fishing tonight. >:(
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As of yesterday at about 2 pm about 90% of the ice is gone.... By midday today I recon there will be none left! Also... The laker population in gull has been doing very well.. so I would not be surprised if the did stock more.... I've seen with my own two eyes plenty of Lakers around 40 inches... Pm me and I might even share my laker stories...
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Do people still fish for the trout near the creek?
Dave
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The last couple of years I have had very poor sucess there,but still try it from time to time. Thinking about trying it Fri. morning.