Smelt Shack

[sorelippin]

I just reserved a 6 man smelt shack for next Saturday night, 2/5 and fishing the late to early tide on the Kennebec River in Maine...Baker's Smelt Camps.  Curious, how many of you have done this?  I used to go as a kid and it was a lot of fun.  They are catching some HUGE smelt up there right now and having married an Italian, we have smelt every Christmas Eve for the 7 fish dinner.  Being a self proclaimed chef in my spare time, I love cooking and eating them  I would have them more often if I stocked the freezer so that's what I'm gonna do.  Pretty excited about it and I'm taking my son along with some friends as well.  I'm sure he'll enjoy it much more than waiting for a salmon flag....haha!  Anyway, I liked it as a kid and hope he does too.  They are pulling some really good numbers and Feb seems to be the best runs....hoping to bring a couple hundred home and I'll report how I do.  BTW, the sites are very reasonable and they have a website now.  If you're interested or having been thinking about it like me for the past couple years, maybe give it a try.

SL

[sorelippin]

Oh....and I know the basics and have sabiki rigs and soft tip jiggin' rods.  I read people use spring bobbers...what's the purpose and is it necessary?  I also plan on making a few rigs drop shot style with a fly every 8 inches or so on a #10,#12.  Any other advice I'd gladly accept as I haven't done this in a LONG time and want it to be a successful trip with the boy so he wants to go back

[fishsluggos]

Spring bobbers so you can detect even the most subtle tap. I've heard flashers / fishfinders are the new rage smelt fishing. This may keep the kid interested too.

Good Luck!

[sorelippin]

He's almost 12 and has pretty good patience in the tree stand and on the water but does get bored on occassion if things aren't happening....not too much different from his old man..haha!  I don't have a flasher but was planning on dropping and marking the lines in the raceway at different depths until I find where they are and then set 'em all in the school...hoping that works.  I've bought so many new toys in the last year including a new truck and hunting gear and fishing gear and figure I might hold out on a flasher but it's getting harder and harder to not run out and buy one

[THE JIGGER]

The kids will have alot of fun.
Good luck It can be fast action. We got 200 Saturday night in 2 1/2 hours. There were four of us.

[chilly willy]

Sorelippin, how did you make out smelting on the 5th? I'm headed to Bakers for a double tide this Sat night. I've never tried to smelt fish before, so I was wondering if you had any tips you learned. I do have some jigs on order from maine tackle (fishing hole). I am bringing a few jigging poles, and will try to get a jig board together before I leave. I don't have electronics so I will try different depths. How are the wooden stools, and the woodstove setup?

[sorelippin]

Sorelippin, how did you make out smelting on the 5th? I'm headed to Bakers for a double tide this Sat night. I've never tried to smelt fish before, so I was wondering if you had any tips you learned. I do have some jigs on order from maine tackle (fishing hole). I am bringing a few jigging poles, and will try to get a jig board together before I leave. I don't have electronics so I will try different depths. How are the wooden stools, and the woodstove setup?

We didn't kill 'em by any stretch but had some success....I had some fishing hole jigs made up too and to be honest, my sabikis outfished 'em 3 to 1 at least.  I cut them in half and tied off weight to the bottom.  Found that most hits came around 6-10ft or so under the ice.  Did pick a few off the bottom trying to find where the larger # of fish were in the column.  We had lots of jig poles set up and the house lines are a waste of time in my opinion.  hooks are too big and the lines are just terrible.  Conditions inside were OK at best.  We were there during the NASTY storm...hail, pounding rain, sleet, snow...all of it.  Stove never really got too hot unless you were the one sitting next to it.  Roof leaked a lot so had to move around in order to stay dry.  It was sorta tough but like I said, we were there during a nasty storm and would like to try again.  Hits can be subtle and you have to be paying attention.  We had enough to keep us busy so that was good

[chilly willy]

Thanks for the reply. I'm planning to make stops at Kittery, and Cabela's on the way up. I'll have to pick up a sabiki rig. I assume they would carry them. What size hook works best , and did you use any gauze or cotton at the hook? I read somewhere they get the gauze caught on their tiny teeth. I was also wondering the size of the weights needed, I have no idea how fast the tides run. I was also planning on cooking on the woodstove should I bring the coleman for a backup?

[sorelippin]

I got size 12.  Cut them in half so you are running a 3 hook set as they come with 6 total.  I put a small snap swivel on the bottom and put no more than a 3/4 oz on it.  I brought the cast iron pans and used on their stove.  You won't have much room for a coleman in there unless you have 3 people.  There's a raceway on both sides.  Oh, and don't have anything loose with pockets open...you'd be surprised what can fall down the holes