Author Topic: Waterbury Resevoir Smelt (Read 2048 times)

bres · « **on:** Feb 23, 2011, 03:12 PM »

I have hit up the Waterbury reservoir several times this winter (Dam side and Blush Hill Rd side) and have been unsuccessful in catching smelt and trout. I have managed to catch some perch here and there. I have been fishing in anywhere from 20-60 FOW using tip-ups for trout and jigging for smelt and trout. I wanted to know if anyone would be willing to tell me how many feet of water they're fishing in for smelt and if they are catching them at night or not so that I’ll know if I’m fishing the wrong water depths, wrong time or using the wrong techniques. Any information would help. Thanks.

RipSomeLips22 · « **Reply #1 on:** Feb 23, 2011, 04:16 PM »

dont hit too well at night unless a light is shinning down in it, just before first light and dawn. try 20 fow, and they can be hit at all depths, start at the bottom work your way up. what you using for bait?

Vrmontrout · « **Reply #2 on:** Feb 23, 2011, 05:01 PM »

Try the blush hill access and go out to the left a few hundred yards. I've caught em in 20-50 fow on hali's with a spike or two. Put smelt on tipups for trout but haven't had any luck yet.............Last time I was out i was gettin smelt 10' off bottom roughly. Good luck

bradroy55 · « **Reply #3 on:** Feb 23, 2011, 06:43 PM »

Make sure you are using a fairly stiff, but very sensitive rod, as well as lures with tiny, and i mean tiny hooks, #10 are the BIGGEST you would want, waterbury smelt are only about 5-6 inches so it takes a keen eye watching the pole to pick up on them. Also, a very calm day or some sort of shanty is a must. I like a silver hali tied about 6 inches below a plain #10 hook each with 1 or 2 maggots on them, Keep working up the water collum too untill you find out if they are suspended, also, dont work the rod much, keep it as steady as you can to detect even the most subtle bites, then if they dont hit jiggle it a bit.
Hope my bit of smelting experience helps!

bres · « **Reply #4 on:** Feb 24, 2011, 06:07 AM »

For bait, I've been using shiners on the tip-ups. For jigging smelt I've been trying Hali's w/ rubber grub, cut bait, rapala's w/ rubber grub, and bibbets w/ rubber grub. I should probably be using live maggots instead of rubber grubs.

Percheye101 · « **Reply #5 on:** Feb 24, 2011, 06:38 AM »

People are saying that the pink fake maggots made by Gulp work well.
Howeverer, I always use live ones.

pokholes · « **Reply #6 on:** Feb 24, 2011, 10:57 AM »

Have been having luck with a perch pattern Haley's with cut smelt but you need to keep it fresh!!! Spikes work well to get started.

dylan8351 · « **Reply #7 on:** Feb 24, 2011, 12:23 PM »

heading up tonight after 4. will report back later

Ericsdad · « **Reply #8 on:** Feb 24, 2011, 07:03 PM »

The smelt in Waterbury are plenty small enough to make good brown trout bait. There are some browns being taken, nothing too huge though, but not out deep. They like to hug the shore, especially near rocky outcroppings. Don't set your baits too deep for trout, just down 5-7 feet or so and try small pieces of nightcrawler for the rainbows, again only 5-7 feet down or in very shallow. Both the browns and rainbows will hit well before daylight, by the way. My son & his buddy got some at like 4:30-5:00 AM the other day! Good luck.

Ed

pwfisher · « **Reply #9 on:** Feb 24, 2011, 09:15 PM »

One 7 or 8 pound brown came out this winter so far, and last year there was at least 1 8 pounder along with a 7 pound rainbow

dylan8351 · « **Reply #10 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 02:48 AM »

Smelt bite was good tonight. 230 in a few hours and about a dozen keeper perch. Fished mostly after dark

dylan8351 · « **Reply #11 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 02:58 AM »

Oh and all night coyotes were howling on both sides of the lake and owls were hooting. Eerie night!

1Badboy · « **Reply #12 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 11:40 AM »

guess i m gonna have to go down and kill some coyotes !

dylan8351 · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 12:18 PM »

Half of last nights catch

1badboy- Don't put a hole in someones shanty! Coyote tracks all over the ice up there.

ifslob28 · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 12:46 PM »

nice pic, how do you cook and eat those?

dylan8351 · « **Reply #15 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 12:56 PM »

Pan fry or deep fry. I coat mine with Luzianne Chicken Coating (they make a fish batter too but I don't like corn meal) and finely crushed ritz for crunch. In a pan, I cook for about 2 minutes on each side over medium heat in a pan or deep fry until they're browned. The bones should become edible when cooked long enough. Delicious!

ifslob28 · « **Reply #16 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 12:57 PM »

Nice, Ill have to try that, thanks.

1Badboy · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 25, 2011, 01:17 PM »

Quote from: dylan8351 on Feb 25, 2011, 12:18 PM

1badboy- Don't put a hole in someones shanty! Coyote tracks all over the ice up there.

havent got one yet

shanty anyway

bres · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 28, 2011, 06:21 AM »

Finally figured out where the smelt are this past weekend. Fished on Saturday and ended up w/ 100 smelt and about 40 perch. Didn't keep the perch, so I can't say how many. I would agree, using a shanty for the smelt is a must as they never really hit the bait hard; they either sit with it in their mouths, or pull the bait away and you can see the line moving. Of the perch I caught, all seemed to be about 8 inches or; No big fat females. Has anyone caught any big perch out of the reservoir Or are they all about 8 inches like I observed?

pokholes · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 28, 2011, 12:16 PM »

Rarely larger than 8" lots of dinks!!!

Champlaingler · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 28, 2011, 12:28 PM »

You would think there's some hogs in there with all the smelt for forage, I know when I catch smelt out of my perch spot on champlain not to move cause the hogs are not far from the snack school.

Vtgooseman · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 28, 2011, 03:58 PM »

Anyone still getting the Smelt? Im thinking of going this weekend.

pokholes · « **Reply #22 on:** Mar 01, 2011, 11:20 AM »

Quote from: Vtgooseman on Feb 28, 2011, 03:58 PM

Anyone still getting the Smelt? Im thinking of going this weekend.

I fished down country last weekend but the weekend before and all season it has been real steady!!
Looks like you guys did well on Carmi!

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Author Topic: Waterbury Resevoir Smelt (Read 2048 times)