Pa Smelt Info Needed

[Leather]

Hey guys, I have some questions.
Where are all the places in Pa to ice fish for smelts?
Presque Isle info?
What bait?
What is your smelt Setup? Hooks, Sizes Colors?
Location on the Lake?
Depth?
Structure or Random?
Were can you find them during early, mid, late ice?

Thanks in advance

[Ironeagle]

You guys are everywhere. Leatherwood I mean.
Only place I personally know of that has them is raystown lake in Huntington pa. But it don't freeze over offen and is sometimes iffy. I never heard of anyone catching them. Only netting them during spring spawn.
If you look down farther on the main page there is a smelting forum.

[JiggerMan]

Only lakes I know of are lake Erie and raystown.   

A lot of lakes a little north of the pa border have them in. 

I would imagine small jigs would work but I know sabiki style rigs would work.

[Crappie_Rod]

First of all I love your videos. I check for new videos every day. I have fished for them on Erie. We just used small yarn flies with small hooks. Most of the time we would get them without hooking them. They have many small teeth and they would get tangled up in their teeth and we would pull them in. When the smelt are in the bay, they are every where. They come in by the hundreds right under your hole. They can play havoc with your fish finder at times because there is so many. Keep up the great work on the videos and good like on the smelt.

[Indiana_Lou]

Leather, Keystone Power Dam in Armstrong county had a pretty good population of smelt. I haven't fished it for the past few years so can't speak of the numbers. I know when I first started ice fishing there were guys fishing at night and they claimed to be able to fill five gallon buckets. I caught them late evening and after dark over deep water but they were relatively shallow. Hope this helps.   Lou

[Leather]

Thanks guys!  Hope to get some ice fishing videos up this year.  Got bit hard last year by the ice bug.  Ive got so many things I want to do and I surely know I wont have enough ice time.

[Leather]

Leather, Keystone Power Dam in Armstrong county had a pretty good population of smelt. I haven't fished it for the past few years so can't speak of the numbers. I know when I first started ice fishing there were guys fishing at night and they claimed to be able to fill five gallon buckets. I caught them late evening and after dark over deep water but they were relatively shallow. Hope this helps.   Lou

Great! Thanks for the great info! Never fished keystone before.  Always wanted to. Now I have a reason to go.  That's a lot closer than erie or raystown for me.  Even though i would like to get up to erie this year for the first time this ice season.  You said you were in deeper water.  How many fow? What were you targeting in the deeper water when you found them?. 
I know nothing about keystone other than I've driven by it many times.  Where should I start on the lake?  Or is it just anywhere hit or miss on the smelt?
Thanks again, John

[Crappie_Rod]

Hey John
   By the way. Congrats to you and Danielle. Where's the trapping videos?

[bigvfb]

keystone power dam is loaded with smelt

[bigvfb]

also note that keystone power dam is one of the LAST lakes around to freeze . its very deep and very clear water so the weeds grow up 20 feet or so.
be safe and Merry Christmas
 

[Leather]

Hey John
   By the way. Congrats to you and Danielle. Where's the trapping videos?

Thanks!  Should have some videos up after the trapping season is over. Usually wait till the season is over to get the trapping footage. 

[Crappie_Rod]

I will be waiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!