smelt

[chfishon]

went out late last night came home with 74

[captain54]

Tasty little things.Nothing like fresh ones.

[chfishon]

i love smelt it seems like they are getting bigger every year i fish them i got some last night that were 7-8"

[Fish Killa]

Went out Saturday night and banged em pretty hard. Most were coming just under the ice.

[diddlepole]

no smelt lakes in SE Mich.......

[arcticcatz]

I have been getting them in Big Twin lake near kalkaska.  Does onyone know of any smelt lakes in the flint /  lansing area?

[princecraft]

went out late last night came home with 74

Did you by chance get them on Gull?  Am waiting for a report from Gull

[chfishon]

yeah we have been getting them at gull there is about 3-4" out there

[phlint]

 what kind of set up do you use for smelt what bait?

[C P]

what kind of set up do you use for smelt what bait?

Most guys use a hali jig with a spike...I prefer an ultra light rod with a good spring bobber and the smallest tear drop I can find with a spike.

[dgb]

what kind of set up do you use for smelt what bait?

A couple of other tips....get rid of the chain and hook on the hali and replace it with a short 2lb leader and a small # 14 treble....this will increase your hook-ups. I like 2 other droppers with ice flies with a small wooly body......many times when I  catch them there teeth get caught in the yarn and I never hook them....there teeth are sort of hooked back almost like velcro....when catching them just under the ice many times I pull them out and they let go and fall on the ice....don't even need to un-hook them.....good luck.

[phlint]

 Do you get them pretty much all winter ? Are they near a public access on Gull? I have the clam voyager and it's a bit heavy to pull very far when I'm alone

[Fish Killa]

Do you get them pretty much all winter ? Are they near a public access on Gull? I have the clam voyager and it's a bit heavy to pull very far when I'm alone

You catch them all winter, but the best action is the first two weeks of ice and late February all the way to ice out. There is a public access on the north end of the lake and the smelt action is a few hundred yards straight out. This area of the lake is not frozen yet.

[princecraft]

What size line do you guys use?  Is there any need to go down to 2 lb. test or would 4 lb. be OK? I have only fished for them once and I was using 2 lb test.  It didn't take me long to bust the hali off the bottom.  I just figured the weight of the hali was just to much for 2 lb. test.  What is your thoughts?

[arcticcatz]

I use halis with 1 lb test. actually 1lb is the only size line I use

[sightfisher]

I use halis with 1 lb test. actually 1lb is the only size line I use

Be careful with that 1 lb test... at $4.95 ea. those Hali's are pretty expensive to loose... I've caught over 100 smelt in one night on 6lb. test

[arcticcatz]

I have never used anything bigger than 1 lb. I useally use thread but when I get the halis out I go to 1 lb...
Here are a few smelt I got Using A-Bombs Jig design...

[docbas]

Where'd you get the time machine??   2059?

[arcticcatz]

Ya, I wanted to make sure the fish will still be biting in the future, And I happy to say the future looks good!!!  haha

[Higgins]

Where'd you get the time machine??   2059?

LMAO........nice one  8)

I use 6lb and it works just fine 

[Smeltslayer73]

I am always looking to smelt fish, if anybody is looking for a partner--please let me know.  I usually hit Lake Fifteen or McCormick lake in Montmorency Co. and do well, but will travel to fish smelt.   Thx   Nick