smelt for bait?

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Hoser
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smelt for bait?

Post by Hoser »

Bought a bag of frozen smelt and can't get any interest in the house to help me eat them. Anybody ever used them for bait?
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Woodsman
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Post by Woodsman »

No but they should work OK where legal(very few places). Thaw them first.
Assuming you are referring to lake smelt compared to ocean smelt.
Maybe just eating them yourself is the best option. :D

Best Wishes
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mitch
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excellent pike bait

Post by mitch »

Use them on a windlass tip-up set to slowly move with the wind and another underwater set motionless and watch out. Mitch
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fishhit
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Post by fishhit »

Smelts are really good to eat. Dust them in a mixture of flour, cornstarch and spices,i.e. salt, pepper, touch of cayanne and deepfry for a few minutes. Cool and snack on! Smelts can be deadly on pike when deadsticked in the winter on quickstrike rigs. They are also great for salting your icefishing holes to keep fish interested during the weekdays when your not out fishing. Not sure if salting is legal in all cases.
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kanata
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Post by kanata »

I used it in Winter for ice fishing. The meat is too loose so you almost can't cast if you want use it in Summer time.
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Wallyboss
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Post by Wallyboss »

There great for catfishing.
When hell freezes over, I'll be there icefishing!!!

If you can't stand behind our troops,
Please feel free to stand in front of them!!!

Experience is that marvellous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again
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Manny
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Post by Manny »

As Mitch said, the only time we had success with smelt was trough the ice with a Windlass.

We have tried to use them trolling for lakers behind small gang-troll with the downriggers but had a tough time getting these big baits to run well so we never put much effort into using them. I have however found a rig that should make them run straight, called une Monture Godille (pardon the french). Got a few ordered in from France (they use these for stream fishing) but just haven't had time to use them this year.

Just a tip, if someone would use these during the warmer months, they have to be thawed real slow or else they go to waste.


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sparky
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Post by sparky »

Frozen smelt are legal bait throughout Eastern Ontario, I believe. They can be effective, but they won't hold up to trolling or casting and retrieving. I caught my biggest pike ever a few years ago on opening day, using a thawed smelt on a white leadhead. I just tossed it gently and let it drift in the current.
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