Ice fishing for SMelt

[danboy]

 Does any one fish for smelt at night any more. Use to fish with my dad years ago at night  and I think it was on Croton Falls not sure, was only about 12 yrs old. That was a long time ago. Thanks

[Montrose]

Some still do on WB.  I have only jigged them day time for bait there, but I have seen the lanterns out there driving by when the DEP doesn't eff up the levels and you can actually fish it.

[canoejon]

I'll bet it was WB that your dad took you to. A few years ago I was seeing fewer smelt there. Can anyone coo-borate ?

[westputrout]

yeh  they took a big hit there 4 awhile  [ smelt ]  i ve been fishing West Branch  4 4o years  u can say thats my home lake . u can still get  actually it should be good because the H20 levels during the past couple of winters has been up and down and really  cant fish it hard .  maybe in the last 2 years 2 weeks of good ice each season. but they do make the trout and LLs fat  quick . ive got plenty of browns and lakers there  to 12 lbs till 2 years ago when they  [DEP} keep playing with the h2o levels  and a few really good salmon too

[danboy]

Thanks for the replies. I quess it was WB. Like I said it was a long time ago about 45 yrs ago. Might give it a try this year if the ice ever comes.

[johnjav]

yeh  they took a big hit there 4 awhile  [ smelt ]  i ve been fishing West Branch  4 4o years  u can say thats my home lake . u can still get  actually it should be good because the H20 levels during the past couple of winters has been up and down and really  cant fish it hard .  maybe in the last 2 years 2 weeks of good ice each season. but they do make the trout and LLs fat  quick . ive got plenty of browns and lakers there  to 12 lbs till 2 years ago when they  [DEP} keep playing with the h2o levels  and a few really good salmon too

Wow, thats great you have gotten lakers out of there.  This board doesnt really get a lot of reports on WB fishing during the year. I would love to get a boat on that reservoir. 

[KenH]

Bit of an academic question, but if you can catch smelt through the ice in  winter,
can you also catch smelt from a boat on open water? Anyone ever do this?

[jager61]

Ken it's hit or miss open water for smelt. Easier on the ice with a flasher and using Sabiki rigs or small jigs with spikes. It's hard to keep these light little jigs on the screen in open water.  I do however net them by the bucket loads in the spring at ice out up in the Adks, brine and vac seal them for later use (where legal) trolling with DR and Dodgers.  The smelt on WB often run pretty big, supposedly came down the pipeline with the lakers from Roundout. All of the lakers and LLS I've caught from WB were full of smelt. Never mind the browns. We all know I can't catch them, LOL!

[biggamee]

Ken it's hit or miss open water for smelt. Easier on the ice with a flasher and using Sabiki rigs or small jigs with spikes. It's hard to keep these light little jigs on the screen in open water.  I do however net them by the bucket loads in the spring at ice out up in the Adks, brine and vac seal them for later use (where legal) trolling with DR and Dodgers.  The smelt on WB often run pretty big, supposedly came down the pipeline with the lakers from Roundout. All of the lakers and LLS I've caught from WB were full of smelt. Never mind the browns. We all know I can't catch them, LOL!

Mike do you think Kensico has the same kind of ratio smelt/sawbelly as WB?

[biggamee]

Bit of an academic question, but if you can catch smelt through the ice in  winter,
can you also catch smelt from a boat on open water? Anyone ever do this?

Ken so far I have only been able to catch Sawbellies in open water..small and big but not once a smelt...

[Biz-R-OWorld]

Ken it's hit or miss open water for smelt. Easier on the ice with a flasher and using Sabiki rigs or small jigs with spikes. It's hard to keep these light little jigs on the screen in open water.  I do however net them by the bucket loads in the spring at ice out up in the Adks, brine and vac seal them for later use (where legal) trolling with DR and Dodgers.  The smelt on WB often run pretty big, supposedly came down the pipeline with the lakers from Roundout. All of the lakers and LLS I've caught from WB were full of smelt. Never mind the browns. We all know I can't catch them, LOL!

Why are smelt illegal to use on Lake George? because it would make fishing for Lakers too easy?

[Montrose]

danboy, it may well have been CF that you fished for smelt.  I recall reading somewhere there used to be a very healthy smelt population (and dedicated smelt fisherman) there and I think LL salmon were once stocked in that lake as well.

I agree the smelt in WB seemed to drop off in numbers about 6 years ago.  Right around when everyone seemed to be out there netting in the spring and the DEP couldn't leave the lake high enough for them to run consistently. 

[jager61]

Erik, I was on Kensico  Sunday and the schools of SB were incredible, hovering at about 90 FOW with the lakers scattered around them. I'm fairly new to Kensico so Im not sure if there are smelt there? As Montrose stated the smelt population has dramatically dropped off in the recent years, maybe due to the DEP dropping the water levels.  The schools in WB never (IMO) were what I've seen in Kensico!

Tommy, you are correct about the unfair advantage of using smelt in LG, dead or alive. Ciscoe on the other hand are ok to use and are an even better laker bait! No restrictions on their use. We jig them up open water and ice. Put them dead on a tip up on the bottom. Great laker bait!

[biggamee]

Mike I know for sure there are smelt in Kensico..in May of last year I opened a laker full of smelt as far as sawbellys I've gotten 7 inch sawbellies jigging...but it is a lot harder than people think.to catch them....I think those lakers just crash into the schools of them when they are in frenzy mode.a dead sawbelly usaully does the job since it can't run away..

[jager61]

Erik, thanks for the info. That's good to know! In the spring when the Ice goes out on the lakes up where I have my cabin in the Adks, we dip net the smelt. Before the new bait laws, I used to bring home several hundred to keep alive in my bait well. Would've been nice to use them in Kensico! Can only dream, right?