Hemlock Smelt Experiment

[Pete Collin]

Hello All,

 

In northern Maine, apparently hook-and-line fishing for smelt has gotten popular.  My cousin was describing handlining with bits of worm, then switching to smelt eyeballs for bait after you begin catching them.  I love eating smelt, and haven't had any in years.  Seems like a worthwhile experiment to take my kayak over there, with a portable fishfinder to locate schools, drop a line in and see what happens.

 

Doubt if i will be competing with many of you, so I was wondering if anybody could suggest a part of the lake where I might find bait schools in the summertime?  I've only been on Hemlock a few times and have never really fished it.  It's a little bit too big to paddle all over until I find smelt.  just looking to narrow the search down.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Pete Collin
 

www.pcforestry,.com

[BAITNH]

its very hard to do in open water  something you want to do through  the ice.

[dremarquis]

like BAITNH said, i know several people who catch smelt on lines thru the ice, but i know of noone who does so in open water

 

dre

[Sk8man]

Smelt are usually bottom oriented and deep most of the year with the exception of spawning in the Spring. Ice fishing at night especially the lights seem to draw them toward the surface or suspended below it. In the summer sawbellies will come up from the deep to just below surface in response to lights (e.g. lanterns) and even surface to catch bugs attracted to the light and this is how we used to get our bait for night fishing at the south end of Canandaigua and Keuka Lakes. If you were located directly over a school of smelt they might behave similarly ....I'm not sure because in all the years I never saw a smelt do it only sawbellys (alewives).

Edited May 21, 2014 by Sk8man

[BAITNH]

Once the ice is thick enough to walk on get a fish house cut a 2 x 4 foot hole in the ice matching a hole in the house the same size hook up a 100 watt bulb with a generator and a dimmer switch. the smelt come up into the hole to feed on plankton in the light slowly dim the light and they will ball up tight. that's how we fish for them with a drop net

[jason]

I vacation in Belfast Maine every for a week to ice fish for smelt. I love it. It can go from boring to you can't keep up if you have the right gear.

[BAITNH]

I hear this past winter was slow fishing for smelt

[jason]

Yes this past winter really sucked.

[BAITNH]

the smelt  are gone  endangered there was none  on the whole east coast.

[Sean Youngblood]

I think I would try Canadice out in the deep water strait out from the boat launch they were pretty thick out there when ice was on.Hemlock it is a lot further to deep water from the launches.