Smelt

[perchjerk jim]

I was wondering if anybody out there has been smelting or heard if there's any smell to be caught on cayuga Lake. Maybe I'm too late

 

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[piratesholly]

Have not heard of any good smelting in years.

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[Sk8man]

For whatever reason the smelt have been on the decline in many if not most of the Finger Lakes for some time now. My hunch is that they are most vulnerable to the zebras and quaggas inflitration of the lakes and disruption of the food chain.  We used to get them in most of the streams in Seneca, Cayuga and Canandaigua but seldom see any of them now. Their reduction and disappearance seemed to closely follow the introduction of the invasives. It is a shame as they are probably a healthier food source for the trout than the alewives.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Sk8man

[jk1]

For me I bet it is twenty years since we dipped for them......jk

[Sk8man]

It started to be a noticeable problem in the early to mid nineties I think..

[mmdrevo]

I remember going out dipping for them at night when I was about 10 years old. They were not that plentiful then to be honest but we did get some. It was a lot of fun. 

[big johnson]

Haven't seen any in the finger lakes in a while but there are a lot to be had ice fishing for them in the Adirondacks

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[Skidplate]

41 minutes ago, Sk8man said:

It started to be a noticeable problem in the early to mid nineties I think..

Yup