smelt as bait

[Gordie]

how many of you guys hang dead smelt as bait? Last year I did this and caught and released a 12lb and a 15 1/2 lber then I couldnt get another one to even pop the flag is their a certain time to use smelt? it was fun catching these big pike.

[RK]

Hiya -

If I'm someplace where bigger pike are a possibility, dead smelt are ALWAYS part of the picture. They can be amazingly effective. Much of the season I prefer them over live bait in fact - the exception being first ice. Winter pike are real scavengers, and oily, smelly dead bait like smelt really key on that behavior.

A few random thoughts on using smelt:

- I fish mine unweighted on a quick strike rig. If the smelt doesn't want to sink just pierce the swim bladder with a hook point. If fish are pretty active, I put the top hook on the QS close to the tail, and the other around the dorsal fin. If fish are a little tentative, I move the hooks closer to the head. Yes, the smelt hang upside down, and no, fish absolutely do not care...

- I think my size average is better on dead bait vs. live bait most of the season. I think big pike are lazy more often than not, and they don't have to chase a dead smelt at all.

- If I do use weight, I use a bass slip sinker (bullet sinker) upside down on the line, so if a fish runs and the sinker hangs up, it'll slide on the line, and the fish won't feel resistance and drop the smelt.

- A dead smelt quick-strike rigged on a wind tip-up almost isn't fair.

- Even if it's dead, you still need to change baits now and then. Smell is a big part of the picture, and smelt loose their olfactory oomph after a while in the water.

- I think most guys fish their pike rigs too close to the bottom, especially early and late ice. If I'm in less than 10' of water, I suspend my QS rig about half way down. If I'm around weeds, I suspend them 2' or so over the weed tops, even if that means it's 2' below the ice. In deeper water in mid-winter, I'll still keep at least one line a ways off the bottom. Some days they are cruising high...adjust accordingly based on which lines get hit.

- If you're in an area where guys are catching a lot of crappies in deep water and letting small ones go even though they have a bloated swim bladder and can't swim back down, put a dead smelt 2' below the ice and see what happens...

- Early in the season, live bait can do better than dead bait. I suspect it's because there aren't as many dead baitfish bobbing around yet for fish to get into full scavenger mode. Not that they pass up a dead bait, and I always have some on hand, but...

- Other dead bait works well too. Bloater chubs, ciscoes, even suckers in a pinch although if I have to use suckers I'll use live ones over dead ones. Suckers just don't have the stink factor going for them. I know a guy that orders mackerel from Europe to dead bait with. They're oily as all get out and work like you can't beleive on the lakes he fishes in Canada.

- Dead bait isn't just for tip-ups. You can jig with a dead-bait qs rig too, or add a stinger hook to a jighead.

- When you come in from a day of dead baiting, DO NOT forget to take the bag of dead smelt out of your pocket before you toss your wet clothes in the dryer. The smell of tumble-dried smelt is spectacular

Hope that helps...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Bjjams]

I myself like to use smelt, especially late ice. When the ice starts to melt a lot of the left over bait on top of the ice and whatever was frozen into the ice goes into the water. Pike being the scavengers they are will swim around and eat all those tasty little pieces of dead minnows and will not hesitate when it comes to a big piece of dead smelt. This works especially well if there is an area of the lake that gets a lot of early panfish fishing, because there be a lot of those fish to small to keep and to dead to swim away that froze into the ice. Majority of the time no matter what depth I am in late season I will put the smelt about 3-4 feet of the bottom of the ice. Last year late ice I managed a 17 lber in So Dak and a 22 lb’er in No Dak on dead smelt. Early to mid season I seem to have more luck using large sucker minnows.

[MuskieJunkie]

As always great info RK, I have wonder about this too, thanks a lot.

[GatorBait]

I gotta say if you want big pike, smelt is the way to go. I personally have never landed a small pike on a smelt yet. I use the QR's also which is much easier than the old swedish hooks. I use homemade wind tip-ups, snow needed, and they work very well. It's exciting when these pop cause you know you have a fight ahead of you. The explanation given above is great info and hope it helps you this winter.

TightLines,

GatorBait

[mskyfshntchr]

What size smelt do you all use? And where do you get it? I usually go to a grocery store and get some. A lot of times though, they only have the smaller one 4-6" at the biggest. How big do you go with the smelt?

[RK]

Hiya -

I get mine from Vados bait, and they're usually 8-9" long I suppose... No problem using pretty good sized ones.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[GatorBait]

I've always got mine from our local grocery store. They ave between 6 and 8inches long and I have done good with them. If it smells, they'll gnaw on it.

[Bjjams]

I like them as big as they come. I usually get mine from a grocery store as well. The St. Cloud Cash Wise last year had some real beauties up to 10 inches, but that was later on in the season. Usually though the Byerly’s in town has some pretty good ones as well. Turns out some people actually eats these! I would try some of your bigger local bait shops. If they don’t have em on hand usually they’d be able to get them for you.

[ec30_06]

I have been netting shad in the river, but most die right away. Would they work well as dead bait?

[Doop]

Great topic.

RK-have you used the big ciscos from Vados? We ordered them and they are HUGE! I was wondering what/if you had any experience with the bigger ciscos as compared to the smelt. I've never used smelt, but may have to give it a go!

Were you guys saying wind tip-ups were the way to go with smelt? Or is it better with a smelt sitting still?

[Gordie]

Last year a friend acctually caught the smelt on Grindstone Lake, early ice (not this year) and they were 10-12 inches and yes the only fish that we end up pulling thru the ice 8 plus pounds . I was going to ask were do you guys get them but you guys always seem to be a step ahead of the questoin thanks.

[RK]

Hiya -

Not from Vados, but have used big ciscoes from time to time. They do work, for sure. I suppose it might size-select the fish that hit to some degree, but you catch 18" pike on 10" muskie lures often enough to make me doubt that is universally true. What I DO like about smelt as opposed to bigger baits like ciscoes is they are fairly narrow with a fairly slender body... I think that keeps the body of the bait from getting in the way of the hooks when a fish hits. Just a hooking percentage thing. I don't have any data to back this up, so it's just my perception. But - especially on big fish water, nothing wrong with big baits.

Someone else mentioned wind tip-ups... I do like them for pike. I set mine so they're just barely bobbing up and down though. I don't like wild up and down with dead bait (plus, unweighted dead baits tend to tangle if they bob too aggressively). Just enough to get it fluttering a little is enough. If I'm with a group we'll run both though. Seems like on tougher days like cold fronts, the stationary lines get hit more often, but I do suspect that the movement from a wind tip-up is an attractor.

One thing we tried last season that did seem to work pretty well was taking a Nature Vision Jig-up motorized tip-up, put a light flashy spoon below it, and put it fairly high off the bottom in the middle of a set of dead-baited tip-ups. The flash attracted fish from a distance, and they'd then hit the dead baits. The spoon would get hit every once in a great while, but it was mostly an attractor I think. Something I want to spend more time trying this this winter, but our results last year were promising.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm