Where to find smelt

[LOTWSvirgin]

I ahve not been able to find it SW MN. If I can order it from some where that would work to. What is the best way to hook it. Quick strike??

[DaveZman14q]

Coastal Seafoods in minneapolis had some a month or 2 ago.

[waysanders]

Buy mine at Byerlys (in St. Cloud). Works absolutely excellent on tip up with quick strike rig !!

[minneman]

I just bought 25lbs from my local meat market, the tag on the side of the box said "Moreys"

[LOTWSvirgin]

Buy mine at Byerlys (in St. Cloud). Works absolutely excellent on tip up with quick strike rig !!

How big are they? Are they whole?

[bigbud]

i buy mine at vados bait in springlake park on hwy 65 or go to vados.com

[nater]

I got mine at cub foods.

waysanders shoot me an email at [email protected] to not hijack the thread, if you want that is.

I have been trying them for the past three trips now (clearwater, beaver, and pearl) with no success. Tried 8-16fow and even seen them swimming in the area on the camera, but they hate my smelt. I got pike on suckers and fatheads earlier though. I bought the frozen ones , thawed, sliced the bellies so they sink but nothing will eat them. any suggestions? I hate to waste them.

[Doop]

X2 for Vados!!!!!!

[waysanders]

yes, they are prtty good sized, I brought sixteen up north to a lake near Aitkin and came home with zero last Sunday. Caught pike anywhere from 2 lbs to 10 lbs on them, so although they are big the Pike didn't seem to mind. The smelt are whole and frozen solid just as they are when they are netted.Bought another dozen yesterday and will try a local lake tomorrow to see if I can't get a few more Northern before I start filling the pickling jars !!!

[waysanders]

Don't know what to tell you, last weekend my 12 year old and I slaughtered the pike on smelt.....brought home some nice ones to pickle and released quite few, IMO the smelt work better for the larger pike, the average size catching them on smelt is bigger.I caught most of the pike quite shallow, maybe 6 to 10 feet at the deepest.

[pikerliker]

nater what type of lake were you fishing on? I've heard that Smelt work better on lakes that are for the most part shallow. I know you were fishing fairly shallow, but if the lake is a deeper lake with clear water I've heard that smelt are not as effective? I've had really good luck with them on Upper Red but that is a shallow lake with max depth at 15 ft or so. Not sure if that was the issue?

~piker