Has anyone used smelt in spring for pike bait? Is anyone interested in sharing some with me. I am going to order a box (25 pounds is the smallest I can get) & I don't need that many. I'm looking to share/split cost with 1 or more people.
Believe it or not, I actually had the biggest crappie of my life while fishing for pike with frozen smelt. We were fishing from shore near Duluth and my bobber went under. I set the hook hard thinking of course that it was a pike. After all, what would a crappie be doing going after a 4 inch smelt!
My buddy grabs the net and gets ready as the fish comes to the surface. He starts screaming, "Oh my God it's a crappie!" I've caught crappie over 2lbs before but nothing like this brute. As he's about to net it, the hook tears out of her lip and she simply slides back out of sight. We both just sat there as if we had a first-hand encounter with Nessy the Lochness Monster.
So my answer to you is YES, buy the smelt. You never know what you'll get.
If you're near the north shore area you might be able to buy some smelt off someone netting them this spring. That way you could just buy what you need and then freeze them yourself.
Just a thought.
Smelt for pike bait - - -
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Our tradition is that of the first man who sneaked away to the creek when the tribe did not really need fish. ~ Roderick Haig-Brown, about modern fishing, A River Never Sleeps, 1946
