Smelt Fishing Report 2013

[dominodaves]

Ok everyone, It looks like the traffic is beginning to pickup a bit, that's no surprise to me because I'm starting to get that itch myself. Last years very early spring had us thinking about smelt really early, this year is likely to be the "polar" opposite of last year. So lets start the early questions, early ideas, and just general chitchat that makes this site so much fun!

Here's a few of the thoughts running through my head this year...

Frozen lake this year-not last year, so we may have a shifting ice pack this year.

Last years massive flood, how will this affect everything? Not sure yet, but I think we should be finding some interesting debri in our nets.

The flood completely blewout the Lester river and changed that rivers dynamics. It now has a deep hole near the mouth by the bedrock just past the bridge, looks to be 10-15 feet deep, and there is now a horseshoe shaped gravel bar protecting the mouth of the river and creating a harbor effect, we will see how the lakes ice pack treats this gravel bar this spring and whether it will still be there after the melt.

The north shore has a much deeper snow pack this year that will create better flows for the rivers and creeks, last years spring run off was pretty spotty at best. And that may have been the problem with the Lester last year, who knows?

So my best guess for this year will be a later than "normal" run, and thus more "compressed" in time than last years run that seemed to go on forever...especially at the Point. It will all depend on the weather now. But it's warming up and I do know that I will be eating some fresh smelt soon, but not soon enough!!!!

My son picked up a real nice dipnet off craigslist for $20. I also snagged some real good waders from an online auction site too! I'm totally set with gear this year!

[freezeman]

I'm looking foward on coming up there this year again for some smelts. Seem's like people look on this site for info on when they are running as well. Got my waders and net ready for my trip up there.

[bgood22]

Got everything ready, just waiting for the run to start. Let me know when you come up this way DominoDave. I ran into you a few times last year, and had to make a new account, but hoping you recognize the name, lol!

[dominodaves]

I've had to re do my account too in the past. Hence a couple different domino Dave login names. Oh well. Send me a personal message with your number again, and I will call you when I'm up. Of course i will keep all my trips public on here as well. I too can't wait. My son is still in college at UMD, so we can get some real current info from him on temps and water qualities! Sweet eh?

Speaking of updates, just got back from the Keys....hard to come back to snow and ice from 70's and 80's..But I heard that the ice on the lake is breaking up with the help of an icebreaker. They want to start shipping ASAP. So lets hope it all moves out and melts fast so it won't bother us!

[bgood22]

Must of been a nice trip down there this time of year, the ice breakers have been going out for a few weeks now, seen a few ships leave the short couple days a week I have been home. Hoping to get a nice batch of the little tasty treats to pass out to family and friends this year. 218-391-9553 is my cell, if I find out anything when they start, Ill definately pass the word.
Brent

[schmelty]

Had a great trip w/Domino last year. Just felt an "Itch" at work here & realized it was the predator instincts rearing its head & the strong urge to eat deep fried SMELT!!!

[dominodaves]

I see some folks starting to check their names and passwords. It's good to see some old friends starting to log on. Hey schmelty, our mutual friend is ready to go already!!!!

I thought about a April foolin' yesterday, nah, it would've been too mean to mention 5 gallons at the Lester last night... ;D ;D

[kongie]

So how long does the smelt run usually last in Duluth? Last year was my first year smelting in Duluth and I missed the weekend when they were running really good. I'm hoping to catch the run this year and not miss out on all the fun! Looking forward for the run this year! ;D

[freezeman]

I pretty missed out on the run last year also. Hoping to get up there while it's hot. The guy i was with told me to go to Wisconsin side since they are running good. Got there and the whole night we got maybe 5 smelts. Not going there again.

[dominodaves]

You guys are asking the question that's very difficult to answer....and the reason this site was created. Last year was a real strange year. The run went for quite a while last year. Many weeks, which is kind of unusual, but not surprising for an early spring. The early spring had them going very early and things would be real good some days and not so good some other days. And it didn't seem that the weather conditions were problem when things were poor, so a lot of us were left scratching our melons at times.

But this year will likely be completely opposite. The run will likely not begin for weeks. Since we will have a late spring it will likely be more compressed than last years run and therefore, a bit more predictable once they start running. Last year we were starting to see some smelt caught as early as April 4th. The conditions right now are nowhere even close, but that could change quickly depending on weather. But the forecasts for the Duluth area are not very warm yet and I fear that this will be like attending a high mass catholic wedding.....we have an excruciatingly long wait!

You both seem new to this site so "hear me now and believe me later"
If you want to not miss the action....stay tuned here! You will get the right advise from the posters on this site, where to go, what to use, and when your best chance to get some tasty little fishes will be. As with all fishing, there are never any guarantees, and smelting can be notoriously frustrating, but we are all here for the same reason....reliable, current, and honest reports! Good luck and welcome aboard.

[chhemv01]

Ok this maybe a stupid question but I'm new to smelting and have never done this before so can anyone give me some feedback on what I need to go smelting? I live in the metro area so is there any place around here to pick up the things I need to go smelting. Any feedback would be wonderful!

[dominodaves]

Welcome to our obsession! A true newbie is always welcome. First thing you should do is read all of the threads on this site. They are full of information that even I still read to refresh my memory of how things went in past years.

Equipment;
A good pair of waders! The water is cold, no way around it.
If you are going on your own, you will need a dip net. You want a wire one, don't waste your money on a mesh one, they don't last, and don't work very well. They are hard to find here in the cities, try garage sales, craigslist, and old timers you know that may have an old one hanging in their garage that you could borrow. If a new one is in your sites, start calling the sport shops in the Duluth area, I would start with marine general, Chalstroms, places like that.
A minnow bucket with rope so that when you do get them you have something to put them in when you are in the water. Everyone seems to have one of these in their garage, if not, an ice cream gallon pail with a hole in the top seems to be popular as well.
A headlamp to see in the dark is nice as well, but not real important if you fish at the mouth of the Lester, there always seems to be enough light from the street light above on the bridge.

Now if you plan on having partners come help, you could go to the Point and use a seine. I strongly advise on a Christiansen net. They are spendy, but worth the dollars.

Now if all this seems a bit much, you might want to tag along with someone and see how things are done at both spots. People are always looking for help with seines on the point. But you should at least have your own waders. And a cooler to bring home your tasty catch. I usually have a few newbies tag along every year if you are interested.

And of course a dry pair of clothes for the ride home! You never seem to get'r done without a little bit of wetness!

[ceopheng]

Hey guys its almost that time of the year again! Smelting is crazy fun and tasty! I was up at park point a lot last year and yes it's frustrating when you don't get many smelts the first few nights. The one night that I brought one cooler we filled it in matter of mins.

[madbrad104]

Hey Smelters lets hope for a productive year all the conditions are there for it to be awesome. Last year me and a few buddies drove up 3 weekends in a row from down here in Wausau for a total of 4 dozen smelt. We wouldn't of had that if it wasn't for a guy letting us use his drop net off the break wall. This year I bought a drop net 8' with all the break wall attachments for dirt cheap. So hope to see other fellow smelters up there. Good luck to all !

[dominodaves]

Madbrad, I feel for you, that's a long drive for very little. Last year was real hit or miss depending on where you were, Ashland was a complete miss all year, and for the most part so was the Lester. We will do our best to "balance" things out this year.

My son checked out the Lester yesterday, things are starting to melt and the river is starting to flow a bit.

The webcam for the beach on the Point looks pretty good, open water with a little ice on the beach.

I saw a flock of 50-60 trumpeter swans heading north yesterday as well! Amazing!!!!