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Post by yammaddogg on Feb 24, 2016 11:52:49 GMT -6
Sorry to whomever took my post about early season serious i was just kidding. last year was my first and every year someone starts that i got sucked in by it last year if you read through past years messages you will see what i mean.
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Post by dominodaves on Feb 24, 2016 18:12:18 GMT -6
Yeah Dogg, That whole deal caused some seriously bad blood to boil over. Name calling, people quitting the forum, taking all their posts down, a lot of hard feelings. And I even got taken out and had it proven to me that it was happening, and I can confirm it. So lets keep it all nice and not rock the boat too hard. We are all here to make sure we don't miss out on the run, and we won't. Especially if people are happy with how they are being treated here and don't mind posting information, good or bad. We all will have swings and misses from time to time. That's just fishing. And smelting success can be just a matter of a few yards, or 15 minutes later all hell broke loose. So sometimes people don't always believe the results posted here, or some of the information of where they really got their smelt.
But this much I will say. Some friends and I believe that the population of smelt seems to be on the rise lately. Maybe it's because this site has been such a huge asset in information that we are hitting them better and more consistently? Maybe? But last year was really really good! Weather was a part of it, but there just seemed to be so many smelt night after night. And in my experience, this trend seems to be on an upswing over the last few years. Don't get me wrong, it's not the Hay Day of the 60's and 70's, but heavy nets and huge coolers full in a pull or 2 are pretty reminiscent! Not sure why, but I'm happy it's happening! So lets all just enjoy the ride! There is plenty of smelt for everyone, and plenty of room for everyone to get their share!
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Post by johnnyniceguy on Feb 29, 2016 23:53:42 GMT -6
Hello everybody! Starting to think like you guys. Tired of frozen fish. Ready for something fresh. Better get some oil on hand. Hope to meet up when things get going. Haven't been up for quite a few years. I live in eagan & am retired. Be glad to join anyone thinking about a cooler full.
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Post by Art on Mar 6, 2016 18:57:49 GMT -6
Hi what kind of netting to get i want to start smelting
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Post by dominodaves on Mar 7, 2016 10:16:35 GMT -6
Hey Art, welcome to the forum! There are 2 types of nets used in smelting. Okay, there are more, but these are the ones you want to own. There are also 2 types of places where these are used. When smelting in a stream, you want a dip net. The one you want is made out of a steel mesh, and usually has a long wooden handle. These are durable and will last many seasons, and usually run about $30. When smelting on the sands of Park Point, we use a large seine. The max size for MN regulations in 25' x 4'. Now one can spend very little and get a smaller and cheaper net, and likely get some smelt when they are running good. However, we have talked about this every year, and we will hear about again later this year I'm sure. But a good quality Christiansen Net with a pocket, about $200, is the way to go! Just read the last 2 years worth of threads and you will find many testimonials on how well they work, and some creative uses for the nets they replace!
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Post by jg010682 on Mar 7, 2016 11:27:01 GMT -6
The net in that pick is a Christianson 25 × 4 with the 4 foot pocket and it's treated black works great first year smelting was last year and we ended up with a cooler and a half in about 4 hours not bad for a group of newbies
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Post by aceyang on Mar 7, 2016 12:25:49 GMT -6
Hi everyone!!! I'm excited!! will be a great Year!!!
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Post by aceyang on Mar 7, 2016 12:27:18 GMT -6
Quick ? do they allow ATV on the beach in WIS Point during smelt season?
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Post by pablo on Mar 7, 2016 18:16:19 GMT -6
Nope, no motorized
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Post by chhemv01 on Mar 8, 2016 10:38:18 GMT -6
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Post by EZ on Mar 8, 2016 18:11:48 GMT -6
any early predictions on the when the run will be? starting to get the itch!
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Post by dominodaves on Mar 8, 2016 19:03:19 GMT -6
With all this nice weather, people are starting to come out of the woodwork! Right Vee!!!! Glad to hear from you! It's time to start rounding up your gear people. Make sure those mice haven't chewed a hole in your waders, or made a nest in your net. Make sure your wife knows where you'll be for a good part of April and maybe some of May too! Clean out those coolers! Find that headlamp that is likely still in your deer hunting gear from last fall! And don't forget to make that 2016 fishing license purchase! This weather is great, but remember, Duluth and the north shore are in a whole different world. It's always much cooler around Lake Superior, and takes longer to warm than we'd like. But if this weather holds we could be seeing some decent early action. The big lake doesn't have a big ice pack this year, so that will help too!
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Post by dominodaves on Mar 14, 2016 13:37:11 GMT -6
Listen to Dougger folks! "Normally" just might not play out this year! Every spring is different, and we actually have a lot of weather to go through between now and when the smelt actually start showing up in any kind of numbers, so things can change. But this early warm spell has not cooled off much, and the ice on the area lakes here in Mpls area are starting to look like it's going to leave any day now. And that would be very early! So if this weather continues to stay warm the run will likely be earlier. But how early? A few years back we had a very early spring like this. Some people figured that they had already spawned and we missed it. Even a old grizzled charter captain told me it was hopeless, he was wrong however, and we had a great but frustrating year! We had people sampling in Duluth in March with no results. But on April 1st we got our 1st bit of action, things sputtered along for a couple of weeks with the weather playing havoc on the run. But things did finally busted loose and we got our fish. I think April 15th or so is when things got going pretty good. It was a tense couple weeks because people would get some, and nothing for a few days. People were worried they really did miss it. Making a bunch of trips all the way up to Duluth from the cities to only come home with a few or none gets to be old quickly! And can wear on the spouse too when you are talking gas money and time away from her. So stay tuned here. I've always said an early spring is hard on us smelters. We all want fresh fish asap. And the smelt are going to tease us in the beginning! Keep us posted on Ashland Dougger! Your the go to guy over there! And Ashland will start before Duluth does. So your info helps us know when to expect those tasty little swimming varmints!
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Post by fishingdude on Mar 14, 2016 20:13:51 GMT -6
So, what would you guys recommend as far as seine poles go? We used a 15 foot net last year and used a couple old pices of wood for poles. I'm thinking about getting a Christiansen net this year but I'm assuming I would probably need something more stable/comfortable as far as poles go because of the weight, any suggestions?
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ktown
Junior Member
Posts: 7
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Post by ktown on Mar 15, 2016 5:37:00 GMT -6
I'll be on the North Shore April 13th - 15th and report smelting results. Will be watching this board to see what luck others are having.
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