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Post by freezeman on Apr 10, 2013 13:51:41 GMT -6
My first time there last year so i was kind of looking for places to smelt. We was by on the other side of the road of the lake where they had signs of landing planes. If i remember right it was by some light house. Big beach area though.
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Post by dominodaves on Apr 10, 2013 15:51:26 GMT -6
That's all the way out there. I've heard good things about that spot but never made it there personally. But that's part of the same sand bar so still a good spot. This is an area for a seine net. We will help you get on the right spot this year with the right equipment.
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Post by madbrad104 on Apr 10, 2013 19:10:48 GMT -6
I agree with dominodaves dip nets are for rivers and creeks seine net works awesome if you catch them running lol there is a few creeks off the beach areas but don't know how they produce smelt wise i'm going to try them this year ! We'll probably be the only ones out there with a tent set up ! Good luck to you if you need advice just ask !
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Post by sor on Apr 10, 2013 20:27:31 GMT -6
If you want the Cadillac of seines, Google "H Christiansen nets" and the first result will be their website. Look for the one that says something like, "collection bag in the middle, used for smelting."
(I provided a link earlier, but apparently it caused some problems. I had no issues with it, but proceed at your own risk I guess.)
When I went there to buy mine a few years ago, I was hemming and hawing about the price. The owner very accurately said, "You can't pull it yourself!" I ended up getting four other guys to go in on it with me. That made it very affordable at $40 each. About the price of a dipnet.
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Post by freezeman on Apr 11, 2013 6:44:54 GMT -6
We had seine nets too but when my brother was taking a break i just decided to try a couple of scoop. Turns out that handle was not really sturdy for the job.
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Post by bgood22 on Apr 11, 2013 9:31:38 GMT -6
That link f-ed my computer up.........
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Post by robi0305 on Apr 11, 2013 16:11:12 GMT -6
Hello all. Does anyone have good advice on attaching a seine net to poles? The seine I have has a long string on the top and bottom on each side so I was wondering if it's best to have the net far from the poles or butted right up to them. Also, should the net be tied the length of the pole or should the two strings on each side be the only attaching points?
Any advice on technique of using the seine nets would be appreciated too.
I've smelted numerous times and haven't had much luck, so I don't know if it's my equipment, technique or most likely bad timing.
Thanks.
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Post by madbrad104 on Apr 11, 2013 17:37:13 GMT -6
Welcome robi0305 I tie the ropes a foot from the poles and don't tie the seine to the poles as the bottom of the seine will roll up and the smelt will go under the net my old boss likes tying the ropes out a couple of feet but those are 8' tall seines with bags there is a lot of videos on u-tube showing the correct way to work a seine as it would take to long to explain lol
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Post by dominodaves on Apr 11, 2013 17:43:54 GMT -6
There are many different types of nets out there, so my answer will be a general one. And here is the number one rule of seining for smelt!
The bottom edge of your net needs to be in contact with the bottom! Smelt concentrate themselves as close to the bottom as possible. When dip netting in the rivers you also need to be digging gravel or bumping along the bottom to have success.
It's as simple as that. Now here are some thoughts on why your setup may keep this from happening.
Not enough weights on the bottom of your net...I've actually seen some guys put heavy chains on theirs to keep it down.
So if you are tying up a new setup, try and use most of the available rope as "slack" so that when you pull it has a chance to sink all the way to the bottom. It's no big deal if you have roughly 5-6 feet of rope between you and the net when pulling.
Also, when pulling you don't have to always go "fast", because if you are pulling too quickly for your setup, and it causes the net to lift off the bottom, it will hurt your success. Every setup is a bit different, so experiment a little...try it out during daylight and make sure that you are maintaining contact with the bottom.
If you have a big 25' you can slow down and make a bigger u shape in the water and have more success.
May I ask what kind of net you are working with?
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Post by robi0305 on Apr 11, 2013 18:37:14 GMT -6
Thanks madbrad104 and dominodaves!
I'm not sure the brand of seine I have but it's about 15' long, 1/4" mesh, has 1 ounce weights every foot and has six 3" long pipe insulation floats total.
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Post by dominodaves on Apr 12, 2013 10:47:23 GMT -6
I had one like that I got from Gander. It was black, I believe a Frabil. I didn't have much success with it either. So I up-graded. But I did see some guys doing real with a Frabil last year. They modified it a bit. They did add weights to the bottom and tied their ropes as close to the bottom of their poles as possible. I think they were the ones with 3 different 3 foot pieces of heavy duty chains added on to the bottom of their net. It seemed odd to me at the time, but the more I think about it the more I like the concept. You can't argue with success.
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Post by chhemv01 on Apr 12, 2013 11:38:19 GMT -6
Where would you tie the chains? I'm confused
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Post by dominodaves on Apr 12, 2013 12:13:59 GMT -6
The nets have floats on the top, and weights on the bottom. The chains got added using zip ties to the bottom of the net to keep it down on the bottom. It looked to be a 4x15 footer. So it was real flat when they pulled it since it didn't have a pocket. But the chains added enough weight to keep it on the bottom so the little buggers couldn't escape. It was working for them.
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Post by freezeman on Apr 12, 2013 12:47:04 GMT -6
That was what i had in mind but not with chains. I might have to try that this year.
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Post by dominodaves on Apr 12, 2013 15:46:13 GMT -6
I just looked at the beach cam, all the ice blew in from the ne wind, and everything is covered in a lot of snow....uuuugggg!!!!! When will it be over? ? All I want to do is eat some fresh smelt!!!!! And I guess this means no fishing for trout tomorrow morning.
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