smelt
 

are here!!! dumped about 70 of them into my boat in about an hour at the slip.

yummmy

Yeah Baby, was thinking of heading out for some this weekend on the North Shore.

Love them things all breaded and fried :drool:

what terminal rigs are used for smelt? I always wanted to try to get some fresh..they are delicious!

Minimal gear required. UL rod with nylon squid line. Bead chain weight. Brass wire spreader and some size 6 Sabiki rigs.

Where is "here" if you don't mind my asking (if so, sorry). I've got an old friend who loves smelt fishing.

Are there any in Plymouth yet?? Fryed with a Ice cold beer!:cheers:

my boat club in east boston.

i was using my regular freshwater rod, 1/2oz egg sinker, and a little gold gamagatsku arberdeen hook with a piece of mussel i pulled off the bottom of the slip. they were vicious today, i could see them hitting the sinker. if i had a sabiki on me, it would have been death to alot of fish over there. i just fed my friends and ate like 30, im stuffed.

I use a couple of smelt rods, you can get the crappie (as in fish not Crappy as in , well Crap) rods at #^&#^&#^&#^&s they are the closest thing out there right now...or you can just use a freshwater rod. I just throw on a small swedish pimple with a tiny piece of seaworm on it and it works great. usually got 2 rods sitting there at once.

also the perfect time for a couple of frosties too.

I tried to go last night and spent hours searching in winthrop for an open dock that you were allowed to fish off of. Sometimes trying to find new places to fish just plain sux.

If anyone wants to try and organize a smelt trip this winter, I'm interested.

I would like to try smelt fishing as well. It seems like the sabiki rigs would be more effective. I have heard that grass shrimp work well too.

So that's what the bass at the Powderpoint Bridge were gulping down last night.
Had I known, I would have brought down a sibiki rig as well.

Fried up in butter and onions :drool:

last season i don't think alot of the smelt camps even opened. i'll put together a trip if anyone's interested in going this winter. they are here in hull. time to swing by and get some shrimp.

Last year the Camp we were supposed to go to ended up canceling on us.......No Ice....In Maine......In January. Go Figure, better not happen this season

I have a question regarding smelt.
Do you clean smelt as you would a larger fish, or are the good to go "as is"?
I've never fished for them specifically, but have snagged a few by accident.
I was planning on heading out tonight and try jigging up a bunch using a sabiki rig.

Cut off the heads and gut them...eat the bones and all. :drool:

I just gut them and leave the heads on. Pan fry. I don't eat the bones.

Thanks for the info.
I was thinking of trying off the Powderpoint bridge tonight.
I saw what may have been either smelt or silverside minnows all around the bridge. I had snagged one on a Bomber lure while casting off Duxbury beach on Monday night.
Since there haven't been many big bass hanging around the bridge, I thought I'd give this a try.