50 years of smelt fishing

[kkahmann]

I'm sittin here on Lake Nipigon waitin for the ice to melt. Been reading with interest the smelt fishing reports when I realized this will be my 50th year dippin a few. My first smelt fishng trip was to Duluth in 1965--I had just gotten a drivers liscense.

Smelt fishin has always represented the start of the open water season to me. I don't believe I've missed any years when I didn't dip at least a meals worth. Fished 'em commercially for a few years too--took 60,000 lbs one year--but didn't make any money.

In the early days it was quite a party between Duluth and Two Harbors--it was hard to find a place to dip it was so crowded some years. I remember using a seine just south of the Lester River cause it was too crowded on the river itself--had to stand in line to find a place to dip. Several people drowned--booze and cold water--bad combination. I used to fish the Sucker River cause there was such a steep and muddy hill from the hiway down to the mouth that most people didn't want to tackle it.

April 28th was the normal date when the run started--I remembered I read that somewhere. In my experience that's a little early but you could always get few on that date and the small males tend to eat the best anyway. Lakehead and Nipigon Bay was always about a week after that with Lake Nipigon a few days later still.

I moved to the town of Nipigon on the North Shore in the early 70's and fished them there in large quantities--used 'em for pike bait and bear bait. Runs are holdin up pretty good there still.

I got half a freezer still from last year to use for bait but I think I'll mosey on down to the creek in the front yard and dip a pail just for a fresh feed.

[JP Z]

Thanks for this post! Very cool to read, I remember hearing of the heydays.....and the foolishness that came from it.