Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Recommended Posts

We were able to get a couple gallons last night, which was all we wanted. Probably averaged about 25 smelt per pull. Moby, it was good to meet you and glad we could get a few for you. It's fun to catch them and know somebody else will clean them wink.gif.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 446
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Northlander

    82

  • kgpcr4

    24

  • Nate McVey

    23

  • Surface Tension

    17

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

The 2007 run is winding down so if you haven't gotten your smelt yet you better do it tonight. It was pretty slow early but the last pulls around midnight produced somewheres around 50 smelt per pull. Nice to see you guys and again and good to meet a couple more FM'ers.

How about that weather, smelting in shirts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pretty slow night we came up with one. next year we'll use the sock seine was catching way more them our seine. when we were walking out the boys with badges were on their way down to the beach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Its good to see the CO's, even better to see compliance to the Fish&Game laws. After working the entire beach only one citation for a illegal seine length. The price of the ticket would have boughten a new Christensen sock net.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been reading these posts for some time now. Even used it to determine when to go up to the Lester. Was there last Thursday night. Dipped 63 smelt. Other did some better. I have been reading about this Christensen sock net,

Where do you get one and how much? Is there a link to a website to get a look at one?

Great site, Northlander's reports very helpful, DNR website bascially tells you when it is over, not very current data.

Also been to the point years back but not sure where the tot lot is, I assume it is a playground area?

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give me.

Sure miss the old days of 20-30 years ago when we really had a blast, use to watch people fill a 30 gal garbage can on the beach and then rip the handles off trying to get up to car. Even seen several truck lined with plastic in the box filled to the top.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A big thanks to Northlander and others who posted. My two buddies Roy and Paul who fished with me at the B-Side Bash went up last Saturday night and came back with all the smelt they wanted. Living down in the cities they would have never known when to go and more than likely would have missed the run. Paul fryed up some last night and they sure were tasty. smile.gif Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Christiansen Nets is in the Duluth phone book.

We have sold many nets for them this year and next year it will be time for them to come on as a full sponsor of this forum. Then we can post contact info for everyone.

As ST stated the run is almost over. Maybe tonight and that should be about it.

Nice to see some fellow Fmers last night.

Ill be down checking it out tonight after work just because its so nice out.

Til next season boys, be safe and have a great fishing opener.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info on the net. I did get in contact with Christensen, I assume when I told them I was interested in the nets used for smelt off park point they know exactly what I was talking about. Gave me a quote, maybe I will need one for next year.

Time to break out the rod and reel.

Have you ever heard much about the smelt on Grindstone lake by Hickley? We stopped there one night on the way back from Duluth and there were people dipping. Not many smelt but they thought it was early at that time. One group used a sein and got about 150 on one pass. I thought it was real nice to not have to fight the waves and it was much warmer inland. They usually run before the North Shore runs as the water warms up sooner. The guy in the bait shop told us they also catch them though the ice with small hooks, can't remember the bait. They said there was some really big ones during the ice fishing period. Not sure if I can believe that, but if true should be a fast bite.

Thanks again for all the information on the thread, great site.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm, thought I already posted this, but anyways,

Thanks to all who helped me out last night, northlander, et al. I had a great time and that cookie realy hit the spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a blast last night and got some smelt for my friends and I even though the run was not too crazy. Big thanks to Northlander, BD, ST, lota, and Chadwick for showing me the ways of the smelt (I think I still have some scales stuck in my teeth from my first successful pull grin.gif)

thanks again guys!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went out on the point by the airport and got about a gallon in and hour & half. Enough for us. Also got a trout and 3 suckers - all with our little frabill net! (yah, we threw them back smile.gif ) A great night to be out - couldn't ask for nicer weather. Now I don't feel bad about skipping out during the windy wknd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waders, seign and dip net are away in the rafters and the Lund is ready to rock. Bring on the Walleye Opener.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I here ya steve it was good to get some for Bait. But it is time to fight some fish in the river laugh.gif.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I trolled out in front of park point yesterday and didnt see any clouds of smelt on the sonar ,,,I think its over for the year ,,time to chase some bigger fish

Good Luck on Opener

Randoid

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stick a fork in it cuzz its done. Now bring on the Walleye opener. grin.gifgrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well, I'd have to say all indicators point towards it being over with for the season.

what will we do until opener?

HA! I know, lets head to RED!! cool.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One question I wonder if someone knows the answer to. Can you use a cast net for smelt?

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good question there my man.I dont know if it would be very effective unless you had them all piled up against a breakwall or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the way I look at it, when your running the sein you must have the smelt piled up somewhere close or you wouldn't catch them in the sein. Therefore I figure it might be a whole lot less work throwing out a cast net, even from shore you should be able to throw 25 foot, the length of the sein. One guy could work a cast net pretty well and not even get his feet wet. I got to thinking about that when you guys were talking about the big waves and how dangerous it could be. I think I will see what the DNR has to say about that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe use of cast nets in inland waters is illegal ,,,not sure about any of the great lakes tho,,,I use a cast net to get minnows out of my pond but think smelting with it may be tooooo much work

Randoid

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cast nets would make smelting too EASY! Therefore, it has to be illegal. Dont you think? I dont know if it is truely illegal or not, but I think it has to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess it is illegal but I sent the DNR an email anyway to get the offical word. I looked through several locations on their website but couldn't come up with much except the size of seine nets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got the real information from the DNR and as some have already mentioned, Cast nets are not allowed for any fishing in Minnesota. Darn!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

UMDSportsman, I was just putting my winter and spring fishing gear away when I remembered you still had my dipnet. Could you please email me so we can meet up and I can get that back? shiner2367atyahoodotcom.

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shiner2367- you have mail, sorry about the long wait. didn't know your email address, and you didn't reply on the thread i started with your name in the header.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.



  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.