Smelt

[tplatt]

I have never tried it before and I have been thinking of giving it a shot. Can anyone give me a few hints on how to icefish for smelt?

Duck Killer

[Gill-T]

They sometimes get them in Small Boat Harbor thru the ice.  The lower Niagara will have a run in April for dip-netting.

[Matt Bedient]

Couldn't keep them off my bait Saturday at the small boat. My screen was lit up with them. Little jigs and spikes.

[Sk8man]

Tiny jigs and spikes or (2 or 3)very small #12 gold Mustad Aberdeen hooks spaced about 10 inches apart with spikes and a small sinker below them

Edited January 29, 2014 by Sk8man

[yette66]

Small hooks size 12 or smaller about 60 ft down millsite lake has them if your look for them

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[Don Supon]

Small minnow (or pieces) on a small size Aberdeen hook(s) with split shot above to keep it down, tiny bobber, fish just under the ice. Smelt like to travel just below ice, No hook-set, just lift until fish is felt and quickly remove from water. They just hang on and are rarely hooked. Smelt releases itself when you lower it to top of ice surface. Gently lift when smelt pulls bobber to side of hole. No fish-drop it back without removing from water. You have to keep slush out of hole, they rarely pull bobber under. Clean and cook over charcoal right there on the ice. Fish bottom for perch while top fishing for smelt in separate hole. Various places on Grand Island in protected bays or marinas with little or no current. Mid-April on for smelt run in lower Niagara. Dipping occurs near or typically after dark, often well into the night.