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It happens every year in early Spring as smelt make their ritual arrival up
rivers to spawn. Avid smelters, dress themselves with waders or hip boots
(depending on the depth of water) and line the river with a large dip net used
to scoop smelt from within the flowing river.
 Years
gone by, smelt dipping was considered a ritual as well- by locals and visitors
from all over the country. They'd line river banks with buckets and coolers and
in most cases, always filling them up to the brim. The smelt was then taken
home, cleaned, stored and or shared with relatives friends and family. Smelt is
also stored and used as fishing bait during the Spring and Summer fishing
seasons.
 These
days are different. It is quite unclear, but it appears the smelt population has
been deteriorating. In most recent years smelt runs have been sporadic and
extremely light, and rather than scooping up a dip net full, current averages
are only a few smelt at a time. Long time smelters seem to believe that
river-run smelt will make a come-back, and it is this notion that compel smelt
dippers to return again and again to Lake Superior & Lake Michigan river
tributaries.
Smelt Fishing & Dipping Report
It's
getting near that time... the middle - end of April when our seasonal smelt run
up the Great Lakes river outlets. How are we making out here in the U.P.?
Knowing just the right weather conditions and timing is everything for smelt
dipping success.
You can never, ever be too early for preparing yourself for Spring Smelting
Fishing Season. It's a sport fishing challenge all by itself- with huge benefits
and loads of fun.
UPDATE:
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Perhaps later than usual, due to old man winter sticking around for almost like
forever, it's all going to happen in the north from here on out. Daytime
temps are sky-rocketing into the 50's and over night lows will be above
freezing- so no snow.
The bad news is, we've still got plenty of snow, spring thaw and that means high
water run-off. Streams and rivers will be flowing hard.
Now is the time to keep close watch for consistent warming rain showers.
That'll help trigger the smelt to run- but there again... rivers and streams are
going to be over-burdened with water and that could delay a smelt run easily.
There's no rain in the forecast for the next several days... that could be the
ticket as the northern tier counties lose their snow totals. It should go
fast.
I'd be paying close attention right now. This week would be a good time to
start making calls and checking around with local sporting shops, motels,
hotels, pubs and even the DNR or the Forest Service (Yeah right!)
Temps are looking good. A couple more elements to the equasion and wha-la.
I'd have to say the southern U.P., Lake Michigan is probably right on top of the
run if it hasn't already happened.
Let me know how you make out, where you make out and I'll pass the info around.
Last smelt season erupted in northern Luce County around April 20th when a
thrash of warming rains filled tributaries to produce very good results, however
in other area rivers, smelt were scarce at best.
Pick out a couple of areas to consider, and follow the weather patterns
closely. Continuous rain showers, along with warming temps are usually a good
indication in narrowing your options down. An early Winter thaw will usually
bring about an early smelt run.
Smelt fishing with hook and line through the ice.
If you're willing enough to brave the elements during Winter and poke a few
holes through the ice on Lake Superior's Munising Bay, you just may get lucky
catching smelt through the ice.
How to catch smelt fishing through the ice? We'll try to tackle that one for you
in a Winter Ice Fishing article this slated for later this year.
Keep close watch for it.
In the meantime, here's a little
catching smelt through the ice article to hold you over until then.
Lake Superior Smelt are the biggest and best eating of all the Great Lakes.
Additional Smelt Dipping Resources
Smelt
Fishing on Munising Bay
Little known, Munising Bay has got to be one of the most beautiful areas to go fishing this side of Canada.
Smelt - Osmerus mordax *
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Identifying Characteristics
Smelt Dipping *
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources provides a great article on smelt
fishing in Michigan.
Smelt Dipping Opportunities *
How far do you want to go to dip for smelt? Do you want to know where
all the Michigan Smelt Streams and Great Lakes Shorelines Locations are? The
Michigan Department of Natural Resources have a handy dandy Adobe pdf file that
lists them all in Michigan including the Upper Peninsula. Now go ahead... make
your plans.
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Adventures on U.P. inland lakes, rivers and streams. Capture the thrill of it
all.
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