Smelt for Pike?

[BiggA]

I have recently been hearing that dead baits like smelt on tip ups work good for pike. Anyone try these? Where do you find them? I was told pike like an easy meal and stinky dead bait is easier and more productive than having to chase suckers around.

[HD]

You can buy them whole at the grocery store.

And yes, they do work......I have used them from time to time.

Hunter

[Woody]

I beleive that is the bait of choice on Upper Red for monster northerns.  So the answer is yes!    I've never tried it myself.

[Dan R.]

Also frozen ciscos work that is the bait of choice on Lake of the Woods

[Bobby Bass]

Northerns feed big time on dead bait on the bottom, there may be a question of where you can use smelt as a dead bait. I seem to remember something about a DNR notice about smelt not to be used in any then the waters they came from.

[GRIZ]

I am not sure about that. I think they can be used any lake as long as not live. Infact smelt cannot be transported from a lake where caught until they are dead.

[Bobby Bass]

I am not sure about that. I think they can be used any lake as long as not live. Infact smelt cannot be transported from a lake where caught until they are dead.

Something to do with eggs I thought...

[Dan R.]

I am not sure about that. I think they can be used any lake as long as not live. Infact smelt cannot be transported from a lake where caught until they are dead.

Something to do with eggs I thought...

vhs disease

[HD]

I dunno, I only used them on a few lakes in Nebraska that required that you only use smelt. As for Minnesota regs. I'm not sure........


Might have to e-mail the DNR on that one.


Hunter

[kenhuntin]

I don't know so much about how they like an easy meal. because via underwater cameras the pike still motor in 90 miles an hour to slam dead baits. I personally have witnessed that Yes dead smelt work for northern and pout as well. They may work for other fish as well. Some one out there must be able to attest they caught a walleye on an old smelt. C'mon in and share.

[thunderpout]

We have used dead smelt on Pike and lake trout in the BWCA and Canada with those "saftey pin" hooks that hold dead bait on them, they fall apart real easy, so ya learn to cast em out real easy.... just lay them on the bottom, for Lakers, we'd put em on raised rock piles/sunken islands.... they work very well!   Yeah, grocery stores, or bait shops up north have em in frozen bricks.... the good thing is, if the fishing aint so hot, its one of the few times ya can eat the bait and not feel like yer on one of those survival shows on the dicovery channel!

[Bobby Bass]

6262.0300 FISHING REGULATIONS FOR LAKE SUPERIOR.

Subp. 5.Prohibition on taking fish for bait purposes. The taking of fish for bait purposes from all Minnesota waters of Lake Superior and all waters of the St. Louis River downstream of the Fond du Lac Dam in St. Louis and Carlton Counties, including any and all outflows, estuaries, streams, creeks, or waters adjacent to or flowing into these waters is prohibited.

I knew I had seen this somewhere before, It's a Lake Superior law. You can not take Smelt to use for bait from the above mention waters. Of course next to impossible to enforce.

Link to laws inregards to Smelt
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/rules/?id=6262.0300

[thunderpout]

But if ya buy them dead and frozen... I take it your A-OK.....

[Bobby Bass]

But if ya buy them dead and frozen... I take it your A-OK.....

That was the arguement last year about them. The law says no. I don't know if you can buy them in bait shops along the north shore anymore, but you can I think buy them in the grocery for food. One of these laws that sounds real good but how do you enforce it? 

[thunderpout]

We'd always get smelt at the Beaver Flick bait shop in Grand Marias.... its been a couple years though.... yeah, it would be tough to enforce, but not worth getting in trouble for using if it is illegal.... but they do work really well... I think its all the oils in the smelt... its like GULP, but all natural!

[schmitty]

i used to buy frozen smelt at the sag store on the gunflint trail , matter of fact last month when i was up there we bought frozen smelt from the uglybaby bait store accross from trail center . big pike love'em

[bigbud]

Go to vados bait in springlake park on hwy 65 or to there web site vadosbait.com thats where i get smelt good luck.

[Woody]

Go to vados bait in springlake park on hwy 65 or to there web site vadosbait.com thats where i get smelt good luck.

When you go there, tell them to check their e-mail.    

And to stop by MNO