s2k4mee Posted April 27, 2018 Report Share Posted April 27, 2018 My prime time is at 42F, which we should hit in the next few days. Full moon on Sunday though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted April 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2018 My spot is wide open the lake so I also need to wait calm wind. The run usually last 2-3 weeks so once they start there should be time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted April 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2018 Conditions were good for fishing except there were no fish. Only saw a few minnows. Give it another week maybe and try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k4mee Posted April 28, 2018 Report Share Posted April 28, 2018 Thanks for the update Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k4mee Posted May 7, 2018 Report Share Posted May 7, 2018 Tried last night and still no luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted May 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2018 Thanks for the update. I was planning to try Tuesday if the forecast holds for light wind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredfisher Posted May 7, 2018 Report Share Posted May 7, 2018 drifted the lower yesterday...talked with some shore guys and the word is no schmelting yet...guys been out at night but the smelt just not there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogaloo Posted May 8, 2018 Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Was at Queenston ramp and also NOTL last night and no Smelts at all. Looks more and more like no run this year...........................Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 8, 2018 Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Some say it's the water temp.....some say a full moon that triggers the run . We catch them through the ice in broad daylight !! Are they in the lake ? Are they now just salmon poop ? Me thinks they will show up when their ready .....boat anglers should pick the schools up on their screens .....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted May 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 No smelts tonight, but I did see what I think were a bunch of suckers swimming around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiagaraRiverFisher Posted May 9, 2018 Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 The majority of the smeltski's will spawn on the lake shore's this year like they did a few years ago when we had a "extended winter" ,when we have the crappy winter like springs ,the beach shore's warm up alot faster than the river and they will do there thing in the warmer shallow sandy area's . especially shore's west of the Niagara river , it is all about water temp folk's , they don't know how to read a calendar or care when the dandelion's are out or what day it is, but I'm_A_Drifter notice's that the smelt number's are down in lake O for the last # of years, ever since the late 90's smelt #'s have been decreasing but Alewife #'s have been pretty consistant over the years, last year I seen the most Alewife's I've ever seen in the lower Niagara River and the Biggest smelt I've seen in quite a while, but this is just one's opinion, hope other's chime in on what they seen last year ! love to compare note's ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 9, 2018 Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 Back in the late 50's early 60's we used to wade in L.Erie at Rathfon's , across the road from the cemetery and get smelt 50-100 each dip , some up to 10" . Farmers would load up their trucks with garbage pails full & spread a bunch under their fruit trees for fertilizer . (stink to high heaven) Netters would get them under Jordan bridge at the QEW , Port Dal., and at the canal locks ....sometimes getting hundreds in each dip of the 6' net . Niag Fisher....you may be exactly right about the warmer sandy shore line ..... I fished very shallow water yesterday to try for carp and did very well ...big difference from fishing the deeper spots where I usually get them . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icecy Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 No smelts or smelting on Queenston Wednesday May 9th evening either, but i caught a smallie and a nice bow from the boat, and then one spent rainbow from shore, casting a croc. There were a lot of fish crusing very close to shore right in front of me. They all looked black from above. By the way I'd like to say hello to all members as this is my first post and i am new to the board even though I am not so new in the fishing hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 Welcome to the gab fest icecy ..... thanks for the info ..... It looks like Queenston will be much cleaner this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teedee Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 welcome icecy thanks for the post it saves me a trip down there tonight td Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted May 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 I tried again tonight. No smelts but there was tons of minnows. Does anyone remember what dates they were being caught in past years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k4mee Posted May 14, 2018 Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 Thanks for the update guys. If they aren't in this week... It's probably safe to say it's over this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredfisher Posted May 14, 2018 Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 FOR SALE: 1 SMELT NET C/W 20' ROPE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k4mee Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 I know it's a different body of water, but... people have been getting smelt on Lake Superior the last 2 days. Hopefully that's some good sign...maybe lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted May 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 I have noticed that the carp seem to spawning. I think that means it is too late for smelt. I either missed them or they didn't show up where I was fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted May 19, 2018 Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 Wow. Quite the video there. Lmao and people wonder where the smelts are. When they are pillaged from the river like that the numbers are deff going to take a hit. Those are all spawners not getting a chance to do their thing. I Can't believe how greedy people are that they need to take coolers and buckets full of 4-5 inch fish. Maybe the fish have learned to spawn in the lake instead of running the gauntlet of dip nets and mass amounts of people who just have to fill the back of the pickup. Fishing isnt take take take. There has to be some give sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 19, 2018 Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 Funny we have 120 limit for minnows but no limit for smelts .....perhaps time for 100 per license (50 per. cons.) Smelts ( dead ,frozen) can be used for bait , especially when minnows are in short supply...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 19, 2018 Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 We need not go further than Port Dal. for all the smelts we wanted . They came into the 4 falls so thick , a long handled minnow hoop net was all you needed to scoop 50 at a time . At the end of the run , the Welland Ship Canal was loaded with them ...big ones , but nearly all hens bursting with roe ....and soft , not the greatest for the table . They would stay in the backwaters (spillway) before dying off , or following the ships back to either lakes. As far as the smelt numbers declining ....not sure if netting them has much influence .... salmon eating them , water quality , or a cantankerous Ms.Nature . (that was back in the 50's-60's mainly) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted May 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 The rainbow smelt are actually not native to the lakes. They were introduced as a food source for the salmon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 19, 2018 Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 Lots of info from Wiki.... They are still a problem in other lakes . We have had many new species added to our lakes since the intro of smelts ....like zebra mussels & gobies , and the lakes & fish seem to have adapted the new source of food . We still have a problem with the lampreys which seem to be of no use what so ever . The smelt will be around for a long time , going to miss this years smelt dinners . I have heard there are places at L.Simcoe to get plenty of nice fat smelts ....we use to catch 8-9" er's ice fishing off Oro 11 in 90 fow. while fishing for white fish . the smelt were attracted by the Coleman lantern in the hut & could be caught 2' under the ice .....we fried some up right there ! From Wiki ....some history on them.... Rainbow smelt invaded the Great Lakes watershed through an intentional introduction of eggs to Crystal Lake in 1912.[5] This lake drains into Lake Michigan, from which fish escaped into Lake Michigan and spread quickly throughout the Great Lakes and their tributaries. Early records documenting the smelt's range expansion in the Great Lakes include Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Superior.[5] Rainbow smelt were first reported from Lake Ontario in 1929, and probably reached it by dispersal along natural waterways from the Finger Lakes, New York, where they were intentionally introduced in 1917. The ability of rainbow smelt to disperse is determined by the connectivity of lakes, the ability of smelt to move through connecting streams, and the suitability of connected lakes as habitat.[6] Rainbow smelt are weak swimmers so they cannot make it over fish ladders.[7] This has helped to prevent an even wider spread of their range.[citation needed] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.