Fresh Fish Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 smelt, i missed u. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snags Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Should we report this to MNR? If you witness it, YES. Usually the MNR is down at Queenston a few times during smelt season. Even though the "white bucket brigade" takes lots of any fish ... usually everyone with them has a license, saw it in Port Dalhousie during bass season ... whackload of bass on stringers, but by the time you count all the fish and all the members of the family present ... they could still catch more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 If the numbers are down I think the MNR would step in and do something . I think the salmon have taken a toll on the smelts. During the 50's the smelts were taken by the bushels and many were used for fertilizer around fruit trees ....the smell was :skunk: double double ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnn Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 What happened to the original post ? Did I miss something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 What happened to the original post ? Did I miss something? No, you did not miss a thing. Some folks just need to constantly jump on the soap box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverexplorer Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Numbers of Smelt are going down, due to invasive mussels fighting for the same food source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Pike Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I rememeber the tales my Uncle's told me about smelt fishing and dumping piles of fish in the bathtub for my Mom to clean. LOL I never got to experience this fishing myself, unfortunately, before the smelt population collapsed. If it should ever return, it's something I would look forward to each spring as it definately sounds like it was a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 With the just going out of Lake Erie the smelt should be running any time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I remember the tales my Uncle's told me about smelt fishing and dumping piles of fish in the bathtub for my Mom to clean. LOL I never got to experience this fishing myself, unfortunately, before the smelt population collapsed. If it should ever return, it's something I would look forward to each spring as it definitely sounds like it was a good time. Cars would line the canal banks at Port Weller and behind the legion at Port Dalhousie . Many built a fulcrum frame with a crank for lifting the net and using a long handle scoop to fill their pails FULL of smelts , some 12" long ! They would run the front tire of the car on the bottom of the 2" x 10" plank to hold the fulcrum down . Today ....we would use electric downrigger motors .......We also got tons of smelt by walking into the water from beaches .....One of the spots was near the Rathfon Inn in Lake Erie ! We used to drop a net right off the Jordan Harbour bridge and get lots of smelt .....not much traffic there in those days ..... With the ice just going out of Lake Erie the smelt should be running any time now. Yes , the water will warm up faster now .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I ued to fish smelt at Rathfon. The fishermen ruined by drinking and getting noisy. It's banned there now by the private property owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Lococos had smelt for sale. Minnows!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordanthefishnguru Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 ive been going to queenston but just babies being caught Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnn Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I ued to fish smelt at Rathfon. The fishermen ruined by drinking and getting noisy. It's banned there now by the private property owner. The fishing isn't banned. The problem is no trespassing. If you can get to the water you can fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 They also erected a bunch of no parking signs along the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 We will never see the monster schools of smelt and alewife from the 60's and 70's. Remember the mountains of dead alewife that littered the beaches? It left the beaches unusable. That was a population explosion due to a lack of predation. The stocking programs have since rebalanced the populations. The return of lakers and the stocking of steelhead, browns, and pacific salmon has taken care of that surplus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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