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Smelt

BrianWilson

BrianWilson

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Any Maine smelt pros on here? What the deal? Looks like a blast. Is the provided gear sufficient, or is it a good excuse to buy some new stuff? Any tips, "secret bait" etc? Giving it a shot once the camps are on the ice for sure.
 
Talk about an ancient memory! Remember a few trips, always at night, with my dad somewhere around Dorchester Lower Mills near the old Baker(?) chocolate factory, used to get 'em by the bucket. I was never a fish eater then, but I could eat a few of those (fried) with some fries and a Coke.
 
greencobra said:
this brought back memories of my dad. him pounding these down with a few haffenreffers on those meatless fridays catholics had to endure probably turned me off fish for life.
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My dad used a cast iron skillet.......and yes....pounded em flat.....dust with corn meal and fry em up. But he was a Budweiser man. I miss fried smelts.....my wife won't let me cook fish in the house she hates the smell......but I could eat those smelts my old man made by the pound!!!!!
 
I have really fond memories of smelt fishing over in Squantum as a kid with family.

Little buggers always stole my bait! They were fast!

Dad surely did love his smelts!
 
My friends dad used to take us to Highham and Hull when we were kids. Would anyone like to share a good smelt spot on the South shore? How about a bait and tackle shop that has those little grass shrimp that the smelt love? How about a alternate bait?
 
Being a relative newcomer to the area, I love stuff like this. New to me, so fascinating (if you are a fishing / hunting dork). Clean and fry whole? I know, dumb question but sounds a bit like grunion from the west coast except we missed out on the fun of fishing for them- they practically jumped into our buckets, literally! Yeah, it sounds like a snipe hunt but for you doubters:

California Grunion Facts and Expected Runs


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtkMt0iu9Zg&t=40s


Grunion runs always made for a fun date too.
 
Things can change over time, but the wife and I would make the trip to Little Anthony's seafood rest. in Winchendon for the smelts. I would count 30 good size smelts on the plate. From Canada, I think. I just checked their menu and they still have them. If you really like smelt you might want to check it out. Jack.
 
Mountain said:
Grunion runs always made for a fun date too.
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ah, the grunion runs...california's equivalent of the running of the bulls in pamplona, spain. california, where the only activities are ones that are harmless and where protective legislation all began. good times, good times.
SpaceCritter said:
….there's always smelt wrestling....
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oh, the smell! did they have fabreze then? I hope so.
 
SpaceCritter said:
...and sounds like something requiring a course of doxycycline - or at least a strong prescription ointment. [grin]
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richc said:
How did know which were male and which were female? Or did it matter which you dated???

:)
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LOL, leave it to NES to target an unclear sentence. The only Caligula-like piles of slippery, writhing bodies on the beach were the fish. What I should have said was this was an excellent excuse to bring a girl to a beach after midnight. Fun date, you can figure out if a girl is game for outdoors stuff, plus you can guess the rest. Great way to filter out anyone too neurotic to venture out into the dark or to grab a slippery fish.
 
greencobra said:
ah, the grunion runs...california's equivalent of the running of the bulls in pamplona, spain. california, where the only activities are ones that are harmless and where protective legislation all began. good times, good times.
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There are a few old Californians left. We enjoyed the environment and took good care of it like any good hunter / fisherman would. Pro 2A, pro ranching, pro oil extraction, pro manufacturing- and only hammer those who f-ed something up not punish the innocent. Not once do I recall ever seeing a fishing or swimming / surfing ban due to industrial waste- it was always the f-ed up municipalities spilling sewage that closed beaches.

That was another reason Grunion runs made a good filter date. Moonbats would self disqualify in order to protect the little smelts.
 
"How did know which were male and which were female? Or did it matter which you dated???"

You do realize that you are talking about California here???

I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, The wife and I would catch a bunch of those and they would be lunch the next day.
 
FisherTech said:
"How did know which were male and which were female? Or did it matter which you dated???"

You do realize that you are talking about California here???

I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, The wife and I would catch a bunch of those and they would be lunch the next day.
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Are east coast smelt similar?
 
Ice, or lack there of seems to be the issue right now. A shack is reserved for us in a couple weeks though, and all I need for gear is a spool of the super special 4lb "Ice"mono and a recipe for corn meal batter.:)
 
Jim just started putting camps out yesterday. I heard one shack got over 400 fish on one tide!
 
A religious holiday meal around Easter every year at the grandparents while growing up
Secret bait was used at the fish market
 

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