Has anyone seen whole smelt for sale anywhere? I work in a Giant Eagle and they are not available there or other stores around here. Only the ones that are cleaned is what I found, but those aren't the greatest for anything.
I got a bag from roof garden market in somerset for ice fishing season. They were 7 to 8 ? inch ones uncleaned with heads. I think they were a little over $6 for the bag and there might have been 35 in the bag. My wife asked the owner if she could get them and she did. I'd imagine they will keep carrying them for the catfish guys fishing somerset. They are located on rt 281? just before the turnpike bridge.
Whole smelts are tough to find, for sure! Wholey's or Benkowitz fish marekets in the Pittsburgh Strip district might have them.
Are you going Pike Fishing in the Quemahoning?
davef -> RE: Whole smelts? (4/1/2008 10:33:31 AM)
If i go for pike it will be up to high point i think. I've got some smelt left over and want to use them up if theres ever a day with no wind. I know quemahoning dam has some nice fish in it but i don't agree with their launch fees if i take the boat. If you'd go there enough a season pass wouldn't be to bad but i have other places where i catch more.
Probably the que. is a good place to go also but i just don't know where the hot spots are.
Well yes but I use them all over for pike and catfish. I was at the Que sunday morning it was cold very windy and didn't get a bite, but they'll be in after this week of warm weather I'm sure. Shiners being over 4 bucks a dozen don't cut it for me and its too early to trap my own so Smelt are a good replacement.
Yea, I used to fieh the Que from shore in early spring, and we'd use smelt for pike bait. It's been a few years since I've been there though. Once caught a big brown trout there on a smelt. A big bellied lake living brown.
I've fished high point alot for northerns, and have done well through the years (never any big boys though). However, I've never used smelt there.
thanks i'm a step ahead of you, I googled them right after i saw it,,,maybe i'll wait till my first trip to lk somerset to get them, make it worth the trip.
I use the whole smelt that are gutted and they work fine at the dam. I used to go all the time for cats and pike and they pound them good. I have caught bullheads up to 19inches so far which are pretty decent. DO you fish there a lot?
Somerset you mean? Well yes over the years, but I think i'm gonna try it a bit more this year. I have always heard there is nice channels in there but in my experience the bullheads are pretty undersized?
quemahoning dam catman, I have caught bullheads up to 19" in there. I don't think there are channels in the dam. I know somerset has some nice cats in it though. If you are around sometime I can show you a few places I have caught cats from.
Oh sure, i've caught some nice ones at the que as well. Matter of fact right where the new boat launch is was one of our hotspots, it was all woods then, we measured one at about 20"-ish.
Have you asked your local giant eagle fish market whether they can order you some whole smelt? I have placed special orders through giant eagle for different things in the past, and if you are polite about it (and they can actually get what you are looking for) they can have it sent in their next order usually. Just asking... [;)]
Well actually I'm a manager at my local Giant Eagle,,we can't get them,,only cleaned ones.
I've been trying for the last 2 years!
davef -> RE: Whole smelts? (4/11/2008 6:01:30 PM)
I didn't look into it during ice fishing season but i wonder if the smelt from the great lakes are legal anymore with the vhs scare from there. The whole ones i got i'm not sure where they were from but the small cleaned ones were from the great lakes.
I'd guess the great lakes ones are no longer legal except in the erie watershed.