I don't know about smelt (never seen one there) but I did see some dead gizzard shad. I just figured that's what they were.

Yeah there's a lot of gizzard shad in the lake(big ones too), I just never heard of there being any smelt until I read this thread. 
 
NeFiShNeTiMe, if your asking where Pymy(Pymatuning) is at, it is in crawford county.  Along the OH/PA border.

The ones i saw caught off the dock area just last fall were definately smelts. I've caught a lot of them in PI bay and conneaut, oh to know what i saw. Spot tails dont look like them in shape or markings.

Smelt are a cold water fish...I wouldn't imagine they'd thrive in the shallow water of Pymy...even the deeper water near the dam would get nearly 70* in the summer.  Not doubting you Chaunc...just seems strange.

NeFiShNeTiMe

Where is that if ya don't mind me asking? Pm if needed. Ty

Who was this intended for? If you are asking where I saw the gizzard shad, they were at the Jamestown marina. I fished there and off of the Jamestown Beach #1.

Why can't the crappie fishing be like this on pyme?  
http://youtu.be/hLdSOwUSCow

That would be Kyle lake right off I80 near DuBois and Sunday I was on Curwensville lake and measured 7 inches. I would say by Sat it will be down to 5 but that's still good.

The smelt thing had me intrigued,so I emailed M.r Timothy Wilson who is the fisheries biologist for PA disctrict 1 which includes Pymatuning. This was his response.
 
Thanks for your questions. This is the second instance of someone telling me they were catching rainbow smelt in Pymatuning Reservoir this year. I will answer your questions in the order they were asked.
 
1. Rainbow smelt are a coldwater fish and should not be able to survive a typical summer in Pymatuning Reservoir. The only inland waters in Pennsylvania that can support naturally reproducing smelt populations are large reservoirs that thermally stratify in summer and maintain cold oxygenated water below the thermocline. Pymatuning Reservoir does thermally stratify in summer, however, the depths below the thermocline quickly go anoxic and are unable to support fish life as dissolved oxygen levels fall to near zero.
 
2. In 30+ years of sampling in Pymatuning Reservoir and Pymatuning Sanctuary not a single rainbow smelt has ever been observed. So, I think it is highly unlikely that these fish are rainbow smelt. However, when it comes to biology, I have learned to ‘never say never’. ‘Bait Bucket Biologists’ continually move fish around Pennsylvania hoping to improve the fishing in their waters. It is illegal and normally has many negative unintended consequences. Therefore, it is theoretically possible that some smelt were introduced and survived to be caught, but I doubt it. More likely, the anglers are misidentifying these fish. To be 100% certain, I would have to see a good quality photograph.
 
3. In reviewing the historic catch data from Pymatuning, I looked for other species of fish that look similar to smelt. The best candidates would be spottail shiners or brook silversides, both of which occur in great abundance in Pymatuning and in Presque Isle Bay. Both species are key components of the forage base in Pymatuning, along with gizzard shad. The key defining characteristics between the three species is that the spottail shiners have a black spot at the base of the tail fin (hence the name spottail) and the rainbow smelt don’t. The rainbow smelt have teeth. Neither the brook silverside nor the spottail shiner has teeth. I doubt they were brook silversides because their mouth is so small that I can’t imagine them being caught by hook and line. So my guess is that they were catching spottail shiners.
 
Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or have a picture of these fish.
 
Sincerely,
 
Timothy A. Wilson
Fisheries Biologist
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
13240 Hartstown Road
Linesville, PA 16424
814-683-1036
 
So if anybody catches what they think is a smelt again try to take a good quality picture of it. Mr Wilson would love to see it.
 
 
 

I bet I've watched that vid 10 times now. It's worth watching more than once. lol. I have some of those Lake Fork Trophy shad too. Never caught a fish on them though.

Caught 40 nice smelt in pymy today

Well is there ice on pyma still?

Just found out pyma lost all ice

Road Runner

Hey Icefisherman52 just wandering if kyle is still all froze up

I think it still is but will check it out today and get back to you.

Well I dropped my camera down the hole by mistake

chauncy

fish whisper

Caught 40 nice smelt in pymy today

This post is useless without pictures.

Thanks a lot Icefisherman52.  We will probably head out that way Sunday morning.