How to Catch Maine Smelts

Fried smelt are a delicious meal after a long day of fishing.

Smelt fishing, which is a long tradition in Maine, can be done with either a pole and rig or a dip-net. A fleet of ice shanties, enclosures to protect the smelt-enthusiasts from the cold and the wind, congregates as soon as the ice is thick enough to be safe. A common, successful, but complex method of catching smelt is with a sabiki rig.

Things You'll Need

• Ice shanty
• Ice-fishing pole
• Maine fishing license
• 6 lb. test monofilament fishing line
• Chainsaw
• Knife
• Bucket
• 3 jigs or flies
• 2 snap swivels
• 1 1/8 oz. bank sinker
• Sand worms

Instructions

Sabiki Rig

1. Attach a snap swivel to the end of the 6-lb. monofilament line from your reel using a fishing knot.

2. Cut a section from your spool of - lb. monofilament line measuring between 16 and 20 inches to be the length of your rig.

3. Every 6 or 8 inches down your rig, tie a fly or jig on using a dropper loop.

4. Tie a snap swivel to the end of the rig line using a fishing knot and attach an 1/8-oz. bank sinker to it.

5. Tie your rig to the snap swivel at the end of the reel line.

Fishing

1. Determine where the best place is to catch smelt in Maine. Lakes tend to be the most common place to fish for smelt.

2. Find a suitable place on the ice to rest your ice shanty. Light a wood fire inside to provide heat.

3. Using the holes in the floor of the ice shanty as guides, cut through the ice using your chainsaw.

4. Cut up the sand worms and bait each fly or jig. Set up your poles and drop the lines down. Place your catch in a bucket of water to keep the smelt fresh.

Tips & Warnings

• If tying fishing knots and making your own rigs is difficult for you, you may purchase rigs in a bait shop that are already tied.

• If you plan to eat the smelt, you can bring a frying pan along and cook them up as you catch them.

• Take caution when using hooks or fine, monofilament fishing line. They have the potential to cause bodily harm.

• Take care when on the ice. Ice is slippery and may cause injury if you fall.

References

• The Fishin' Hole; Smelt Fishing; Lloyd Metcalf
• New England Sportsmen Network; Maine Smelt; Jim Pellerin; 2004
• The New York Times; A Fishing Scene Set in Icy Maine; Nathaniel Vinton; December 2007
• Lake Michigan Angler; Sabiki Rigs Owner and Hayabusa for Catching Bait; March 2010

Resources

• New England Sportsmen Network; Rainbow Smelt Fishing in Maine; 2004
• Captain Dave's Fishing and Boating Pages; Dropper Loop; January 2010