Ashland County Smelt Report
No reports of Smelt being caught in the Chequamegon Bay yet. There are some Anglers trolling on the outside of the Bay, primarily flat-lining with stick baits.
There are reports of some nice size Steelheads in the rivers. With any rain expect more fresh fish in the streams.
Note…Early Steelhead Season on the Tributary Streams, opened on Saturday, March 25th. The Streams are open up to the 1st barrier. The Tributary Streams are high and somewhat cloudy right now. Reports of some nice Steelhead have been caught, primarily using spawn!
It’s time to get your seines, waders, and nets ready for Smelt Season.
There have been No reports of Smelt being caught in the Chequamegon Bay yet. Usually smelting starts in mid April…depending on Mother Nature. The ice is out of the Bay at this time but we need warmer temperatures to warm up the water. Stay tuned…It won’t be too long! We will keep you posted and let you know when smelting begins. The forecast does call for warmer temps over the Easter weekend!
Visitors and locals alike love the short but sweet smelt season here on Chequamegon Bay. Smelt don’t typically start their spawning run until mid April. The run usually commences shortly after ice-out on the bay and lasts only 12-14 days.
Contrary to what some folks may have heard, the smelt do not run under the ice, They have to have open water to spawn.
Frequently, the smelt run is seen first in the power plant’s “hot pond” on the Ashland side of the bay. The smelt usually run late at night and are brought in with a seine net or dip net. The seine net is used on the shores of the big lake and some smelters use a dip net in the creeks.
Smelting is always a fun time with the smell of the clean air of Chequamegon Bay. Smelters enjoy the outdoors as they wait for the run to come in heavy. At times, the smelt may start running at 9 p.m. or they may be running at midnight or later. They are unpredictable little fish (approximately 4 to 5 inches in length) that only answer to Mother Nature.
Smelt were planted in the lake many decades ago and are not a native fish to Lake Superior. There is an old tradition that you bite the head off the first smelt brought in. Of course, you don’t actually eat the head, but you would be a brave smelter for sticking with the custom.
Check out www.travelashlandcounty.com for rules and updates on Smelting!
We will keep you posted on Smelting in Chequamegon Bay!