Ashland Area Smelt Report for May 14, 2014
The smelt are still running! People netted a good amount of smelt again last night in Ashland. However, not as many people were out at Bayview Park along U.S. Highway 2, also known as Pamida Beach. One smelter who went there said he was out until 3 a.m. and only got 18 smelt.
The smelt ran from about 9 p.m. and quit before 2 in the morning, said Anglers All proprietor Roger LaPenter, who netted about 500 lbs. of smelt last night. Roger said the size of the run is still increasing and he expects it to continue. “It should just keep getting better and better,” he noted, adding that warmer temperatures would certainly help.
“It was really good last night, but we’re still waiting for the big one. Right now that water is still too cold for ideal conditions.”
Obviously, there is no earthly way to predict how long the run will last, so we strongly urge you smelters to get out there as soon as possible. Roger says he is hopeful that the run will continue through this weekend.
Those wishing to purchase smelt need to call Anglers All at 715/682-5754. Please be patient as Roger and his staff are being inundated with calls about smelt. Anglers All is currently selling smelt for $2/lb., but you are urged to call ahead and place your order early. Your name will be added to a waiting list and orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
River Rock Inn & Bait Shop does not have any smelt for sale at this time and is not accepting any orders. According to River Rock staff members, they have had no smelt brought in and to their knowledge no smelt were netted in Duluth either.
Visitors and locals alike love the short but sweet smelt season on Chequamegon 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 and the awesome sight of the many campfires along the shoreline. Smelters light campfires and 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.
For more information on smelting season in the Ashland area, go to our website, www.visitashland.com, or call us at 1-800-284-9484 as we currently have a smelt hotline set up. (NOTE: If you call before 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, you will reach one of our Chamber staff members who can give you the smelt report. If you call after 5 or on the weekends, you will hear the smelt hotline recording.) Please keep checking back daily for updates!
ALSO – To see a real-time image of Chequamegon Bay, check out Northern State Bank’s Bay Cam at http://www.nsbashland.com/bay_cam.html.
Important smelting rules and regulations from the Wis. Department of Natural Resources:
- Non-residents NEED a valid Wisconsin non-resident fishing license to harvest smelt. (These can be obtained at any licensing agent such as local bait shops, Walmart or the DNR building.)
- Wisconsin residents do NOT need a fishing license to harvest smelt.
- Residents CAN sell the smelt.
- Non-residents CANNOT sell the smelt.
- The smelt CANNOT be kept alive. The water must be emptied out of the buckets before leaving the beach.
- Do NOT transport or use live smelt for bait.
- ALL other fish including suckers CANNOT be kept. They must immediately be let go.
Dip Nets: Not exceeding 8 feet in diameter or 8 feet square, may be used only from April 1 to May 25 for taking smelt in Lake Superior and all streams flowing into Lake Superior in Bayfield, Ashland, Iron counties and the Brule River in Douglas County from a point beginning at their mouths and extending inland for a distance of one-half mile measured in a straight line. In Douglas County, smelt may also be taken on Bear Creek, Bluff Creek, Nemadji River, the St. Louis River and the other non-trout streams. In the waters of Ashland County, smelt may also be taken from streams not inhabited by trout, or on streams where active sea lamprey control structures are located.
Seines: Not more than 75 feet in length and not more than 6 feet in depth may be used from April 1 to May 25 for taking smelt in Lake Superior, St. Louis Bay, Superior Bay, Allouez Bay and from the mouth of the St. Louis River upstream to the North 28th Street landing in Douglas County.