Ashland Smelt Report for April 21, 2015
The ice went out of Chequamegon Bay on Saturday night, April 11, and the smelt run began the very next night. The smelt ran pretty well all last week, with a few hiccups here and there.
Last Wednesday night the run was strong for awhile until the wind changed direction and started coming from the south, which blew the warmer water away from shore. Although this caused the run to drop off, at least one person netted in excess of 400 lbs.
On Thursday night, April 16, we had reports that the run had slowed down, with one caller here to our office saying her brother-in-law only got a gallon bucketful that night and another telling us he was down behind the AmericInn for several hours and managed to fill a five-gallon bucket.
The run did continue over the weekend. Last night at least one smelter hauled in 120 lbs. down on the far east end of Ashland by 10 p.m. Carolyn Swartz of Anglers All said she expects the run to continue for at least a few more days.
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! If you wait, you could miss out on this year’s run.
At the moment, Anglers All (715/682-5754) has smelt for sale at $2/lb., but we encourage you to place your order right away because supplies are limited.
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.
At times, the smelt may start running at 9 p.m. or they may be running at midnight or later, so it pays to be patient and stay down at the beach. 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, call us at 1-800-284-9484. We have a smelt hotline set up during the month of April. Please keep checking back for updates! (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 can hear the smelt hotline recording by selecting 2 from the menu.)