How come we hear so little about these little fish? There are fairly plentiful where I fish (Hampshire), and surprisingly easy to catch in a cast net. I have caught bass using them as bait, and they are fairly tasty when cooked like whitebait. The French seem to persue them avidly with drop nets and whip rods with size 22 hooks. Does anyone know why they are ignored over here? Does anyone else use them for bait?

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I have used them as bait for bass and pollock.
Also for pike.
Always as dead bait. I have never heard of anyone catching them on rod and line before.

Do you use bait or feathers ( a la mackerel)?

I regulary use smelt for dead baiting for pike, they and lamprey are my favourites and i have caught my biggest fish on them

My late father used to catch smelt on rod and line from the river at Lymington. Unfortunately, I don't remember how.

For me, smelt are one on my two favourite deadbaits, along with mackeral.

I have watched French fishermen in Brittany and Normandy using a rod and line to catch smelt for the table. They use very fine tackle, just like the river match fishing folk - poles, 1.5lb line, 22-24 hook and a flake of shrimp or prawn as bait. When using a drop net the bait appears to be something fishy as well. I catch them with a USA style cast net which takes a bit of practice but in the right place, catches them by the dozen.

Salar / Cranfield

Looks like the secret is out then!!

Steve

I still catch them from the river at Lymington - with a cast net or on rod and line. I use a 15 quid whip with a tiny float and 20 hook, along side the quay a little chum / shirvey gets them interested and any small piece of fish on the hook will do. Maggots work but I find they are no better than fish from the chum. The best bait by far though is the first Smelt you catch. Don't know why though.

Great live for bass. And also one one of my favourite Pike baits.

Rob

We have smelt in the U.S. as well, particularly in the Great Lakes(they got here quite by accident, by traveling up the St. Lawrence seaway.). "Smelt Dipping" is very popular in Michigan, and whole coastal towns turn out for the spring runs. Most are caught in cast nets or long handle dip nets, but there is also a very active minority which useas ultralight tackle. Not only are smelt a great pike and cat bait,(the best dead bait I believe), but they are delicious deep fried! Very popular table fair over here.

PMSL, thinking of the beach caster brigaid at south shields trying to tie a size 22 hook, they laugh at me when i use a size 8............could be the saviour of the fishing industry..........only i've never seen them in the north east...are they up here ..Jaybee???

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phil,
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Most people have never seen them down here either - you wouldn't, using a size 2/0, would you? I only discovered them by catching them in a net, then remembered what I had seen across the Channel. We get loads of coarse fishermen fishing in the sea with light tackle when they are here on holiday. Appart from the obvious mullet, I bet they catch a few fish on ultra light tackle that us lead chuckers never even knew existed.

was hoping someone could comment on their distribution.

seriousley, as some on here know, I did target mini species this summer and caught fish the 4oz lead specialists had never seen on shields pier, but as yet no smelt, though i used ragworm pieces as bait not fish.

next year's bound to interesting though.

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phil,
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