My smelt fishing secret

Why I think Smelt Fishing is better during a cold snap:
The Temperature out there in the ol’ Atlantic off the coast of Maine right now is somewhere around 40-42 degrees Fahrenheit near the coastline.

A good cold snap cools the shallower brackish waters up in the rivers inland to temps lower than that out there in the bay by quite a bit. River temps raise or lower more quickly than that whole big ocean.

There are schools of Smelts out there in the Atlantic full of eggs and sperm looking for a river to spawn in, it’s why they come up the river.

A cruising school out in the bay would easily notice a temperature drop of even just 1 degree.

I think the fish are out there cruising around, feel a cold water flow and tend to follow it up to find the river spawning eddies. I personally think this MAY be why some of our best catches have been on some of the coldest fishing nights of the season.

The night I talk about the most where we brought in as many as 3,000 smelt was in a snap that was about -20 degrees.

I personally think that cold water flowing into the ocean is like a glaring red flag to the smelts to turn inland toward the river.

(I may be wrong…this is just my own contemplations)

We are heading up to try things out Thursday 1/24, we have shack #7 from 12:30-7:30pm. I will post some results on our facebook page. The projected temp for the evening is -7 degrees.
If you head up to try it, stop by and say hello, hopefully our buckets with be shining with smelts.

Ice is coming

As I look out the window the snow is dropping, so are the temps. You would be hard-pressed to find any ice in Maine ready to walk on yet, so I hope everyone is using a little common sense.
This is the time to get out all the gear, grease reel gears, oil bearings, re-line rods and traps, organize tackleboxes and replenish smelt rigs from the shop.
The Fishin' Hole

Ice Augers - Makin' Holes

One Auger, Two Auger, Old Auger, New Auger.

Maybe I am getting old and stuck in my ways, but I have an old Eskimo 8" gas powered auger that my dad gave to me when he got a little too old to hang on to it effectively. I keep the blades sharp, careful to how it sits, and clean the carb every couple of years and do some general maintenance. It has served me well for a long time.

I hopped online today to just "see what's out there". I know most of the folks on the ice are clamoring after a 10" auger. Apparently they think there will be fish that won't fit through an eight inch hole. I guess we can all dream, and perhaps some of those bass fill a hole. Otherwise the ten inch hole DOES take longer to ice over.

Well Jiffy is now turning out propane powered augers!! This was all new to me. The idea, at first, seemed weird, then genius.  Clean burning, no mixing gas, transport is a snap, no more spilled gas in the bottom of the jetsled. This is something you could just pop right in the back seat of your car when you are done if you had no truck, and it would stink less than your fish.

I will have my eyes on the ice this winter to see who has one. I am anxious to see one in action. The igloo name is pretty solid, has been around for quite some time, and generally leads the way when it comes to making a hole in the ice.

My old Ice auger still has many good hours left in it, so I'm not really ready to put it up for sale just yet, but it's innovations like this that make it tempting.

If anyone has one of these, or has used one, I would be interested in hearing about it. leave a post below or on fishin' hole  facebook page.

Below are some links to more detail on these and other models.
 

Jet Sleds - a must have?

A fisherman's best friend

I can't hardly imagine a day on the ice without our faithful utility sled. Buckets, bait, auger, cooler, stove, rods, traps, there are so many things an ice fisherman wants to bring on the ice, a day without one of these beauties is a day spent trudging gear back and forth from the truck. In Maine, these utility sleds start getting scarce and next to impossible to find as fall wears into winter.
I never would have thought it, but they can be found on Amazon and shipped right to your door. (links to them attached below). Now add to my delight of finding them in camo!

If you will be taking the four wheeler or snow sled on the ice, do yourself a favor and pick up the jetsled hitch. This handy little item keeps the sled from jamming into your tires or track and just gumming up the whole works and damaging gear.
Even on the short trips to the ice shanties at the smelt fishing camps I use our sled. I have found it really convenient to load the sled the night before, lift the whole thing into the truck or SUV and just pull it out when we get to the shacks and go. No messing with gear and shuffling armloads of gear around.  For the light trips or smaller vehicles there are shorter 42" sleds that handle more easily.
This year there has actually been discussion on bringing both to the ice. One for food, auger, shelter and stove and one to run flags with that has bait, traps and rods. Inevitably when running to flags with a sled and bait bucket water sloshes out, the second sled could solve the problem.

I really love the Jet sled and it has become an essential piece of winter fishing gear for The Fishin' Hole.

Get on the list now!

Ever wonder how to get the sea smelt and fishing inside info?
The Fishin' Hole now has an email sign up right on the front page. Once you are added, you will get insider secret info on the smelt run, ice conditions, new tackle, goods, and other info.
Hop on, sign up now and get in the loop! you only need an email address for the FREE info!
http://www.mainetackle.com

Summer is ending!?
It's sad but true. However, it doesn't mean the fishing season is over. In Maine ow you can fish as long as there is open water. (Check your law books carefully, there are some exceptions)
Fall weather means getting the smelt gear ready though. So while you can get those jig poles lubed up and get your rig orders in early so you will be all ready as soon as the ice hits! 

Father's Day Gifts - not what dad wants

When you are shopping for Dad, and Don't know what to get.

My dad would always marvel and treasure any little gift given to him, especially by me, his son. To a point where I would always think, "C'mon Dad, really?" but yeah really. These things were that important to him. He still has things tucked away that I gave him when I was a boy.
It was never the gift he wanted, needed or expected though, it was the time. For some reason, when you become a dad, time is this precious commodity. I feel it myself as a dad when I look at my teenage daughter with her nose in the air, I just want her time. Nothing special, just time. I found myself cherishing cards and pictures from years past as well.

I am not sure when it began, but it was some father's day when I had no money, and was behind on bills, and had no idea what to do. I said, "You just want to go fishin' on father's day dad?"
The answer was absolutely!

That was the year it all changed, and I started to "get it". I guess it's a Van Morrison "cat in the cradle" moment and thing, but every father's day no matter what is going on, my dad and I have always planned and assumed we would be going fishing. Some years we have to move it around a little for the weather, but it happens.

It has been one of the best gifts we could give one another, time with my dad, time with his son. Money doesn't matter. Sometimes it can just be sitting on the bank of the brook, or it can be blasting around in the bay looking for monster Stripers, Blues or Sharks.

There is nothing you can really buy your dad that will be better than your time, and there is nothing more valuable than the memories made. This year some of my friends are reminded of the dad's that have left this world, and in my nod to them, I cherish my time with my father even more while he is here.

So this Father's day, I encourage you all to give the best gift that you have to yourself and your dad..... your time.

If you catch some fish too, well that's just fine!

~Lloyd Metcalf