With the tough winter days we have all been experiencing,
there is no doubt we are looking forward to spring and what the season will
bring! Around our town, spring marks the beginning of smelt season for anglers.
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| From Michigan DNR -http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_18958-45690--,00.html |
For those of your who have not experienced this delicacy, it
is a small fish that migrates up the lakes and into rivers and streams to
spawn. Every spring you will find anglers and their nets waiting for the “run”
to start, usually after dark. I am sure you might have had smelt show up on an
all you can eat fish bar, but if you really want to enjoy them, fresh from the
cold spring water is the only way to serve them up!
Years ago the smelt runs were so large that a few dips with
a hand net from shore of the St. Clair River, would provide you with enough
smelt to stock your freezer with for the next year. Those epic runs are a thing
of the past. Some feel it was the planting of the trout and salmon in the
lakes, others think it was excessive fishing. A few believe that the changes in
the banks of the river in Port Huron, have driven the run into deeper waters,
but the spring run still occurs.
You can still net the elusive fish, things have changed a
bit. The primary equipment in the old days was a large minnow net on the end of
a long bamboo pole. As the shoreline was modified, a new type of net emerged. (See
picture). These are usually homemade and the design is limited only by the angler’s
imagination.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has also placed
limits on the amount of smelt you can dip per day. A two gallon limit is in
place, and now days that would be a welcome haul for a spring night!
People might think that with the decline in the run size,
the interest would also decline, not so in our town. If you happen to be in
Port Huron during the early spring, you will not doubt see pickup trucks and
cars hauling large metal contraptions to the river’s edge! Take a walk along
the break walls after dark, and you might just see what all the fuss is about.
The casual observer might think that it is a lot of work for some little fish, but
if they had the chance to try a batch of these delicious fish, fresh from the
pan…
We will spend the nights by the river staying warm and dry,
and talk of the old days, when the smelt ran so thick you couldn’t see
the river bottom. Hauling the nets in regularly to see if any of the silver
delicacies have been caught. We will begin to discuss the Walleye season that will
soon be upon us, and plan our strategies for the upcoming season. We are always
willing to engage in a conversation with locals and visitors walking the
boardwalk. We are of course anglers, and we always have a story to tell!
I miss the good old days < going to go old school here > for anyone under 40 yrs old Back in the day of the long handled dip nets and the filling of pick up trucks or 50 gallon drums in the back of a pick up, we used to perch on the boulders on the river bank before the TEI was ever built and listen for the yell from down river "Their running " and everyone would start dipping deep . And speaking of dipping one time a guy with us dipped deep and followed the net and fell in and of course he didn't swim as were laughing and yelling " Rik grab the net just grab the net " and pulled him in once on shore he had to almost stand on his head to empty his waders. But now there's not many dippers its all gone the throw basket or these traps as Jeff posted pictures of now these have excitement every now and then as a carp may get brought in with the smelt or minnows and they start going wild and you try to pull it up and out of the water .
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your posts about fishing!
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