Smelt fishing with a bow
Wisconsin
I hear the run is on somewhere on lake Superior. Guessing it is over on much of Lake Michigan. Wondering if anyone else has ever tried bow fishing for them.
I don't know what kind of smelt you're fishing for but the ones we catch out of Racine harbor are about the size of a fat mans finger. If you did shoot one with a bow it would be cut in half. We used big nets with a pulley system. When I was a lot younger we could easily fill up a five gallon bucket or even two depending on how long it took my stepdad to run out of beer. I still have a very nice setup in my moms garage but haven't gone in at least 15 yrs.
Yes, I know it would be a challenge to get those little critters. I am thinking a skilled archer should be able to cut the head off and gut them at the same time using a perfectly placed broadhead. Then using a little net to scoop up the edible part. Or for the less skilled archer maybe an arrow tipped with something that has maybe 50 or more little spears like fishing hooks pointed straight out.
One time we were using a seine north of Two Rivers and brought our buckets of smelt and seine up to the car. I set my opened can of beer down on the shoulder while putting the buckets and seine in the trunk and taking off our waders. A warden walked up and wrote me a ticket for littering. I could not convince him that he could be assured that I would never leave that can behind without drinking all the beer in it first, which I did and then threw the now empty can in the trunk. He still wrote the ticket.
And now starts "You're the Violator: Part 10"
Actually this happened 40 years ago when they didn't write many DWI tickets. He probably did me a favor by writing the littering ticket instead. I paid the fine, it wasn't that much. I got the unspoken message.
I really wasn't going to comment on this but I'm worried about you Jeff . If you ever need someone to lean on or give mental support , let me know .
Back then when we were smelt fishing the warden was having a beer too! Egging me on to bite the head off the first smelt in the net. Those were the good old days. Smelt fishing in the Racine harbor brings back some very fond memories of my stepdad and makes me wish he was here to see the family I've raised. That contraption has not left my moms garage since he died. It was hand welded and state of the art back then. I'm sure it would still be considered badass to this day!
I think a guy would need a MOAB to get a smelt in southern Lake Michigan!
There was a street vendor selling fresh smelt in front of the Holiday station in Hayward today. Wherever there is a buck to be made there will be someone selling something.
Yes smelting was a social event, probably still is. We could get all the free smelt we wanted from my best friends uncle who was a commercial fisherman but what's the fun in that?
Swampy, maybe after I get to know you a little better I might take you up on that offer.
