Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    NO SHACKS ON THE KENNEBEC AS OF JAN 1, BELOW THE DAM AT AUGUSTA, TO
    DRESDEN.  NO INFO ON EASTERN  R.  THE ICE BROKE UP QUITE A BIT AFTER
    THE SNOW STORM SUNDAY.
    
    RGDS DICK

I've gotten a good 250-300 already this year, but not through the ice.  And
nowhere as good as last year, because I got a late start.  Now that I live in
NH, I'm more willing to make the northerly trips to get them through the ice, so
do holler if you wanna go & have nobody to go with.


Tim

    I heard the Lamprey was wide open on 12/31, as expected with this
    weather.  Tim, do you still have a friend with a view of the river?
    If so, let us know when the shacks are out and we'll head up there.
    
    -donmac
    
    ps: no sharp objects 

Geez... I still have smelt in the freezer from last year!  Maybe I should
grind them up and use them for chum!

Hey Auger... you must really be squirming in anticipation of sitting over a
hole waiting for them little fishes to bite.  How many times I gotta tell
ya .... stiff water sucks!

Yo...Lucky Lucia ... where you living in NH now?  I didn't know that you had 
moved outta the big city.  Must be the clean air that brought you north.

When's ice out?!?!

Yes, my friend still lives within sight of the river and has been instructed
to call once the shacks appear.  I wouldn't expect to see them until next
weekend at the earliest.  We've only had one really cold night this week.  The
kids are not even skating on the pond (avg depth ~3') near my house.

Tim

Fished James Eddies in Dresden, ME Saturday AM.  Caught 271 myself and we caught
over 800 between the 4 of us in 5 hours.  I almost got sick of catching them the
action was so hot.  There was only about 8 inches of ice and given the forecast
for this week I doubt there'll be any fishing next weekend.

Maybe I could use the canoe?

Baitmaster

    Hey, BM
    
    Your arms must be tired from the great fight those wiley devils
    put up. Geez, in the summer you'd pass them up as too small for
    bait...... Why not take the Harpoonist up and use it instead of
    a canoe....with all that total weight of 271 smelt your canoe
    might sink....and I don't want to have to take over captaincy of
    the BUBBA......
    
    
    

Obviously you've mistaken the BM for someone that is forgiving!!!

After such a bashing as in  .7 the BM will I just have to find someoneelse in
this notesfile that knows how to fetch poggies out of the livewell and can tell
the difference between a striper and a stripper....

You're just jealous because you haven't figured out yet that you have to keep
the worms warm to catch them wiley devils...

Anyone interested in applying for Steve's old job as the Baitmaster's assistant
(AKA CBN) this summer fishing for stripers in the Merrimack aboard the BUBBA???

Job Qualifications: you must be able to make coffee, fetch poggies from the
livewell, net the BM keepers and never catch more or larger fish then the BM.
Experience in catching KEEPER sized stripers is a must, schoolie fisherman need
not apply....

    
       re.6
    
             I've seen the ad for a place in Dresden, Maine that rent huts.
    Does anyone know what the condition of the ice is or if there is any at
    all up there? It's been a long time since I've enjoyed smelt fishing
    and have an itch to go again. Also is a license required to fish them
    in that location?
    
                                                         Thanks,
    
                                                           Guy

    THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ICE ON THE RIVER IN DRESDEN
    

>    THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ICE ON THE RIVER IN DRESDEN

I bet we can just cut this sentence off as follows:

    THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ICE 

Fished James Eddie's in Dresden ME again yesterday (1/29) 1 to 5:30 AM.  They had
just put the shacks back on the ice on Saturday and they really hadn't opened for
business yet (they tried Saturday afternoon but the weight of all the people was
to much so they had to close down).  The 3 of us had the entire place to ourself.
The owner simple took our money, gave us bait, pointed to a shack with enough ice
under it and went home to bed.  The fishing was better then our 1st trip 2 weeks
ago.  We caught 975 smelt in 4 1/2 hours.  I think I've caught more smelt in two
trips this year then I have in the past 5 years combined.

(RE a license from a few back) - A fishing license is not required to fish smelt
in Maine as long as you are fishing salt/brackish water.  I'm not sure if there
is a season for semlt in Maine for not, but it seems like they stop fishing at
the end of February regardless of the ice conditions.


Stiff water fishing for baitfish beats watching yesterday's Stuper Bowl !!!

Baitmaster

<Stiff water fishing for baitfish beats watching yesterday's Stuper Bowl !!!

   You musta smelt too much smelt or something 'cause I'd much prefer to be
kicked back in a nice warm livingroom with a couple cold ones and some
munchies watching  my old "home" team kick butt and take names than to be
freezing my #%$ off catching little-itty-bitty-tiny fishes that I wasn't going
to eat.;-);-);-)

   The only thing ice is good for is cooling off my scotch;-);-);-)

Al
from_sunny-southern-florida-on-an-overcast-and-rainy-day
might-even-go-water-skiing-next-week-end-if-I-get-the-lawn-mowed

    
   > The only thing ice is good for is cooling off my scotch;-);-);-)
    
    Ice in Scotch?????? Sacrilege! :-)

    Ice is in and the smelt are hitting behind Sawyers.  My neighbor caught
    the end of some action Friday night.  They got there around 7pm they each
    got 40 or so.  Said people did better a little earlier. 
    
    -donmac

    	Went there last Saturday. My friend and I caught about 70 each in 
    about 2.5 hours of fishing. Picked up 3 white perch with one being
    keeper size.
    
    	Kind'a think this warm weather's gonna screw up the ice now though.
    Also, Junior's had trouble getting bait in so you may want to call
    first if you do go.
    
    	RAYJ

    
    
    Looking for a shack to rent to do some smelt fishing. Hopefully where
    I don't need to by a NH licence. Would like to try smelt fishing this
    year. Name and phone # whould be appriciated
    
    
    Thanks
    
    Dick
    

    	I know of no place in NH where it's legal to fish for smelt without
    a license. That is, if you want to actually keep the smelt.
    
    	Ray

	There are a few places in Maine that I've fished in the past
but they are all just a few (~20-30) miles south of Augusta.  So if
you want to travel a 100+ miles here goes - Maine does not require a
license to fish smelt in tidal waters & there is no limit on the
number of smelt you can take at least that I'm aware of.

	James Eddie's Smelt Camps Rt127 Dresden ME (207-737-2596)

	Baker Brother's Smelt Camps Gardner ME (Don't have # handy)
	(I have the number at home if you're interested?)

	Hyde Smelt Camps Topsham ME (207-725-6929)
	* CLOSED FOR THE SEASON DUE TO FLOODING & ICE LOSS

	Smith's Smelt Camps Dresend ME (Do not have a #) but they
	are just up river from James Eddie's - I'm sure you could
	get the number from information.

Good Luck,
Baitmaster

PS - I'm heading up to Dresend this Saturday AM for the 2nd time
     this season - I'll post results on Monday....

	Well smelt fishing on Saturday at James Eddie's in Dresden ME was very,
very, very slow !!!  A friend and I caught a grand total of 6 smelt between us.
We started fishing at 5:45 AM and by 7AM we had our 6 fish!  My wife enjoyed my
catch and she let me know that those 6 smelt were worth about $300 a pound !!!

	In any case, the place was about 1/2 full so I suspect things have been
slow for a while because it's usually filled up on weekends. Not even a nibble
after 7 AM.  As soon as the sun came up, what little fishing there was stopped
dead.  We gave up at 9:15 AM.  I suspect that all the rain we've had the past
couple of weeks has screwed thing up.  BTW there was only about 5 inches of ice.

I really didn't need any more smelt because I'm still eating last years....

Oh well - Bring on those Stripers !!!

Baitmaster