SMELT

 

Rainbow smelt.  In terms of forage importance, it ranks right up there with gizzard shad.  Since I fish the missouri river a lot, particularly from Chamberlain SD northwards, I felt it was time to get to know a little bit more about this fish.  So I started doing some searches online, pulled some info from various sources and have tried cobbling it together into a somewhat compatible and easily digestible format for everyone to use.

In the plateau reservoirs of the Missouri River from Oahe all the way to Ft. Peck, smelt, along with gizzard shad are the primary forage.  Walleye and other gamefish will readily feed on both given the opportunity.  

When buying artificial baits remember that smelt average between 4-7 inches long, but can get up to almost 12 inches in length under certain conditions.  It does appear that there are some different colorations of this species in different lakes, so keep that in mind.

SPAWNING:

Rainbow smelt typically spawn around ice out, when water temperatures reach 44-47 degrees Fahrenheit and the spawning can last up to 3 weeks.

This is a nighttime activity from what I've read from about a dozen reputable academic and angling resources.  

Also noteworthy is the fact that they ascend into tributary streams with light flow and light siltation to spawn over gravel.

POST SPAWN AND LONGER-

Rainbow smelt, once spawning is complete, are known to school near adjacent cool dark waters.

Smelt are both light and temperature sensitive, typically keeping to the mid-depth regions of reservoirs and lakes.  As sunlight intensifies, their behavior mimics salmon in the fact that they may descend to greater depths, including schooling near the bottom,  to escape sunlight and warming water temperatures. One scientific paper I came across noted they can survive a wide range of temperatures and pH levels though they preferred the pH range of 6.   

Given that I looked through several other academic papers that suggested the smelt were temperature sensitive, the last one leads me to postulate that they will or can survive a wide temperature range as long as the changes are not too drastic or sudden. 

Smelts optimal preferred temperature range is a cool 45 degrees F.  

It is not uncommon for find "baitballs" (like the depthfinder picture shown) of smelt over open water.  If you come across these, note what depth the fish are holding at and adjust your presentations accordingly.

Something odd I came across was the fact that smelt are also known as the "cucumber fish" due to their cucumber like smell when freshly caught.

I cannot state if this is true or not as the only smelt I have ever used have all been deadbait and smell completely different.  

FINDING SMELT IN RESERVOIRS

Smelt in reservoirs typically stay shallow in spring and early summer.  secondary points in coves and bays often find smelt somewhere close.

It is only when the water temperatures get too high that they leave the shallows and suspend in the main deep reservoir body.  

Another option and area to look for in the summer, are the tips of the longest points that meet deep water. Smelt will often use these points to make forays along the structure.  And where there are smelt, there are often walleye and sometimes salmon.

In fall, you will find smelt move towards steep or fast dropping structure that meets deep water.

Something else to file away for future reference is that wind will bring smelt up out of the deep, calm conditions will push them back down into deeper water.  As they are light sensitive fish, this makes sense.  Wind cuts down the amount of sunlight making it into the water column.  

So in closing, this is about all the useful information I've found up to this point.  If by chance I luck across any other helpful informatioin, I'll be posting addendums or notations in pertinent locations.  Hoping this helps eliminate a lot of the guesswork out of using smelt to help pinpoint locations of other species like walleye and salmon.

Keep those lines wet, the hooks sharp and the fish afraid.