Inside the Unique Tradition of Ice Fishing for Smelt

It’s a bitterly cold night, and as you step out of the truck the frigid air hits you like a slap. All around is dark except for distant lights illuminating a row of small ice shanties down on the riverfront. The air is filled with the scent of wood smoke and the din of rowdy voices, which grows louder as you draw near. Frozen snow crunches under your boots as you arrive at your shack, open the door and welcome the warmth of the woodstove. Spring still seems a long way off, but under the ice, the first migrants have arrived, reviving the age-old Maine tradition of smelt camp.

It may seem a bit strange to those accustomed to drilling little round holes in the ice and setting a single trap in each during the light of day, but when the lights and the temperature go down, the action heats up in smelt camps around Maine’s major tidal rivers. As the fish make their annual migration, anxious anglers await to intercept them. If you’ve never tried it, here’s a primer that just might lure you out onto the ice on a cold winter’s night.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

In late winter and early spring, anadromous rainbow smelt migrate from the ocean to spawn in shallow freshwater tributaries. When they arrive it’s often en masse, and the action can be downright frenetic. Because these fish have a virtually unlimited food supply, they grow larger than their freshwater counterparts, averaging 7 to 9 inches but sometimes reaching a foot in length. Their bones are soft so they are often eaten whole once cooked (remove the head and guts, though). Frying is the most popular preparation, but chefs are limited only by their own creativity.

There are several methods for catching them, with shack fishing being the most popular. Unlike fly-fishing, where anglers typically seek solitude, smelting is very much a social activity. Bring along a buddy or four. It can get a little cramped with a crowd, but socializing is a big part of the experience, especially on slow nights. A cribbage board and a few adult beverages help pass the time between schools.

While it’s more well known as a waterfowling destination, Merrymeeting Bay is ground zero for smelt shack fishing in Maine. It is the confluence of six rivers, including the Abagadasset, Androscoggin, Cathance, Eastern, Kennebec and Muddy. Smelters can set up their own shacks or pop-up shelters, but the easiest and most popular method is to rent a shack at a smelt camp. Most will have a dozen or more shacks strategically located just off the shoreline, and the hijinks and socializing often extend from one shack to the next. Rental costs range between $10 and $14 per person, which includes bait (seaworms), hooks, lines, sinkers and firewood. If you want to go that route, make your reservation well in advance because spots fill up quickly when the optimal time and tide coincide.

Because they’re anadromous, sea-run smelt are under the jurisdiction of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR). Instead of a license, anglers are required to enroll in the Saltwater Recreational Fishing Registry unless they meet one of several exemptions, including holding a Maine freshwater fishing license, having a registration/license for recreational saltwater fishing in another state or renting a smelt shack from an owner who possesses a valid recreational saltwater fishing Operator’s License.

Regulations vary by time and location. The state is divided into three zones. In Zone 1, from the New Hampshire border to Owl’s Head Light in Rockland, anglers may fish from October 1 through March 14 and keep 4 quarts of smelt per day. In Zone 2—east of Owl’s Head in Rockland, the season runs from March 15 to June 30. The same dates are in effect for Zone 3, which extends east of Zone 2.

Some smelters will be on the ice as soon as it’s thick enough to support them and their shacks, the timing of which can vary considerably from one year to the next. Those wanting to hedge their bets will wait until the early birds announce the run has begun, or they simply wait for the peak periods in late February and early March. You can go most any time, day or night, but night fishing on an incoming tide, or on either side of a high tide, tends to be most productive.

SET UP RIGHT

If you go the rental route, most of the work is already done for you. Shacks are positioned over the shallows, where smelt tend to congregate. They typically have rectangular holes cut in the ice on either side of a central deck. Over that is a smelt rig consisting of a pole suspended horizontally on springs with a series of perpendicular pegs, each with a line and hook. You simply bait the hooks, unspool the line by hand and watch carefully for the pole to bounce.

More experienced anglers will often bring their own tackle, typically an ultra-light spinning rod with a reel loaded with 4-pound test and a weighted Sabiki rig, which will out-fish traditional tackle by a wide margin. The bite is very subtle, so spring bobbers are also a good idea. A portable depth sounder can come in handy for showing when the fish are there and at what depth.

OTHER OPTIONS

Shack fishing isn’t the only way to load up the buckets. Some anglers fish off docks, ideally on a river or near its mouth. Here, too, nighttime tends to be best, and lighted docks attract more fish than unlighted ones. The bait and tackle are much the same as with shack fishing, but with longer rods with softer tips to detect the subtle bite.

Yet another traditional method is “dipping,” which is more commonly done for landlocked smelt in freshwater tributaries. Under the cover of darkness, nocturnal smelters wearing head lamps and armed long-poled dip nets line the riverbanks, waiting for the spawning runs to begin. When it does, the action can be fast and furious—and occasionally contentious.

Dippers are strongly advised to study the regulations. Smelt represent an important forage base for both freshwater and marine fish, and their numbers in both systems have been declining. Regulations are often conservative and can be very specific to the locale. Many tributaries are closed to smelters during some part or all of the smelt run.

Hard-core smelters time their trips to maximize their catch, but for most it’s more of a social event and an excuse get out of the house on a cold winter’s eve. Anglers huddle in the shack by the glow of a wood stove (and perhaps with a glow of their own), telling jokes and lies and jigging lines. Limits are measured not by length or number but by quart, and a few quarts will provide delicious finger food for a gathering of family and friends.

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• This article was featured in the February 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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