The Smelt Are Running (or Are They Swimming?)

There’s a phenomenon each spring that I suspect is quite regional in interest, yet to serious outdoorsmen it is but another event that heralds in the spring season.   It’s the annual “smelt run” where this widely used bait fish makes the trek up rivers and tributaries of the various Great Lakes for the purpose of spawning.
Rainbow_smelt_jpg
But why such interest in a lowly bait fish?   Well, this is no ordinary bait fish, no sir!   The smelt, is considered a delicacy to folks from North America to Japan.   Most commonly they are consumed dipped in a beer batter and then deep fried.   In fact, for many VFWs and volunteer fire departments in these parts…the annual smelt feed is a big money maker drawing people from hundreds of miles away.

According to reports the annual smelt run is now beginning north of Duluth on the numerous rivers (and I’m sure in many other areas, as well).   The equipment needed for the smelt angler is quite simple:   A large fine-mesh dip net, several 5 gallon plastic buckets, and ample coolers to chill the fish with ice and bring them home.

There was a time 20 – 25 years ago when the smelt population was so high that anglers who waded into the streams could feel the critters literally bouncing off their legs.   A good dip of the net would yield many smelt so that in short order the fishing would be done, and the celebrating would continue on the shores.   Campfires, lots of beer and a party atmosphere were typically associated with the annual rite of spring known as “smelt fishing.”

But times have certainly changed.   The heyday of smelt fishing appears to be several decades past, but for die-hard anglers there’s still enough smelt “running” in many areas to make the trip worthwhile.

To be honest, the only smelt fishing I have done was living vicariously through my older brother who enjoyed the activity a time or two.   He was, however, kind enough to share in his bounty by bringing the smelt home and allowing me to clean the loot.   Certainly the fun about smelt fishing is in the waters with the net or on the shores afterwards – and not with the cleaning and preparation.

Essentially, however, the process goes pretty smoothly.   A few quick cuts with the knife…an old teaspoon to scrape out the innards, and the fish are ready for rinsing and quick freezing.   For more information on handling smelt click here.

Now, for the die hard anglers there is one tradition that lives on with this fish.   It is traditional to bite the head off of the first smelt you catch.   It’s sort of a good luck act that you surely wouldn’t want to pass up.   I might suggest that before you get to this stage of the fishing you have a few beers under your belt, so to speak…and maybe another one handy to cleanse the palate afterwards.   I don’t normally encourage drinking mixed with outdoorsman activities…but with smelt fishing it often goes along hand in hand with the celebration.

Still, outdoorsman who go smelting need to be careful and wear PFDs.   In some rivers the waters can be swift, the depths can be unpredictable in the dark, and often the footing can be treacherous when walking.   Unfortunately, alcohol and smelt fishing when mixed with any of these potential dangers can spell trouble.   There have been many deaths from people who gain a little courage to go out into the waters when their swimming skills were a little suspect, at best.   Drownings, unfortunately, do occur so the smelt angler must be careful at all times.

Yes, indeed, I started out by calling the lowly smelt a bait fish…which it most certainly is for many species of game fish.   Yet smelt, much like the morel mushroom, is also a timely treat that has tickled the taste buds of sportsmen for over a half century.   Makes you wonder how a fish so revered among many folks could have evolved with such an unflattering name.

© 2005 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

Countdown Continues To The Fishing Opener

Those of us in the upper Midwest are somewhat unique in that our fishing seasons generally do not extend all year long.   In fact, walleye, which is the most desired species among the greatest number of fishermen, is off limits in many waters for a period…thus giving us the chance to have our annual “fishing opener” weekend.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin the fishing opener is a widely celebrated event.   In Minnesota, for instance, it is said that on this particular weekend nearly a million anglers take to the waters mostly in an exercise to get rid of the winter cobwebs, of sorts.   Even the governor gets involved in the party by highlighting tourism in some part of the state by wetting a line.   It’s an event that most sportsmen certainly want to be prepared for and do not want to miss.

The timeline for the opener is quite simply this – in Wisconsin the walleye opener is two weeks from today…and in Minnesota it is three weeks away.   If you haven’t started looking at your fishing gear and boat now might be a good time to do so to avoid the last minute rush.   Quite frankly, there’s nothing worse than procrastinating until the last minute only to learn something about the boat needs fixing and you haven’t had a chance to discover it yet.

Let’s begin by talking about licensing.   Today with the advent of the Internet there really is no excuse not to be buying your licenses.   The new electronic system used in both Minnesota and Wisconsin makes the process easy and quite painless—whether you do it at the local bait shop or online.   If you haven’t already done so, get this task done now by linking here:  Minnesota   Wisconsin

Next, check over your fishing rods and reels.   They all should probably get new line, but do the reels need some new oil or grease, too?   Good equipment should be cared for properly and there’s no excuse that sometime during the off season you haven’t done this while sitting in the easy chair and watching TV.   Fishermen can multi-task, can’t we?

How about the boat and trailer?   Yes, don’t overlook the trailer.   Do the bearings on the trailer need to be repacked with grease?   Do the lights need repair or bulb replacing?   So often we pay too much attention to the boat and forget about the equipment that gets us to the lake.   As for the boat, are all batteries in good working order and fully charged?   Is the boat’s electronics hooked up and working properly?   Don’t forget the little things like having enough PFDs on board and a working fire extinguisher.

Moving to the tackle box…now’s also a good time to remove the clutter.   Take out some of the junk you haven’t used in years.   Quite honestly, if you haven’t had a need for it during the past two fishing seasons it’s unlikely you will require the item during the coming fishing season.   Organizing your tackle and terminal equipment will save you time and frustration on the water.

How’s your clothing?   Do you remember last year when it rained for a good portion of the opener and you were miserable?   Did you vow to buy some good quality rainwear and never seemed to get around to making the purchase?   Don’t skimp on clothing for the opener.   Openers are noted for wide temperature extremes…but if you’re a gambling person you can almost bet on needing warm clothes.   The opener might be a celebration of spring but sometimes up north winter doesn’t forget to say goodbye, at least not quite yet.

Let’s not forget the other important thing, either.   In Wisconsin the opener occurs on Mother’s Day weekend…if you’re going to be up at the lake all weekend why not make arrangements for the local florist to schedule a delivery.   Don’t cap off a fun fishing weekend by coming home to a growly spouse who feels neglected.   In fact, consider taking her along…on second thought…use your best judgment with this one.

Finally, the fishing opener should be all about sharing fun with good friends and family.   Oh sure, some of the best fishing will still be many weeks off…but the opener allows each of us to focus on a single weekend and appreciate this pastime about which many of us are quite passionate.   Preparation before you pull out of the driveway will make your time spent on the water more pleasant and carefree.

The clock’s a ticking…get your final flight checks done soon.   For a few additional ideas on what might need to be checked over, click here.   Good luck…and good fishing!!

© 2005 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

Experiencing A Fishing Focus Group

Ever wonder about the minds behind some of those goofy fishing commercials you see on TV during Saturday mornings?   Maybe recently you’ve been paging through a fishing magazine and asked yourself what were they thinking when they come up with that print ad.   I know I sure have.

Well, this evening I had the opportunity to take part in a fun little project at Kerker, a Minneapolis-based advertising agency that services many big clients such as 3M, Target, and of course, Pure Fishing.   In case you’re not familiar with Pure Fishing, it is the parent company of such subsidiaries as Berkley, Abu Garcia, Mitchell, Johnson and many other fishing-oriented operations.   Kerker was conducting a series of fishing focus groups and invited several avid fishermen to their offices to review and comment on a proposed advertising campaign they are developing.

Having never been part of a fishing focus group before I was quite intrigued by the prospect of reviewing some new ad concepts.Whiplash_and_ben_1   My first step before arriving was to check out Kerker just to see what they were all about.   If you do a search on the Internet you will soon discover that one of their trademark advertising campaigns is for Taco Johns with “Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey” who rides around on a border collie, ala the Lone Ranger on Silver.   It’s a fun spoof of an ad so I figured right away these folks must have a keen sense of humor.   I was not disappointed.

When I arrived at their offices they were quick to point out that the five of us in the group were expected to freely comment on what we saw, what we liked, what we disliked, but also how any advertising concept could be further honed and improved.   While I won’t get into any of the specifics of their future ad campaigns, the focus for the evening was on developing ads for Berkley – both branding the company in general, but also specifically promoting certain products (such as line and artificial baits).

It was really interesting to me how Susan, the focus group facilitator, worked with us to elicit our responses.   She engaged discussions and did a great job picking our brains on what we liked and disliked.   You see, even though the brains at a big ad agency are far more experienced at developing marketing concepts that work than the average fisherman would be…a savvy ad agency will make sure the ads have the right affect on the market audience by testing to achieve a desired response.

I was truly impressed.   When I first entered the room I did not know anybody else in the focus group.   There were five of us and throughout the evening we brainstormed on how to tweak the ads to make them more effective.   There were suggestions critical of improper safety practices (child models with no PFDs), ways to improve graphics to better deliver a visual impact, and suggested titling and copy ideas.

We also reviewed storyboards depicting proposed TV ads, weighed the pros and cons of certain new slogans for Berkley and in general described what ads were effective and why we liked them.

I can now see how the concept of an advertising focus group is real effective and money well spent.   The four other guys I was with this evening were awesome in both the depth of their knowledge of fishing, but also in an ability to transfer that fishing savvy into some useful advice for developing Berkley’s future advertising campaigns.   Even though Kerker had the ads well thought out and solid in their affect, it was our job to play devil’s advocate and make sure that each ad passed the ultimate test – that being scrutiny from an average fishermen.

It’s hard to tell if anything we discussed tonight will ultimately be used in a Berkley Fishing promotional ad 6 to 12 months down the line…but nevertheless it will be fun to observe how spending a few hours with a company to hone their ideas might possibly get presented to the fishing world.   I’m just happy and fortunate to have been a small part of the process.

© 2005 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.