# Can frozen Smelt be used for pike fishing



## fourpoint2 (Sep 22, 2008)

Can Smelt that I caught out Higgins lake be used for Pike Fishing on Pontiac lake in Oakland County?
I caught these last year and froze these for the purose of pike fishing this year.
Smelt are not a prohibited fish.


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI (Sep 23, 2002)

fourpoint2 said:


> Can Smelt that I caught out Higgins lake be used for Pike Fishing on Pontiac lake in Oakland County?
> I caught these last year and froze these for the purose of pike fishing this year.
> Smelt are not a prohibited fish.


absolutely


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## luv2havemoartime (Mar 11, 2005)

Yup for sure. Used to buy the frozen one's at KROGER'S and caught pike with them on tip ups. Left over bait was cooked


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## fourpoint2 (Sep 22, 2008)

Does the guide reflect this?
Can I look this up some place?


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI (Sep 23, 2002)

yes, it's in the guide so let your fingers do the walking and your eyes start reading. i would pay particular attention to the bait section


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## fourpoint2 (Sep 22, 2008)

I couldnt find it. Do you know the page number?


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

fourpoint2 said:


> Smelt are not a prohibited fish.


You have your answer right there.......


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## fourpoint2 (Sep 22, 2008)

I read it on-line will go over good if I have to stand up in front of the judge.

Thanks for your input guys.


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## JWICKLUND (Feb 13, 2005)

Fourpoint 2,
They are right in what they have told you. Smelt are not prohibited and can be used as bait. I have enclosed a list to help ease your mind and end this debate. The sportsman that frequent this forum do so as a service and are usually right in answering these questions. If they were posting false information, it would be removed.

Bait includes all live or dead species of fish that are included on the Prohibited Fish Species list, or parts of fish that are used by anglers to catch fish. This also includes roe from the fish species on the Prohibited Fish Species list along with frozen fish that are used whole or as cut bait. Below is the most recent list of prohibited species.

*Prohibited Species List*
*Black crappie* Pomoxis nigromaculatus 
*Bluegill* Lepomis macrochirus 
*Bluntnose minnow* Pimephales notatus 
*Brown bullhead* Ictalurus nebulosus 
*Brown trout* Salmo trutta 
*Burbot* Lota lota 
*Channel catfish* Ictalurus punctatus 
*Chinook salmon* Oncorhynchus tshawytscha 
*Coho salmon* Oncorhynchus kisutch 
*Emerald shiner *Notropis atherinoides 
*Freshwater drum* Aplodinotus grunniens 
*Gizzard shad* Dorosoma cepedianum 
*Lake whitefish* Coregonus clupeaformis 
*Largemouth bass* Micropterus salmoides 
*Muskellunge* Esox masquinongy 
*Northern pike* Esox lucius 
*Pacific herring* Clupea pallasi 
*Pink salmon* Onchorhynchus gorbuscha 
*Pumpkinseed* Lepomis gibbosus 
*Rainbow trout* Oncorhynchus mykiss 
*Rock bass* Ambloplites rupestris 
*Round goby* Neogobius melanostomus 
*Shorthead redhorse* Moxostoma macrolepidotum 
*Silver redhorse* Moxostoma anisurum 
*Smallmouth bass* Micropterus dolomieu 
*Spottail shiner* Notropis hudsonius 
*Trout perch* Percopsis omiscomaycus 
*Walleye* Sander vitreus 
*White bass *Morone chrysops 
*White perch* Morone Americana 
*White sucker* Catostomus commersonii 
*Yellow perch* Perca flavescens


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

Here is some more reading for you..........

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_52259_10950_46202-194116--,00.html

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/understandign_vhs_rules_238885_7.pdf

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_52259_10950_46202---,00.html

It is all in there.........


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## fourpoint2 (Sep 22, 2008)

Thanks to all of you.

I'm going out tonight for the first time with these smelt, sure hope that I catch something. I have some Norwegian hooks that had belonged to my father.

Thanks again


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## fourpoint2 (Sep 22, 2008)

Can you catch smelt out of Higgins, put them in a bucket and use them on another lake?
Frozen smelt are ok, but are live smelt?


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## Cpt.Chaos (May 28, 2006)

I don't believe it is, as you are not supposed to take fish from one lake to another...ie:fish diseases/ invasive species prevention. I could be wrong though.


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## alex-v (Mar 24, 2005)

Are they on the prohibited list??


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## Cpt.Chaos (May 28, 2006)

alex-v said:


> Are they on the prohibited list??


I'm not sure Alex, but it may fall under invasive species, which if I remember correctly, smelt are not actually native to MI or it's waters?...but after being here so long they are a recognized species such as salmon, alewife are? Going along the lines of live fish being introduced into a foreign body is what I am looking at. Dead and frozen is one thing, I am just concerned with the live and swimming...dumping the extra bait in the water and being a "Bucket biologist" for lack of a better explanation.


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## JWICKLUND (Feb 13, 2005)

The movement of live species of fish found on the Prohibited Fish Species list from one waterbody to another is not permitted. The regulation also includes the movement of live baitfish on the Prohibited Fish Species list from one waterbody to another. 

Smelt are not on the probibited fish species list.


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## Cpt.Chaos (May 28, 2006)

JWICKLUND said:


> The movement of live species of fish found on the Prohibited Fish Species list from one waterbody to another is not permitted. The regulation also includes the movement of live baitfish on the Prohibited Fish Species list from one waterbody to another.
> 
> Smelt are not on the probibited fish species list.


OK, thanks Jason. I just had a genuine concern about the transfer of fish from one lake to another.


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