If you know anything about smelt fishing in New England, You have probably heard of people using plane poles for these fishing. It is a truly nostalgic, and sometimes very productive, way to catch these smelt.
Great video, gonna give smelt fishing a try on the south shore here - and btw, that was a hickory shad I believe, tons of them here in Duxbury bay right now
I've heard a lot of stories about how people used to get smelt in scituate harbor. I tried there a few times over the past 10yrs and never caught or saw one. Doesn't mean they aren't there though. Worth a try!
None of the bait shops around sell them any more. When shops did have them, the owners were the ones that went out to catch them and it is labor intensive to catch enough to supply customers.
