Will Salmon Eat Smelt?

Joe Hymer, a biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, confirmed that salmon eat smelt. “We've seen them with bellies full before,” Hymer said. Hymer said anglers might do better if they switch from herring to hardware. ... Whether it's because of smelt, spring chinook fishing has been slow.

Is smelt good salmon bait?

Be ready to troll with live bait or smelt-imitating spoons or wet flies as soon as your target lake is ice free. ... Smelt-imitating artificial lures are great to catch salmon, but use live bait when possible.

Is smelt good bait?

Many fishermen actually use smelt itself as a bait to catch other smelt, particularly when they exhaust supplies of other baits. A piece of smelt tail or a fillet of smelt cut into small pieces with the skin intact makes an enticing and tough bait that holds well on the hook.