Every year, as winter envelops northern New England in its icy grip, shantytowns pop up on our larger lakes, marking the spots where ice fishermen have gathered for generations in pursuit of rainbow smelt. Smelt are the smallest member of the family that includes trout and salmon, but what they lack in size, they make up for in abundance and taste. Smelt are renowned for their delicate flavor, and a successful day fishing for smelt is measured by the pailful. Nowhere is this truer than on Lake Champlain, where ice fishermen annually catch untold millions of the small silvery fish, and jigging for smelt in a cozy shanty is a timeless way to spend a frosty winter day. Host Lawrence Pyne fishes with Denise Gibeault of Shoreham, VT, and visits the Halfway House Restaurant in Shoreham for a sample of these tasty fish.

• Captain Dave: Rainbow Smelt
• eNature.com (National Wildlife: Rainbow Smelt)
• LakeChamplainAngler.com: Ice Fishing Locations
• Nova Scotia Agriculture & Fisheries: Rainbow Smelt
• Halfway House Restaurant
  Shoreham, VT 05770
  (802) 897-5160

• Shanty Rentals
  
  Mike's Shanty Rentals
  (518) 546-7907 - Mike Wright
  (518) 546-7414 - Mike Blaise
  
  Norm's Bait & Tackle
  286 Bridge Road
  Crown Point, NY 12928
  
  Pete Hanson Shanties
  P.O. Box 13
  Moriah, NY 12960
  (518) 546-7808
  
  VOGA lists shanty rental information
  on their Ice Fishing in Vermont page

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