Smelt Fishing

~patches~ said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets. From experience, they are very good
eating fish but a royal pain to have to clean. The smelt will be
running on Lake Erie pretty soon. [snip]

Known as "hooligans" to some of us when I lived in the great Pacific
Northwest. I never thought they were hard to clean at all. They're
only about 6" long, and you just give them a slice along the belly and
run your thumb from one end of the cavity to the other, rinse, and
you're done.

Then dredge in flour, or first in egg then in flour, fry fast and eat.
You can hold on to the head and pull the smelt right away from its
skeleton. Or, if they're smaller, you can just crunch the bones.
Either way, really good eating. -aem

aem said:

~patches~ said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets. From experience, they are very good
eating fish but a royal pain to have to clean. The smelt will be
running on Lake Erie pretty soon. [snip]

Known as "hooligans" to some of us when I lived in the great Pacific
Northwest. I never thought they were hard to clean at all. They're
only about 6" long, and you just give them a slice along the belly and
run your thumb from one end of the cavity to the other, rinse, and
you're done.

I've never heard them called that but I do know my mom had a few choice
words for them after cleaning several bushels. Well meaning neighbours
would drop off a bushel 2 or 3 times during smelting season. That's a
lot of smelt and mom was not the outdoorsy type. I doubt she would know
how to use a fishing line and I grew up on the water. I was first
introduced to smelt cleaning when I was still too young to use a knife.
I still won't clean them but we do eat them and they are very good.

Quoted message said:

Then dredge in flour, or first in egg then in flour, fry fast and eat.
You can hold on to the head and pull the smelt right away from its
skeleton. Or, if they're smaller, you can just crunch the bones.
Either way, really good eating. -aem

I was taught that the bones were a good source of calcium so we eat the
bones. I agree, very good eating and almost time for us to make a road
trip!

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

~patches~ said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets. From experience, they are very good
eating fish but a royal pain to have to clean. The smelt will be
running on Lake Erie pretty soon. [snip]

Known as "hooligans" to some of us when I lived in the great Pacific
Northwest. I never thought they were hard to clean at all. They're
only about 6" long, and you just give them a slice along the belly and
run your thumb from one end of the cavity to the other, rinse, and
you're done.

Then dredge in flour, or first in egg then in flour, fry fast and eat.
You can hold on to the head and pull the smelt right away from its
skeleton. Or, if they're smaller, you can just crunch the bones.
Either way, really good eating. -aem

Gez, the ones I remeber catching out of Lake Michigan were more like 2 1/2
to mabe 3 1/2. But as you point out, I never had a problem cleaning 3 or 4
dozen in 15 minutes or so. I think the smaller ones are better, since we'd
eat them bones and all.

Larry T

Quoted message said:

LT said:

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Known as "hooligans" to some of us when I lived in the great Pacific
Northwest. I never thought they were hard to clean at all. They're
only about 6" long, and you just give them a slice along the belly and
run your thumb from one end of the cavity to the other, rinse, and
you're done. [skip]

Gez, the ones I remeber catching out of Lake Michigan were more like 2 1/2
to mabe 3 1/2. But as you point out, I never had a problem cleaning 3 or 4
dozen in 15 minutes or so. I think the smaller ones are better, since we'd
eat them bones and all.

Larry T

I guess I could try an Alaskan tall tale, but that was actually a typo.
I meant to write "about four inches." -aem

"~patches~" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's a
website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of fish,
smelt fishing involves nets.

Around here, smelt fishing involves staring for hours at a line that
disappears through a hole in 18" of ice. If you're lucky you used a gas
auger to make that hole & you and said hole are covered by a fishing shack,
you're seated on a rough wooden plank or camp stool and there is a portable
kerosene heater available. The less lucky have a camp stool but no shack
and used an axe to cut through that ice.

Quoted message said:

From experience, they are very good eating fish but a royal pain to have
to clean.

I've always enjoyed cleaning smelt. Maybe the anticipation of the feast
made it enjoyable. Something I've always noticed about smelt: they taste
better if they have been frozen. It must be the only fish about which I
would say that. There is a sweetness to the flesh that isn't there if they
are eaten fresh.

Gabby

~patches~ said:

aem said:

Known as "hooligans" to some of us when I lived in the great Pacific
Northwest. ....

I've never heard them called that ....

"Hooligan" no doubt comes from the scientific name, Eulachon, for the
type of smelt we knew. The smelt in and around the Great Lakes is
actually a different species but very similar, from what I've read.

A Washington State website says, "Eulachon (also known as candlefish or
oolichan) belong to the family Osmeridae or smelts....Eulachons are
small, short-lived, anadromous smelts that can be found from the
southern Bering Sea to northern California,...." -aem

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

~patches~ said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets. From experience, they are very good
eating fish but a royal pain to have to clean. The smelt will be
running on Lake Erie pretty soon. [snip]

Known as "hooligans" to some of us when I lived in the great Pacific
Northwest. I never thought they were hard to clean at all. They're
only about 6" long, and you just give them a slice along the belly and
run your thumb from one end of the cavity to the other, rinse, and
you're done.

Then dredge in flour, or first in egg then in flour, fry fast and eat.
You can hold on to the head and pull the smelt right away from its
skeleton. Or, if they're smaller, you can just crunch the bones.
Either way, really good eating. -aem

Yes indeed! I have never fished for them but I love to eat them - or used
to, I never see them here in NC.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

Gabby said:

"~patches~" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's a
website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of fish,
smelt fishing involves nets.

Around here, smelt fishing involves staring for hours at a line that
disappears through a hole in 18" of ice. If you're lucky you used a gas
auger to make that hole & you and said hole are covered by a fishing shack,
you're seated on a rough wooden plank or camp stool and there is a portable
kerosene heater available. The less lucky have a camp stool but no shack
and used an axe to cut through that ice.

I'm an experienced fisherman (read woman) who taugh all my kids to fish.
DH does not fish unless it involves a boat, auto trader, and stiff
drink - hooks not required. My idea of ice fishing is the grocery store
freezer section already cleaned and ready to go. There's no way I would
get DH ice fishing! Smelt are caught by net here normally at night so
using a line sounds a little off. The only net fishing I do is for
shiners for bait.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

From experience, they are very good eating fish but a royal pain to have
to clean.

I've always enjoyed cleaning smelt. Maybe the anticipation of the feast
made it enjoyable. Something I've always noticed about smelt: they taste
better if they have been frozen. It must be the only fish about which I
would say that. There is a sweetness to the flesh that isn't there if they
are eaten fresh.

I like bass fishing. DH won't give up our boat for a bass boat either.
We used to camp at this one spot where the bass fishermen left about 3
am. They would be gone until dusk then the whole campground turned into
one huge bass fest. It was wonderful. My kids loved it. I'll have to
pay more attention to the smelt. They are good eating but I can't say
I've noticed a real difference between fresh or frozen.

Quoted message said:

Gabby

"~patches~" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gabby said:

"~patches~" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets.

Around here, smelt fishing involves staring for hours at a line that
disappears through a hole in 18" of ice. If you're lucky you used a gas
auger to make that hole & you and said hole are covered by a fishing
shack, you're seated on a rough wooden plank or camp stool and there is a
portable kerosene heater available. The less lucky have a camp stool but
no shack and used an axe to cut through that ice.

I'm an experienced fisherman (read woman) who taugh all my kids to fish.
DH does not fish unless it involves a boat, auto trader, and stiff drink -
hooks not required. My idea of ice fishing is the grocery store freezer
section already cleaned and ready to go. There's no way I would get DH
ice fishing! Smelt are caught by net here normally at night so using a
line sounds a little off. The only net fishing I do is for shiners for
bait.

Where I grew up, net fishing for smelts was done but only by the commercial
fisherman. The average joe fished for smelt in the way I described above.
Around here though, there is no commercial smelt fishery, it's every (wo)man
for himself around the hole in the ice.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

From experience, they are very good eating fish but a royal pain to have
to clean.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've always enjoyed cleaning smelt. Maybe the anticipation of the feast
made it enjoyable. Something I've always noticed about smelt: they
taste better if they have been frozen. It must be the only fish about
which I would say that. There is a sweetness to the flesh that isn't
there if they are eaten fresh.

I like bass fishing. DH won't give up our boat for a bass boat either. We
used to camp at this one spot where the bass fishermen left about 3 am.
They would be gone until dusk then the whole campground turned into one
huge bass fest. It was wonderful. My kids loved it.

The only thing like that that I'm familiar with is mackerel -- when they're
running they'll bite on anything. But we're obviously talking fresh vs.
salt water fishing. I grew up on the east coast of New Brunswick, fishing
was done in the Baie des Chaleurs. My next door neighbour was a commercial
fisherman, setting his salmon nets early in the summer. I used to watch him
set out in his rowboat each morning & evening to check his nets. No high
tech fishery around my hometown. We were usually the recipients of his
by-catch of cod or lumpfish.

Gabby

~patches~ wrote on March 20, 2006:

<smelt>

Quoted message said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets.

Interesting. The only smelt fishing I've seen didn't involve nets but
something they call - I think - a smelt rake, which is basically a long
pole studded with short spikes spaced at close intervals. The objective
was to snare the smelt between the spikes.

Gabby said:

Around here, smelt fishing involves staring for hours at a line that
disappears through a hole in 18" of ice. If you're lucky you used a gas
auger to make that hole & you and said hole are covered by a fishing shack,
you're seated on a rough wooden plank or camp stool and there is a portable
kerosene heater available. The less lucky have a camp stool but no shack
and used an axe to cut through that ice.

Smelt fishing???? Are you confusing it with ice fishing for perch? You forgot to
mention to cases of beer that they use for benches.

Smelt run in the spring, after the ice melts and are caught in nets. It is too
hard to bait hooks small enough for get into a smelt's mouth.

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gabby said:

Around here, smelt fishing involves staring for hours at a line that
disappears through a hole in 18" of ice. If you're lucky you used a gas
auger to make that hole & you and said hole are covered by a fishing
shack,
you're seated on a rough wooden plank or camp stool and there is a
portable
kerosene heater available. The less lucky have a camp stool but no shack
and used an axe to cut through that ice.

Smelt fishing???? Are you confusing it with ice fishing for perch? You
forgot to
mention to cases of beer that they use for benches.

I guess it depends where you live and fish. Around here & where I grew up
ice fishing is for smelt, not perch (don't think we'd recognize a perch if
it bit us on the ass). I did forget the cases of beer, my bad. That has
more to do with the fact that perching my butt on my four-pack of Guinness
is not that comfortable.

Quoted message said:

Smelt run in the spring, after the ice melts and are caught in nets. It
is too
hard to bait hooks small enough for get into a smelt's mouth.

Around home you can't get smelt until the ice has set in the bay and I've
never heard anyone complain about having a hard time baiting hooks.

Gabby

~patches~ said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets. From experience, they are very good
eating fish but a royal pain to have to clean. The smelt will be
running on Lake Erie pretty soon.
http://www.fishontario.com/fishing/other/article.jsp;jsessionid=MDGDELAMHLLG?content=20051205_113122_5100&page=1

There used to be a lot of smelt fishing at Cayuga Lake and Seneca
Lake. I haven't caught them in 45 years, but still remember ther fun,
drinking and eating.

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Smelt fishing???? Are you confusing it with ice fishing for perch? You
forgot to
mention to cases of beer that they use for benches.

Smelt run in the spring, after the ice melts and are caught in nets. It
is too
hard to bait hooks small enough for get into a smelt's mouth.

Just a quote about the smelt fishery in my neck of the woods:

1. OVERVIEW OF THE FISHERY

The American smelt is a pelagic schooling species, inhabiting inshore
coastal regions and midwaters of lakes. On the Atlantic coast, anadromous
smelt stocks are harvested commercially in fall and winter, before the start
of the spawning run. Recreational and tourist fishing takes place all year
long, but it is estimated that the landings from this fishery are only a
very low percentage of the total landings.

In the fall, commercial fishers use gill nets as well as trap nets in open
water. In winter, when most of the catches are made, the fishing is done
through holes cut in the ice. The commercial fishing gear used comprises
trap nets, bag nets and gill nets. As for recreational fishing, it is done
with dip nets in April and May and the daily limit is 60 smelt. Fishing
using a drop line or a set line is allowed all year long, and people
traditionally fish from wharves in the summer or ice shacks in the winter.
Spear fishing is permitted from December 1 to February 15.

http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overviewhttp://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overview

Gabby

Gabby said:

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Smelt fishing???? Are you confusing it with ice fishing for perch? You
forgot to
mention to cases of beer that they use for benches.

Smelt run in the spring, after the ice melts and are caught in nets. It
is too
hard to bait hooks small enough for get into a smelt's mouth.

Just a quote about the smelt fishery in my neck of the woods:

1. OVERVIEW OF THE FISHERY

The American smelt is a pelagic schooling species, inhabiting inshore
coastal regions and midwaters of lakes. On the Atlantic coast, anadromous
smelt stocks are harvested commercially in fall and winter, before the start
of the spawning run. Recreational and tourist fishing takes place all year
long, but it is estimated that the landings from this fishery are only a
very low percentage of the total landings.

In the fall, commercial fishers use gill nets as well as trap nets in open
water. In winter, when most of the catches are made, the fishing is done
through holes cut in the ice. The commercial fishing gear used comprises
trap nets, bag nets and gill nets. As for recreational fishing, it is done
with dip nets in April and May and the daily limit is 60 smelt. Fishing
using a drop line or a set line is allowed all year long, and people
traditionally fish from wharves in the summer or ice shacks in the winter.
Spear fishing is permitted from December 1 to February 15.

http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overviewhttp://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overview

Gabby

Interesting Gabby. Smelt are so small that I wouldn't have thought you
could use a drop line. I can't imagine spear fishing for them. Smelt
fishing is done with nets here, no line fishing. The daily limit is a
lot higher than 60 too as smelt are a nuisance fish that could easily
overpopulate the lakes.

Gabby said:

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Smelt fishing???? Are you confusing it with ice fishing for perch? You
forgot to
mention to cases of beer that they use for benches.

Smelt run in the spring, after the ice melts and are caught in nets. It
is too
hard to bait hooks small enough for get into a smelt's mouth.

Just a quote about the smelt fishery in my neck of the woods:

1. OVERVIEW OF THE FISHERY

The American smelt is a pelagic schooling species, inhabiting inshore
coastal regions and midwaters of lakes. On the Atlantic coast, anadromous
smelt stocks are harvested commercially in fall and winter, before the start
of the spawning run. Recreational and tourist fishing takes place all year
long, but it is estimated that the landings from this fishery are only a
very low percentage of the total landings.

In the fall, commercial fishers use gill nets as well as trap nets in open
water. In winter, when most of the catches are made, the fishing is done
through holes cut in the ice. The commercial fishing gear used comprises
trap nets, bag nets and gill nets. As for recreational fishing, it is done
with dip nets in April and May and the daily limit is 60 smelt. Fishing
using a drop line or a set line is allowed all year long, and people
traditionally fish from wharves in the summer or ice shacks in the winter.
Spear fishing is permitted from December 1 to February 15.

http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overviewhttp://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overview

Here in Ontario, smelt are netted.

Dave Smith wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overviewhttp://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mgmt-plan/nb-nb/smelt_eperlan_2001_2006-e.html#overview

Here in Ontario, smelt are netted.

Yep and it is just about time too!

One time on Usenet said:

~patches~ wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I mentioned in a reply that while we don't smelt fish we eat it. Here's
a website that will tell you more about smelt fishing. Unlike a lot of
fish, smelt fishing involves nets. From experience, they are very good
eating fish but a royal pain to have to clean. The smelt will be
running on Lake Erie pretty soon. [snip]

Quoted message said:

Known as "hooligans" to some of us when I lived in the great Pacific
Northwest. I never thought they were hard to clean at all. They're
only about 6" long, and you just give them a slice along the belly and
run your thumb from one end of the cavity to the other, rinse, and
you're done.

Quoted message said:

Then dredge in flour, or first in egg then in flour, fry fast and eat.
You can hold on to the head and pull the smelt right away from its
skeleton. Or, if they're smaller, you can just crunch the bones.
Either way, really good eating. -aem

Ooooh, I haven't had fried smelt since I was a kid, but I loved
them...

--
jj - rfc (Jani) in WA
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~