Smelt Dipping
In the Canadian provinces and states of USA around the Great Lakes, "smelt dipping" is a common group sport in the early spring months and when stream waters reaches approximately 4°C, (40–42°F). Fish are spotted using a flashlight / headlamp (the best smelt dipping is in the middle of the night from 10:00 pm – 2:00 am) and scooped out of the water using a dip net made of nylon or metal mesh. The smelt are cleaned by removing the head and the entrails. Fins, scales, and bones of all but the largest of smelts are cooked without removal.
On the Maine coast, smelts were also a sign of spring, with the run of these small fish up tiny tidal estuaries. Many of these streams were narrow enough for a person to straddle and get a good catch of smelt by dipping a bucket.
Smelt fishing is also a popular sport in Washington and Oregon along the coast in the winter and summer months. Many people also fish for smelt year-round on the Puget Sound beaches as well as in the Columbia River.
Read more about this topic: Smelt (fish)
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