Caught a "first for me" species in Grays Harbor today....



I've heard along the way that we get the odd smelt run into the Chehalis basin, but never personally seen one til today.

Googled eulachon (aka Alaska hooligan, CR smelt, Thaleichthys pacificus) but did NOT see GH listed in the distribution of the species. My web search also turned up something called a 'long fin smelt' (Spirinchus thaleichthys) which is indigenous to GH.

C'mon you old timers... fp, Rivrguy, DrifterWA... what's the scoop on local smelt?

Or do you guys think I may have just stumbled upon a recently dipped CR smelt someone discarded in local waters?

i recall an old timer i used to work with out in hoquiam telling me about a few sporadic, but big smelt runs coming up the chehalis and wynoochee back in the '60s or '70s. outside of that, i've never heard much about them.

There was a pretty good run in the Wynoochee several years ago. I didn't go look.

DrifterWA should remember.

fp

Two anadromous smelt found in Washington waters. In addition to the Columbia river smelt (Eulachon) we have the longfin smelt.

The longfin smelt has been documented in a number of rivers including Gray harbor and Willapa bay rivers and the Skagit. There is also a landlocked population found in Lake Washington. The longfin smelt tends to spwan later in the year then the Columbia river smelt. In both species most of the spawners die post spawn.

From the photo the fish looks more like a Columbia river smelt than a longfin. With both species there can be tremendous variation in abundances from year to year.

Curt

The smelt showed up at the house about a week ago along with a whole bunch of fish ducks and Cormorants. Have not seen them for a couple of days though.

I've heard of smelt in the Wynoochee, but never seen them.

in February of 1993 there was a big run of them in the nooch and all grays harbor rivers... the state said that they took a wrong turn.. but every yr plunkers seem to get a couple down in tide water..

I have seen schools of smelt near the mouth of the Wynochee, many times.

I have seen them in the tidewater of the 'Nooch.

This is the what I remember. Nets were fly'n for the week or so they were around. i recall one other small pilot run years later but it was just a blip (again, the Nooch)

I do remember the 93 run. Had a student in class that told me "went out with dad last night, caught lots of fish"....then she started laughing and told me about the smelt.

Went out 3 nights in a row, got lots....fried them, smoked them....took them to school and many staff enjoyed them.

What I remember was a drift boat started at Black Ck. and WDFW LE was waiting for them at Mulhausers....they had about 1/3 of the boat full.

They are around this year, again, but not in any big numbers.....don't think its legal to fish, dip net, them.....but could be wrong.

It'd be nice to have "a run get started".....little bastards, fried are good to eat....ya, they are.

We get em off the dock in WP now & then...sabiki jigs