#983468 - 01/11/18 11:40 AM
Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
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River Nutrients
Registered: 04/25/00
Posts: 5077
Loc: East of Aberdeen, West of Mont...
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Its getting to be that time of the year....I've heard nothing....Can anyone shed some light on a 2018 Smelt season????
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"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"
"I thought growing older, would take longer"
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#983504 - 01/12/18 12:27 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Shooting Instructor for hire
Registered: 10/26/10
Posts: 7260
Loc: Snohomish, WA
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I predict a track suit hatch on the river. Nostrovia!
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“If the military were fighting for our freedom, they would be storming Capitol Hill”. – FleaFlickr02
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#983546 - 01/13/18 10:32 AM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Repeat Spawner
Registered: 08/04/99
Posts: 1463
Loc: Olympia, WA
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Where would replacement smelt bags (nets) be available locally? I have two nets needing new bags, and I'd like to get at least one of them ready to go, in case there's an opening. Thanks for any info.
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#983566 - 01/13/18 04:24 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 01/17/04
Posts: 3742
Loc: Sheltona Beach
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I go by the water temperature of 43*F for the migration to ramp up. I'm thinking about a month from now they will have a better run size estimate.
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#983685 - 01/16/18 10:13 AM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 08/26/02
Posts: 4709
Loc: Sequim
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Just got the following. The graphs and tables didn't come through.
Recent returns and this year’s forecast
 Numbers of spawning adult eulachon, as spawning stock biomass (SSB) in pounds, back- calculated from annual eulachon larvae production estimates, has been estimated since 2011 for the Columbia River and tributaries.
 Total run-size has been estimated from combined harvest and SSB estimates.
 Eulachon abundance increased steadily from 2011 to 2014, reaching a peak of 16.6 million pounds, and has since declined the past three years:
 Ocean environmental conditions were favorable for marine survival during 2012-2013, but have deteriorated the past three years.
 The 2018 return is expected to be smaller in magnitude than the 2017 return.
Recent fisheries
 Both commercial and recreational fisheries were closed to all harvest in 2011-2013.
 Very conservative reduced Level-1 fisheries were reinstated in 2014 to collect biological and catch per effort data.
 The 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 commercial fisheries each consisted of eight fishing periods over four weeks in the mainstem Columbia River.
 The recreational fishery provided: two meaningful days of harvest opportunity in the Cowlitz River during 2014 and 2015 (five days in 2014 and two days in 2015) along with an opportunity in the Sandy River; and, one day in the Cowlitz River during 2016 and 2017.
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#983715 - 01/16/18 07:34 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 04/25/00
Posts: 5077
Loc: East of Aberdeen, West of Mont...
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Help, help, help......If a person lived in the Montesano area could they legally dip and keep smelt if available during a open fishing season......see #2 below
WAC 220-56-270 Smelt - Areas and seasons (1) Unlawful to fish for or possess Columbia River smelt or eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus). (2) Fishing for smelt other than Columbia River smelt or eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) is permitted the entire year on Pacific Ocean beaches and in all rivers concurrent with a salmon or gamefish opening, except closed in the Columbia River and tributaries.
(3) Fishing for smelt other than Columbia River smelt or eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) is open in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca year-round except: (a) Closed weekly from 10:00 p.m. Tuesday to 6:00 a.m. Friday for all gear types except forage fish jig gear; and (b) Closed year-round in Catch Record Card Area 12 for all gear types. (c) Violation of this subsection is an infraction, punishable under RCW 77.15.160. (4) It is unlawful to possess smelt taken with gear in violation of the provisions of this section. Possession of smelt while using gear in violation of the provisions of this section is a rebuttable presumption that the smelt were taken with such gear. Possession of such smelt is punishable under RCW 77.15.380 Unlawful recreational fishing in the second degree -- Penalty, unless the smelt are taken in the amounts or manner to constitute a violation of RCW 77.15.370 Unlawful recreational fishing in the first degree -- Penalty
_________________________
"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"
"I thought growing older, would take longer"
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#983716 - 01/16/18 07:48 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7428
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
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Depends on the species. Not Eulachon (the CR smelt). Surf Smelt or Long-finned Smelt come to mind as options.
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#983724 - 01/16/18 09:28 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 04/25/00
Posts: 5077
Loc: East of Aberdeen, West of Mont...
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How would the average person know the difference ???????
Is the Chehalis River system a breeding/rearing area for the Columbia River smelt???
_________________________
"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"
"I thought growing older, would take longer"
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#983726 - 01/16/18 10:02 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Ornamental Rice Bowl
Registered: 11/24/03
Posts: 12767
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Wynoochee... 3 yrs ago.
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"Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone." (Zane Grey) "If you don't kill them, they will spawn." (Carcassman) The Keen Eye MDLong Live the Kings!
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#983727 - 01/16/18 10:06 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7428
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
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Columbia River Smelt is a "common" name for the Eulachon, which is found, I think, from Alaska to northern California. Same species.
Part of being a sportsman. There are all sorts of guidebooks available. Of course, WDFW could help by producing some cheap ID books (Cal F&G had a fantastic series).
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#983730 - 01/16/18 11:39 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Shooting Instructor for hire
Registered: 10/26/10
Posts: 7260
Loc: Snohomish, WA
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You just haven't lived until you've dipped for smelt with a bunch of DRUNK Michigan rednecks (which may or may not have included me...can't say that I remember all too much). How everyone doesn't die is beyond me. EPIC chitshow, but smelt by the truck loads. Tasty little buggers.
Would like to do some dipping here, but is it even worth it? I've heard mixed reports on if it is...???
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“If the military were fighting for our freedom, they would be storming Capitol Hill”. – FleaFlickr02
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#983732 - 01/17/18 07:08 AM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7428
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
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College prof of mine went to Cornell. During the smelt run there, he and some friends would go out to the nearby stream, harvest a limit, cook them over an open fire (washed down with beer), and then repeat after midnight when a new daily limit could be collected.
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#983737 - 01/17/18 08:26 AM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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ReefSkunk
Unregistered
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I spent many a cold rainy day as a kid spotting and scooping smelt on the neighborhood beach. I’d take them home and my mom would fry them up for me. Good memories.
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#983738 - 01/17/18 08:28 AM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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ReefSkunk
Unregistered
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Fishing the Togiak in Alaska the smelt were so thick in early king season that some spots couldn’t be fished for Salmon. Smelt like K-15 kwikfish which seemed odd.
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#983754 - 01/17/18 02:41 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Shooting Instructor for hire
Registered: 10/26/10
Posts: 7260
Loc: Snohomish, WA
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This thread is making me hungry. The great lakes smelt were pretty small, so they just got a quick scissors treatment to gut out and then into the deep fryer head and all.
So for smelt the size of the one in Doc's pic, do ya'll head and fin them first or do you eat it all? Is that one a standard size or is it considered a "trophy" for lack of a better term?
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“If the military were fighting for our freedom, they would be storming Capitol Hill”. – FleaFlickr02
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#983757 - 01/17/18 03:03 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Returning Adult
Registered: 06/23/04
Posts: 422
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I was thoroughly underwhelmed the only time I tried to cook them. The meat was really soft and largely flavorless. It was kinda like deep fried mashed potatoes with a creamy, white, bland inside and crusty deep fried outside. I did smoke a bunch head and all and they turned out decent.
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#983773 - 01/17/18 10:40 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Returning Adult
Registered: 02/02/15
Posts: 320
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Off with the head, tails and guts and toss them in a bowl. You can get it down to a few seconds per fish with practice. My dad used to roll them in some secret batter mix..then.. Fry 'em up and eat 'em like popcorn, and don't forget a good beer to wash it all down...
Edited by GoldDigger (01/17/18 10:40 PM)
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#983789 - 01/18/18 10:26 AM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Repeat Spawner
Registered: 08/04/99
Posts: 1463
Loc: Olympia, WA
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On the flavorability scale, smelt fall somewhere between a fish stick made from pollock and a lowland lake planter trout. You can eat them "in the round", but I've seen some parasites in the guts I scissored out, so I always clean them. Besides, the first question you're going to get when you try to give 240 leftover smelt to friends and neighbors is, "Are they cleaned?"
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#983792 - 01/18/18 11:51 AM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7428
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
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Dipped smelt from the Cowlitz decades ago. Tried them fried and smoked. Best way then was to feed them to my chickens and eat the resulting eggs. Did have some raw smelt at a Japanese restaurant once that was the very best way to have them. Sake might have aided in that evaluation.
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#983797 - 01/18/18 02:45 PM
Re: Smelt Dipping, Cowlitz River 2018
[Re: DrifterWA]
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Shooting Instructor for hire
Registered: 10/26/10
Posts: 7260
Loc: Snohomish, WA
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Hmmm could it be as a result from coming out of the salt? The GL smelt are in fresh water their whole lives and they were really good. I'm not much of a fish eater, so I shy away from anything either uber fishy tasting or mushy - but I loved the GL smelt.
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“If the military were fighting for our freedom, they would be storming Capitol Hill”. – FleaFlickr02
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