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Dec 21, 2020 15:02:44   #
Jeremy Loc: America
 
woodguru wrote:
Growing up my grandmother had a cabin on Martin's Beach between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, one of the really hot Grunion run beaches. We would have family fish fry's on weekends for at times 20 to 30 or more people. We figured we would easily be frying up as much as a couple of hundred pounds of smelt over a weekend. During the 80's it got hard to catch enough to feed a few people.

Ever notice that most of the places that "had" prolific smelt and grunion runs don't anymore? My guess is that the stories of many people getting 5 gallon buckets full is the key. Fisheries that seem endless at the time get wiped out by failing to set some brakes on the days that they can be fished. I always thought it made sense to close fishing for set days and let a heavy part of the run successfully spawn to where throwing a net would continue to produce a nice catch on the days it's allowed.
Growing up my grandmother had a cabin on Martin's ... (show quote)


YUP. Commercial put dents in the Recreational catch too. I agree.

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Dec 21, 2020 15:03:38   #
FinFisherman Loc: Born in Ohio - 40 yrs Florida- Clearwater,Fl
 
woodguru wrote:
Growing up my grandmother had a cabin on Martin's Beach between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, one of the really hot Grunion run beaches. We would have family fish fry's on weekends for at times 20 to 30 or more people. We figured we would easily be frying up as much as a couple of hundred pounds of smelt over a weekend. During the 80's it got hard to catch enough to feed a few people.

Ever notice that most of the places that "had" prolific smelt and grunion runs don't anymore? My guess is that the stories of many people getting 5 gallon buckets full is the key. Fisheries that seem endless at the time get wiped out by failing to set some brakes on the days that they can be fished. I always thought it made sense to close fishing for set days and let a heavy part of the run successfully spawn to where throwing a net would continue to produce a nice catch on the days it's allowed.
Growing up my grandmother had a cabin on Martin's ... (show quote)


We never took hundreds of pounds of fish. We never over fished. I still don't over 🐟.

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Dec 21, 2020 16:34:35   #
Garry Brilla Loc: Parma Ohio
 
Ben Bragg wrote:
Does anyone net smelt?
We have kinda a tradition to fry up a good bunch Christmas Eve with the in laws
They are pretty tasty.
I Don’t think we are doing it this year with Covid going on.


Yes. Very tastey. Used to catch nice sized ones in lake Erie, through the ice at Edgewater. Chop off the head, run a blade from the butt through the chest, and you can gut 'em with a finger. A little breading, fried, and yummmm! Kind sweet tasting.👍

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Dec 21, 2020 18:32:54   #
6482bodean Loc: Northern Indiana
 
I have never caught or eaten fresh smelt, but I've bought them breaded, flash frozen, and ready to deep fry. They are readily available at our local butcher shop. I imagine they're not quite as good as fresh, but I think they're pretty tasty.

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Dec 21, 2020 19:10:58   #
hacksaw Loc: Pasadena, Texas
 
Ben Bragg wrote:
They are like fish French fries.
Pretty tasty.
Sister in law mom lives in Cleveland. She brings em from Lake Erie.
She Cuts abdomen with scissors. Rinses em out . Dips them in flour and fries em head , tail and all. Hit em with salt while they are still hot.
We eat them as fast as they can be fried.
As soon as they are gone it’s calamari time.
Haven’t heard but I don’t think we are doing this this year.
I’m kinda bummed


Sounds awesome Ben. Another hit taken in 2020. So sad.😢
Hack 🇺🇸🍺🍺

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Dec 21, 2020 19:15:32   #
Pete the welder Loc: Guerneville ,ca
 
You can peel the bones out of them pretty easy when they are fresh and dip them in a egg wash and flour then deep fry them . I like them better than shrimp and I love shrimp 😃

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Dec 21, 2020 19:24:03   #
flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!
 
Schancer wrote:
Flyguy,
Yes. They're still there in Lake Superior. Scooted up to Ashland from Hayward last spring and came home with three ice cream pails full. That's a lot of cleaning. My wife and I team up. She snips the heads and eviscerates with a scissors while I do a final rinse in cold water. We end up giving a few meals to our good neighbors. Like all fish, they're much better fresh. We used to freeze them and use them for northern pike bait with the Swedish hooks. Both are outlawed in Wisconsin now.
Flyguy, br Yes. They're still there in Lake Super... (show quote)


Thanks for the update, Schancer, but I'm too old to even think about doing that now. I wish I wasn't!!!!

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Dec 21, 2020 19:28:19   #
Schancer Loc: Hayward, WI
 
flyguy wrote:
Thanks for the update, Schancer, but I'm too old to even think about doing that now. I wish I wasn't!!!!


Come on, my friend. You could still do it. Just fewer beers on the trip up.😄

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Dec 21, 2020 20:28:36   #
Barney
 
Never had to take the bones out or scale them. Just clean em dip them in egg wash then seasoned flour. Then pan fry them. Barney

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Dec 21, 2020 20:36:50   #
bottomcoon Loc: Tahlequah, oklahoma
 
I've froze my tail off standing on the bank of the Detroit river with my wife's father & uncle's waiting to dip net
smelt. They were successful & took home a load of the things which I must admit tasted pretty dang good. To me it was like eating the trotline bait. Something really new for an Okie. There's a creek across the road from my house that has tons of creek chubs which I regularly catch for catfish bait but I would not eat them.

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Dec 22, 2020 16:55:11   #
excuse me I need to fish now Loc: Puyallup, Washington (near Tacoma)
 
Just like Jeremy, I used to dip smelt in the Cowlitz but when Mt. St. Helens blew up it trashed the spawning beds. They’re starting to get back up to levels that allow for recreational dipping...I think we had like 3 or 4 days last year for the first time in many years. Mom used to fry ‘em when I was a kid but I’ve always preferred them smoked. Tasty!

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Dec 22, 2020 21:45:55   #
avan47 Loc: Lake Amistad, TX
 
I remember netting them out of the Escanaba river which flows into lake Michigan. That was back when I was living in the UP. Don't remember what time of the year, but it was cold. I do remember they were very tasty. I would sure like to do that again. No smelt in Texas.

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Dec 22, 2020 22:15:45   #
Pete the welder Loc: Guerneville ,ca
 
Are they the same kind of smelt we get in the ocean ?

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Dec 23, 2020 13:05:33   #
Barney
 
Basically the same smelt that have adapted to fresh water. They planted them in inland lakes about 1947 here in michigan and they took hold real well. Still get some good runs in the spring. But not as good as there were 25 years ago. Barney

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Dec 23, 2020 14:01:02   #
Pete the welder Loc: Guerneville ,ca
 
That’s good information didn’t know that.

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