smelt dipping

[Mark0202]

Just saw this come through

STATE OF WASHINGTON
ACTION NOTICE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife February 5, 2014
THE FOLLOWING SEASON WAS SET:
2014 Washington Tributary (reduced Level One) Sport Smelt Fishery Season: Open Saturdays from February 8 through March 1 (4 days) Open hours are 6:00 AM until Noon (12:00 PM) (6-hour periods) Area: Cowlitz River only Gear: Dip Net (bank only) Daily Limit: 10 pounds per person. Possession limit is equal to one daily limit.

anybody gonna fight the cold and try it out?

[washelkhunter]

I'd like to get some. Think i'll see if I can pickup a dip net at the show tomorrow.

[Dhoey07]

Good to hear that the run has recovered enough to have a season

[WSU]

What do people do with them?  Anyone have a recipe?

[Encore 280]

They're good smoked or clean 'em, shake 'em in flour and fry 'em up in Crisco or something like that. Good for sturgeon bait too but no more sturgeon fishing.

[wafisherman]

When I was a kid we'd be able to fill 5 gallon buckets in a few dips sometimes.  My dad and grandpa like them smoked whole, not cleaned, or battered and fried, whole fish, not cleaned...  I preferred them with head removed, and gutted - smoked or fried.

[Encore 280]

We cleaned them before frying but my Uncle always smoked them whole. I tried them smoked, not bad and the head was a little crunchy.

[allen]

Pickle them

clean fish
Brine overnight 4 cups salt per 1/2 gal water, next day rinse thoroughly.
boil mixture 2 cups sugar, 4 cups white vinegar, 1 cup pickling spice, let it cool then add 1 large sliced onion.
cut fish into chunks, pour cooled mixture over & let stand in frig for 5 days

[Jingles]

As a kid in Michigan I remember going out and filling Garbage cans full of smelt with dip nets. we hit the river just about dark and one or two people would be in the river dipping then when the run started everyone was in the river dipping runs would last 3 or 4 hours then drop off like someone pulled a plug. Spend the entire next day deheading, cleaning and packing for the freezer.
Rolled in seasoned flour, deep fried and if you weren't there when the frying started chances are you didn't get any

[Bigshooter]

Just saw this come through

STATE OF WASHINGTON
ACTION NOTICE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife February 5, 2014
THE FOLLOWING SEASON WAS SET:
2014 Washington Tributary (reduced Level One) Sport Smelt Fishery Season: Open Saturdays from February 8 through March 1 (4 days) Open hours are 6:00 AM until Noon (12:00 PM) (6-hour periods) Area: Cowlitz River only Gear: Dip Net (bank only) Daily Limit: 10 pounds per person. Possession limit is equal to one daily limit.

anybody gonna fight the cold and try it out?

If it's not too cold I plan on going.

[Mark0202]

Hopefully the cold won't make much of a difference. I haven't gone in nearly 15 years.  Would love to be able to get some to smoke or fry up.

[bowhunterwa87]

Fry um whole then pull heads n guts out! Yummy

[TheHunt]

I would love to go just to experience it.  I have never done it.

[fishcrazy]

no birds around yet and the Toutle had flowing ice today so I'm thinking the water is still to cold. I wouldn't waste my time.

Kris

[fowl smacker]

There were already smelt in the cowlitz  a week and a half ago, not a lot, but some. 

[dustysags]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151711128027551&set=vb.502997550&type=3&theater   Earlier this year in november on the nooksack river

[scree]

anybody get out for smelt today?

[Bullkllr]

I would love to go just to experience it.  I have never done it.

Serious?

Until very recently it was quite a yearly tradition for almost everybody in the southern half of Western Washington. Even for people who didn't fish.

[washelkhunter]

You'd probably be risking life and limb getting on the rivers in these conditions.

[TheHunt]

I would love to go just to experience it.  I have never done it.

Serious?

Until very recently it was quite a yearly tradition for almost everybody in the southern half of Western Washington. Even for people who didn't fish.

If you ever go let me know.  I will go with you. 

[Bullkllr]

I would love to go just to experience it.  I have never done it.

Serious?

Until very recently it was quite a yearly tradition for almost everybody in the southern half of Western Washington. Even for people who didn't fish.

Cool. Let's see how things go the next couple weeks and keep that open as an option.

If you ever go let me know.  I will go with you.

[Kc_Kracker]

anyone end up going? and for the newbs, as you catch them separate the males and females or their sticky gooey eggs get all over them all and its nasty 

what to do with them? males `you whole brine, smoke, eat like candy.........females clean them and remove eggs if you wish, i do

[Song Dog]

I will be going up saturday.  Besides smoking them and sturgen bait they make really good bait for early springers. 

[jackmaster]

i use to go when i was a kid, what a pain, unless we were using them for bait, otherwise it was along sit on 5 gal bucket and a pair of scissors, takes an aweful long time to clean 5 buckets of little ole smelt    we knew this philipino fella that would take the whole fish and a bunch of other stuff and pressure cook into mush, and then eat it with bread, it was the worst stink, it was capable of stinking up the whole whatehouse where i worked with my dad in the summertime, lindahl cedar homes

[Encore 280]

I don't know what the regs are now but years ago you didn't need a fishing license to dip smelt but you needed one to gig frogs. Figure that one out.

[Jamieb]

Just strung new netting,ready for Saturday
.