Cowlitz smelt season?

[metlhead]

Anyone have any insight if we'll get a season? Sea lions are working the lower river hard.

[fowl smacker]

I wouldn't count on more than a day or two for a few hr time slot like last yr if they give us one at all.

[Brushcrawler]

Any new information on an opener?

[metlhead]

Hope it comes soon. Finishing up in Kelso and gonna be stuck in Bonney Lake through summer.

[ASHQUACK]

The local gubbernment has to say it's okay to have all those dirty old covid infected people in their area before WDFW will even consider opening it. Commercials will get an opener (if one hasn't been scheduled) way before us.

[Brushcrawler]

Opens Tuesday. Four days notice and on a school day. Makes it pretty hard to introduce kids to this sort of thing.
https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=2632

[MADMAX]

Can you say cluster ?
I knew you could

[fowl smacker]

Guess the working man takes it in the rear again.

[deerlick]

School day, what is that?

[Jake Dogfish]

Commercial “test” fisheries have harvested a lot of these endangered fish. 
So they are pretending to throw us a bone with a few hours on a Tuesday.
I’ll pass. 

[Limhangerslayer]

Commercial “test” fisheries have harvested a lot of these endangered fish. 
So they are pretending to throw us a bone with a few hours on a Tuesday.
I’ll pass. 

exactly, how do they test fish an endangered species to see if some sport dippers can have a few!?  I love how they do a commercial opener first??

[fowl smacker]

I watched the native dippers just below Camelot dumping smelt out of their FULL nets so they were able to lift them into their tote.  They are thick right now.  Hopefully it stays like this for the people able to go Tuesday.

[3boys]

I made it to the opener today. 1 dip and I had 2 limits. Not crowded where I was at

[Ghost Hunter]

I made it to the opener today. 1 dip and I had 2 limits. Not crowded where I was at

Curious.  Did they count and sex them?

[Jake Dogfish]

Well done 3boys! Huge haul! 

[3boys]

I made it to the opener today. 1 dip and I had 2 limits. Not crowded where I was at

Curious.  Did they count and sex them?

We were only there 5 minutes. Saw a F an G boat cruise up the river. I have smelted many years and never seen them so thick. I suspect they will have another opener. The pic gives away my super secret spot.

[ctwiggs1]

How do you guys cook em? Always been interested in this one but I’ve never done it

[3boys]

How do you guys cook em? Always been interested in this one but I’ve never done it

I clean them with scissors and a quick rinse. I will pan fry them and smoke bunch for snacks. They have a real clean taste. Just got off the slime line. Glad the limit is only 10#s!

[ctwiggs1]

How do you guys cook em? Always been interested in this one but I’ve never done it

I clean them with scissors and a quick rinse. I will pan fry them and smoke bunch for snacks. They have a real clean taste. Just got off the slime line. Glad the limit is only 10#s!

Ok, definitely going to have to give it a go next time!

[Parasite]

All my smelt today we're males. What's that all about?

[Angry Perch]

Are those average size? They look big.

[3boys]

Are those average size? They look big.

They were jumbo size. Largest I have ever gotten.

[CastleRocker]

All my smelt today we're males. What's that all about?

Normally, the "pilot run" that comes through first, are all big males.  The pilot run came through about a month ago, so I don't know why these are big males.  I had to work, so no dipping.   I did talk to some Indians on my way home around 5 o'clock, that were still filling fish totes in the back of their truck, to see if they'd sell me some. 

[2MANY]

"All my smelt today we're males."

Welcome to Washington.

[HntnFsh]

Too bad about the all the males. Those big ripe females are great for sucking the eggs out of. Looks like oatmeal, but way better flavor!

[HntnFsh]

I dont think the spawning beds are anywhere close to pre eruption conditions. Everything below the mouth of he Toutle has been covered in sediment since the eruption. Look into interception rates in northern prawn fisheries and the amount of smelt bycatch they get and I think you will see a large part of the problem.

If It was because of the spawning beds why have we had years where there were absolutely massive runs of smelt only to be followed by years of no smelt. All since the eruption of mount St. Helens. With the sediment dam on the Toutle I dont think the Cowlitz will ever flush out the sediment. Thats part of the reason there is talk of dredging it again.

[pnwbestlife]

Hoping this isn't against the rules or anything, but I made a video of my smelt dipping adventure as a first time, never smelt dipped, had no idea what I was doing thing!

Enjoy!