Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: Mark0202 on February 05, 2014, 08:57:18 PM

Title: smelt dipping
Post by: Mark0202 on February 05, 2014, 08:57:18 PM: 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?
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: washelkhunter on February 05, 2014, 09:06:18 PM: I'd like to get some. Think i'll see if I can pickup a dip net at the show tomorrow.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Dhoey07 on February 06, 2014, 07:46:40 AM: Good to hear that the run has recovered enough to have a season
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: WSU on February 06, 2014, 07:56:42 AM: What do people do with them? Anyone have a recipe?
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Encore 280 on February 06, 2014, 08:09:48 AM: 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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: wafisherman on February 06, 2014, 08:29:29 AM: 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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Encore 280 on February 06, 2014, 09:00:03 AM: 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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: allen on February 06, 2014, 09:02:47 AM: 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
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Jingles on February 06, 2014, 09:07:48 AM: 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
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Bigshooter on February 06, 2014, 05:23:52 PM: Quote from: Mark0202 on February 05, 2014, 08:57:18 PM
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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Mark0202 on February 06, 2014, 05:50:35 PM: 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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: bowhunterwa87 on February 06, 2014, 06:17:49 PM: Fry um whole then pull heads n guts out! Yummy
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: TheHunt on February 06, 2014, 06:58:33 PM: I would love to go just to experience it. I have never done it.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: fishcrazy on February 06, 2014, 07:27:01 PM: 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
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: fowl smacker on February 06, 2014, 07:48:02 PM: There were already smelt in the cowlitz a week and a half ago, not a lot, but some.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: dustysags on February 06, 2014, 09:51:42 PM: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151711128027551&set=vb.502997550&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151711128027551&set=vb.502997550&type=3&theater) Earlier this year in november on the nooksack river
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: scree on February 08, 2014, 10:32:51 PM: anybody get out for smelt today?
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Bullkllr on February 09, 2014, 07:41:34 AM: Quote from: TheHunt on February 06, 2014, 06:58:33 PM
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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: washelkhunter on February 09, 2014, 08:11:23 AM: You'd probably be risking life and limb getting on the rivers in these conditions.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: TheHunt on February 09, 2014, 08:19:30 AM: Quote from: Bullkllr on February 09, 2014, 07:41:34 AM
Quote from: TheHunt on February 06, 2014, 06:58:33 PM
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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Bullkllr on February 09, 2014, 09:38:16 AM: Quote from: TheHunt on February 09, 2014, 08:19:30 AM
Quote from: Bullkllr on February 09, 2014, 07:41:34 AM
Quote from: TheHunt on February 06, 2014, 06:58:33 PM
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.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Kc_Kracker on February 10, 2014, 01:44:54 PM: 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 :chuckle:

what to do with them? males `you whole brine, smoke, eat like candy.........females clean them and remove eggs if you wish, i do
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Song Dog on February 10, 2014, 02:56:30 PM: I will be going up saturday. Besides smoking them and sturgen bait they make really good bait for early springers.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: jackmaster on February 10, 2014, 03:19:53 PM: 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 :tup: :chuckle: 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
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Encore 280 on February 10, 2014, 04:17:13 PM: 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. :dunno: Figure that one out.
Title: Re: smelt dipping
Post by: Jamieb on February 10, 2014, 07:39:19 PM: Just strung new netting,ready for Saturday
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(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv376%2Felkhunter%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2Fimage_zps8190f672.jpg&hash=25484f3b5ba5236a0d3bd88820f56bd92ac5a15e) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/elkhunter/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps8190f672.jpg.html)