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Smelt
- Thread Starter rick49
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Same here, JBett, 5 seconds. Snip, snip (head and belly), and a quick rip with the back of the thumbnail to push out the loose guts. Once fried crispy, sometimes part of the backbone falls out too.
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When I was a young kid an old Norwegian guy across the street would take my Dad and I smelt netting on the Sandy River.
He couldn't see very well at night so my job was to make sure the 85 yr old wouldn't fall into the river.
I will never forget what it was like to hear the shouting and commotion when a huge run made it's way up the river.
The best part was when someone would fall into the cold river and had to be fished out.
The old guy had a walk in smoker and I would be in charge of refilling the wood chips while he told me stories of fishing and hunting in Norway.
He had an old family recipe for smoked smelt that had a healthy portion of powdered mustard/cayenne and white pepper in the brine and once you started to eat them you couldn't stop.
He couldn't see very well at night so my job was to make sure the 85 yr old wouldn't fall into the river.
I will never forget what it was like to hear the shouting and commotion when a huge run made it's way up the river.
The best part was when someone would fall into the cold river and had to be fished out.
The old guy had a walk in smoker and I would be in charge of refilling the wood chips while he told me stories of fishing and hunting in Norway.
He had an old family recipe for smoked smelt that had a healthy portion of powdered mustard/cayenne and white pepper in the brine and once you started to eat them you couldn't stop.
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I had a black lab, Jim, great dog that loved to eat fresh smelt.
He would know where the net was coming out and would wait there.
I would toss him a smelt every now and then.
If he caught it just right and chomped down, the head and tail would both fall.
He'd eat the mid section and then clean up the head and tail.
Quite a sight.
One time on the way home, Jim was riding in the back seat.
Suddenly he let loose with this projectile vomit session.
It was like a fire hose coming out of him.
There were smelt heads and tails everywhere.
Right in the middle were pieces of a rotten lamprey that he had gotten into.
I'll never forget that day !
He would know where the net was coming out and would wait there.
I would toss him a smelt every now and then.
If he caught it just right and chomped down, the head and tail would both fall.
He'd eat the mid section and then clean up the head and tail.
Quite a sight.
One time on the way home, Jim was riding in the back seat.
Suddenly he let loose with this projectile vomit session.
It was like a fire hose coming out of him.
There were smelt heads and tails everywhere.
Right in the middle were pieces of a rotten lamprey that he had gotten into.
I'll never forget that day !
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Dad took my sister and me smelting on the Cowlitz every year when we were kids. Of course it was always pouring and cold, and the first time we went (probably 1960), he reminded us to bring extra clothes. We had a few dozen smelt in the bucket when my sister slipped and went splash. Dad snatched her out in one second and sent her to the van to get her other clothes on. She was scared, freezing and on the verge of tears, "I'm wearing them!"
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I went with a friend years ago & was not impressed with it,the netting nor the table fare. Color me crazy but it twern't my cup o tea......
I use my 9' smelt dip net for a kokanee net because most of the fish get lost at the boat. I have bettered my landing % greatly since I ditched my 4' net.
I use my 9' smelt dip net for a kokanee net because most of the fish get lost at the boat. I have bettered my landing % greatly since I ditched my 4' net.
From Wikipedia.
Etymology
The common names of this fish have a somewhat confusing relationship. The name "candlefish" derives from it being so fat during spawning, with up to 15% of total body weight in fat, that if caught, dried, and strung on a wick, it can be burned as a candle. This is the name most often used by early explorers.
Economics and trade
Eulachon rendering camp at the mouth of the Nass River, 1884.
Indigenous communities of the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska made eulachon an important part of their diet, as well as a valuable trade item with peoples whose territories did not include spawning rivers. The species was caught using traps, rakes, and nets. The harvest continues today, with other residents taking part in the exploitation of the large runs. Today harvested eulachon are typically stored frozen and thawed as needed. They may also be dried, smoked, or canned. Eulachon were also processed for their rich oil. The usual process was to allow the fish to decompose for a week or more in a pit in the ground, then add boiling water and skim off the oil, which would rise to the surface. Eulachon oil (also known as "grease") was the most important product traded into the interior; as a result, the trails over which the trade was conducted came to be known as grease trails. Other uses of eulachon by non-Natives include bait for sportfishing and food for cats and dogs.
Etymology
The common names of this fish have a somewhat confusing relationship. The name "candlefish" derives from it being so fat during spawning, with up to 15% of total body weight in fat, that if caught, dried, and strung on a wick, it can be burned as a candle. This is the name most often used by early explorers.
Economics and trade
Eulachon rendering camp at the mouth of the Nass River, 1884.
Indigenous communities of the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska made eulachon an important part of their diet, as well as a valuable trade item with peoples whose territories did not include spawning rivers. The species was caught using traps, rakes, and nets. The harvest continues today, with other residents taking part in the exploitation of the large runs. Today harvested eulachon are typically stored frozen and thawed as needed. They may also be dried, smoked, or canned. Eulachon were also processed for their rich oil. The usual process was to allow the fish to decompose for a week or more in a pit in the ground, then add boiling water and skim off the oil, which would rise to the surface. Eulachon oil (also known as "grease") was the most important product traded into the interior; as a result, the trails over which the trade was conducted came to be known as grease trails. Other uses of eulachon by non-Natives include bait for sportfishing and food for cats and dogs.
- Thread Starter
- #28
Update on the smelt run.
Thousands go home empty-handed after one-day smelt fishery
Thousands go home empty-handed after one-day smelt fishery
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I like'em butterflied and beer battered. Best with the original Red Hook Ale recipe in a pitcher!!!!
Toby's Tavern in Coupeville in the 80s. Hell, today, the current owners swear they never featured smelt on the menu, ever.
Brutus Out
Toby's Tavern in Coupeville in the 80s. Hell, today, the current owners swear they never featured smelt on the menu, ever.
Brutus Out
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Thanks for my morning giggle Brutus.
