If you like to dip and eat smelt, you can thank a program started in the late 1800’s that planted them in a Benzie County lake. The smelt eventually escaped and spread throughout the Great Lakes ...

Tom Durecki remembers the glory days for smelt fishing — or smelting — in Michigan in the 1970s. “The smelt are running!” was a call that sent fisherman scrambling to Michigan rivers and ...

If you like to dip and eat smelt you can thank a program started in the late 1800s that planted them in a Benzie County lake. The smelt eventually escaped and spread throughout the Great Lakes ...

Eagerly awaiting the annual run of the tasty, spawning smelt, hundreds of smelt-dippers settled in for a long night of dipping in one of Michigan’s most popular spots, eagerly looking forward to ...

4. Dip a few smelt into the batter; let excess batter drain off. Deep-fry smelt, turning with slotted spoon, until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Repeat to fry all smelt.

LANSING, MI — Michigan health officials want people to limit intake of a popular fish from Lake Superior due to concerning levels of toxic “forever chemicals” in some samples.

Notes from the field Lake Michigan smelt fishing opens 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily on Thursday and runs through April 30 off Chicago Park District sites. Smelt may be taken with a seine or gill net not ...

Local smelt are a different species (Thaleichthys pacificus) than the Lake Michigan variety (Osmerus mordax, which also inhabit eastern coastal rivers.), but they are of the same family.

Runs like those haven’t been experienced in years. The dismal state of the smelt population was confirmed in November, when the Natural Resources Committee limited the catch to two gallons per angler.

For years now, the spring smelt runs have been shadows of their former selves. Gone are the days when rivers and streams would run black, teaming with billions of migrating smelt. With only a few ...