Hooglian fish (smelt) spawning in Bear Creek near Seward, Alaska; footage taken submerged underwater

Cowlitz River smelt fishing

Fish Fact Friday: Qussuret (Smelt) There are a variety of smelt but the smelt caught along most of the coast of Alaska is the Rainbow Smelt. Smelt are caught by hook and line, and dipnet. Harvest times vary in different locations. Smelt are eaten and prepared in different ways: boiled, frozen (sometimes fermented), fried, dried smoked, or dried plain. Large groups of fish (schools) gather in the ocean before they return to their birth place to spawn. The females can lay up to 60,000 eggs. The fe

Crispy Pan Fried Smelt Recipe