Smelts

[knightfisher]

Each spring, which is around the corner, I fish

the Niagara River for a few good meals of smelt.

I don't fish for them at queenston anymore as its

to much of a zoo. I have found a great quiet spot.

I also keep a few for fishing catfish in various

derbys for my daughter.

Just wondering if any others here like a good

feed of smelt from time to time.

I like mine best with lots of butter and salt and

garlic.

Daniel

[Guest Frop]

Each spring, which is around the corner, I fish

the Niagara River for a few good meals of smelt.

I don't fish for them at queenston anymore as its

to much of a zoo. I have found a great quiet spot.

I also keep a few for fishing catfish in various

derbys for my daughter.

Just wondering if any others here like a good

feed of smelt from time to time.

I like mine best with lots of butter and salt and

garlic.

Daniel

I LOVE Smelt!!

I just haven't went out to catch any myself in YEARS!! because like you said Queenston is too much of a zoo.

I like mine battered and deep fried.

[Guest Rockfish]

This was discussed before but just a little tid bit of info, in the Guide to eating Fish for the Lower Niagara, consumption of smelt is advised to be just 1 meal per month because of contaminants and O for kids under 15 and women of child bearing age.

There is also 0 consumption advised for smelt in Western Lake O, from the river right up to the Toronto waterfront and also includes Hamilton harbour. Pages 212-215 in the Eating Guide.

Smelt are a fatty fish like Salmon and Trout, where fat stores some nasty things. They are tested for a few things and PCB's, pesticides and some dioxins are the problem in fatty fish, Pages 15, 16 and 18 of the Guide. There are also 12 forms of PCB's referred to as Dioxin-like PCB's with toxics similiar to Dioxins but are at low levels and are included with Dioxins and Furans tests.

You're not going to see problems until over a period time and if u eat lots of the fatty fish. If u remember Victor Yuschenko in the Ukraine, while running for President was poisoned with a type of Dioxin, which looked to be fairly fast acting and gave him a real skin problem.

Dioxins can damage the liver.

Smelt have been seen in the Lower river on the past weekend, so they are starting to come in to spawn, they are cleaner in Lake Erie.....

[knightfisher]

Thanks for the info Rockfish. It really sucks. All these

fish around, yet so many are unsafe to eat.

I don't have a current guide.

Any info on how much safer the smelt are in Eire.

Daniel

[Guest Rockfish]

Hey Dan, the advise for smelt in the Upper Niagara is 2 meals per month and still O for kids and pregnant women. They don't show a listing for the Eastern Basin of Erie from Long Point to the river but I would assume that it would be the same as Long Point Bay at 4 meals per month for both adults and kids.

It isn't very deep in the Bay and the smelt would be coming in to spawn from the deeper cold parts of the lake, and then leave when the water got warmer.

[floatmaster]

smelt are like the creme du la creme when it comes to fish

[smerchly]

I wonder if any studies have been done to compare pcb levels and other contaminants , with different sections of the population . For instance , many people in Toronto , mostly of Asian decent , come to Niagara and take large quantities of smelt to eat . I'm sure the kids consume them as well as young women of child bearing age . It would show up by now as they have been eating smelts and other fish such as salmon and lake trout for years . Are these people aware of the contamination since many do not understand the written guide book.....but word of mouth should at least inform them . I will eat a meal myself from L.Ontario , which is a lot less than one meal a month x 12 . There are all sorts of chemicals in our supermarket meats & veggies from hormones to pesticides .....but people who eat many meals of these fish may be putting themselves and their kids a greater risk . Thanks for the informed alert Rockfish .......we need to do some research on eating pike , trout and the other fish that feed on smelt......they may be worse than we think.........

[D McV]

Are these people aware of the contamination since many do not understand the written guide book.....but word of mouth should at least inform them .

I read some where that the guide is available in other languages other than french/english.

I like smelt battered deepfried with franks hot sauce.

[Guest FisherNick]

I wonder if any studies have been done to compare pcb levels and other contaminants , with different sections of the population . For instance , many people in Toronto , mostly of Asian decent , come to Niagara and take large quantities of smelt to eat . I'm sure the kids consume them as well as young women of child bearing age . It would show up by now as they have been eating smelts and other fish such as salmon and lake trout for years . Are these people aware of the contamination since many do not understand the written guide book.....but word of mouth should at least inform them . I will eat a meal myself from L.Ontario , which is a lot less than one meal a month x 12 . There are all sorts of chemicals in our supermarket meats & veggies from hormones to pesticides .....but people who eat many meals of these fish may be putting themselves and their kids a greater risk . Thanks for the informed alert Rockfish .......we need to do some research on eating pike , trout and the other fish that feed on smelt......they may be worse than we think.........

The ministry publishes regulation books and guide to eating sport fish in many languages. I saw a bunch of them at the fishing show last year in the ministry booth.

I doubt that haveing a couple meals a year of smelts will adversly effect someone, at least no more than eating some perch, pics, and trout every year.

Good fishing Nick

[Dan Andrews]

I was once told by a real old man that when the "Forsythia" bushes bloom it's time to net smelts. Those are the bushes with the yellow blooms , one of the first to bloom in spring.

As for eating hormone laced fish if I knew eating fish would help me grow my own boobs I would have started eating them sooner.

[Guest canadadude]

Acctually perch are much more safer to eat then smelt from the Niagara or lake Ontario, the guide gives them pretty much a clean bill of health last time I checked. I guess contaniments must gather in the smelt for some reason but I'm still looking forward to a couple meals this spring I don't eat to many!

[knightfisher]

Thanks for the information all. Erie sounds alot better.

However I have no idea where to net them in Erie, and

its not like going to Niagara, which is only a twenty minute

drive to check if they are running.

If anyone knows any spots to net these smelt let me know,

its not like its a prize fish with secret locations

Daniel

[dr_feelgood]

Eat them out of Queenston, just don't be a pig about it. That or you won't need a flashlight.

I personally don't eat fish from anywhere, unless it came out of a box. Not that I know where the fish came from.

[knightfisher]

A walking lantern Good one Doc

At one of the local food marts last year,

I saw smelts for sale. Said Lake O,

go figure

[dr_feelgood]

The new Zehrs on 4th ave had some big ocean smelts for $1something /100g