The pictures bring back memories from my childhood in Michigan. We used to go out a night on the small rivers with lanterns and use dip nets. When they were running, it only took a short time to get a wash tub full. In the Winter, my father and his buddies had a fish shanty on Crystal lake. They had homemade reels on the ceiling and used multiple hooks with small live minnows for bait. They tied a rubber band in line, and watched for the band stretching when they got a bite. I remember these Winter smelt being much larger. Also, my Grandmother fried them in flour after cutting off the heads and gutting with a pair of scissors. They looked just like the pictures in this post. As a kid, I could not believe that my Grandfather ate them whole, bones and all. He also liked the crispy tails. Fond memories.
