270 Bass, Pike, and Perch 



The smelt enters the tidal rivers and brackish 

 bays in the fall and winter in countless myriads, 

 preparatory to spawning. It feeds principally on 

 the small fry of other fishes, mostly at night, and 

 along the shores in shallow water. It spawns in 

 March, in both fresh and brackish water. The 

 eggs are small, about twenty to the inch, and are 

 adhesive. A medium-sized fish yields fifty thou- 

 sand eggs, which hatch in two or three weeks, ac- 

 cording to the temperature of the water, though 

 usually in from sixteen to eighteen days. Though 

 small, it is highly prized as a food-fish, having a 

 delicate and delicious flavor. When fresh it 

 emits an odor resembling that of cucumbers. Its 

 usual size is from five to nine inches and weigh- 

 ing from two to four ounces, though occasionally 

 reaching a foot or more in length. The smaller 

 fish are more prized, the largest having a rank 

 oily flavor. It is caught in large seines by fisher- 

 men and shipped fresh to the markets, and in 

 winter is taken in great numbers with hook and 

 line through the ice. 



Smelt fishing is a very popular pastime along 

 the East Coast in the fall and winter, as it is at a 

 time when not many other fishes are to be caught. 

 In the inland lakes it is, as has just been men- 



