THE SMELTS 
235 
they appear until after the tide had begun to ebb. The numbers would increase 
with the lowering of the waters. Smelt fishing at these times too frequently 
interrupted or annihilated the runs. 
Standing by the brook on a dark night, one could very accurately judge whether 
smelts were numerous or scarce by the sound made by the fish as they ascended the 
riffles. If numerous, there was an almost continuous sound caused by the flipping 
of the tails of hundreds of fish as they darted up the shallow water. Anyone with 
a lantern could stand in the brook and watch the fish as they passed, paying no 
attention to the person or the light, unless now and then a brief pause in the ascent 
of some individual was thus attributable; but it is more than likely that any such 
pause was to gather momentum against the current or to determine direction amongst 
the stones before attempting to go on, for if one waded in the brook above them 
and tried to drive them downstream the fish would endeavor to pass by. Many 
succeeded in doing so, too, even against violent agitation of the water by the feet 
and alder brushes that the fishermen used in making a “ drive ” — that is, driving the 
fish into the nets set below. 
There appears to be no evidence that the smelts that ascend during the night 
return to salt water the same night; in fact, in the one particular. brook above men- 
tioned it would have been impossible for them to have done so, as at low water 
some distance down the tidal creek, just below the junction of Little Brook Creek 
with this creek of the “Smelt Brook,” the passage was obstructed by the site of a 
one-time gate of a tide mill. Although sometimes the smelt fishers would follow the 
creek down to this point, in the daytime or even at night, no smelt was ever 
observed there. If smelt returned to salt water after spawning they would need to 
wait until the next tide. Furthermore, if by good fortune smelts were undisturbed 
the night before, there were always many in the pools of the brook the day following 
the run. 
For a number of years no smelts were known to ascend these brooks except on 
occasion, when a few would put in appearance; but in the last few years the runs 
appear to have increased gradually, although by no means have they become as large 
as they used to be. In the last three years (1924, 1925, and 1926) it was the writer’s 
good fortune to have an opportunity to make some observations upon the smelt runs 
in these same streams, but unfortunately certain unavoidable interruptions broke the 
continuity of the observations. 
In 1924 smelts began to ascend the larger brook a few days (or nights, rather) 
prior to April 1, and they continued until about May 15. On that date only four 
smelts were found in the brook, and they were males. As usual, the runs occurred at 
night. If, as was observed, high tide occurred before dark, as soon as it was dark 
smelts were seen in the lower part of the brook. As the season progressed the smelts 
increased in quantity, but usually impatient smelters, who would not wait long 
enough to permit many fish to ascend, effectually checked the run by a violent and 
abusive method of fishing. This method is described hereafter. 
In 1925 the first smelts were found in the brook on the morning of April 1, 
doubtless having ascended the previous night or early in the morning, when it was 
high tide at about 5 o’clock. The water in the brook was still somewhat turbid and 
