Mike that talk of smelt brings back soe fond memories
my grandpa would come home withmilk cans filled with them
the entire back of his pick up truk would be filled with mik cans to the point the springs were flat
every can was packed full of smelt
we would spend he next day or so cleaning them'your hands would hurt from the scissors long before you were finished
but well worth every agonizing moment of cleaning was the wonderous reward of eating them (we need a drool smiley )
havent heard of a smelt run in years,i think they may be coming back slightly now
i did see them for sale in the grocery store last year,but a real limited supply and $$$$ for them also
tsalagi next time you see them selling them as bait,buy same and take them home and deep fry them
fins and all,they were my favorite part.nice and crunchy