Also known as
Rainbow smelt
Where to find it
- St. Lawrence River and estuaries, close to the coasts
- River mouths (winter)
Why anglers like it
- It has a delicious, sharp-flavored and high-protein white meat.
- It is enjoyable to fish during ice fishing season.
- It is accessible to fish from a dock during the summer.
- It is easy to bait and bites often, which is ideal for fishing with children.
Pro tips and tricks
- Line fishing in shallow water during winter.
- Bait: marine worms, meat pieces (liver, heart, etc.)
- Smelt is sensitive to light and appears to stay in the depths of a body of water during the day.
- People who fish from a wharf use an ultra-sensitive rod to feel the strike of small fish.
The chef’s recommendation
Éperlans croustillants à la bière blonde, by chef Jean-François Plante (in French only)
How to recognize it
- Average length: usually less than 20 cm.
- It is a long, silvery fish with a light green back and iridescent sides.
- Its head is slender, its mouth large and its teeth prominent.
Good to know
- Required licence : Sport fishing (except Atlantic salmon)
- No licence is required for Québec residents fishing in zone 21 (St. Lawrence River).
- Quota: 60 or 120, depending on your fishing zone and localization.
- The smelt population in the south of the St. Lawrence estuary has been designated a vulnerable species (in French only) many years ago.