Gov. Jay Inslee will soon a bill into law that will require Washington smelt dippers to get a license before they wade out with their nets. Recreational fishing licenses have been required to harvest ...

Jim McPherson’s smelt fishing shacks are back on the ice at Jim’s Camps in Bowdoinham after two unusually warm winters. For ...

PORTLAND (WGME) -- The weather has a lot to do with smelt fishing season, and depending on the year, it's not always a guarantee. “Twenty years ago, you could count on being on until the end of ...

Think about the last time as an angler you didn’t see winter show up. Ice fishing just really did not materialize. If there was ever a time to have your boat ready it was this winter. The guys at our ...

A smelt dip on the Cowlitz River brings about a festival atmosphere as folks gather to have fun, and hopefully end up with a mess of smelt. (Terry Otto for The Columbian) Smelt-dipping will return to ...

LONGVIEW — Thousands of eager anglers lined the banks of the Cowlitz River from Kelso to Castle Rock on Tuesday hoping to score a net full of smelt. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ...

Longfin smelt live for several years, spawning in freshwater and inhabiting estuaries and nearshore waters, and even ranging out into the ocean. Usually growing from 3.5 to 4.3 inches as adults, these ...