Smelt or Herring ?

[Starr]

O.K. this is going to sound like an incredibly dumb question, but just remember I grew up in Klamath Falls, and we just have trout and mullet and maybe a bass or two. Every year the family would go to Alsea Bay for Labor Day and crab. When the crabbing was done for the day, us kids would go down to the dock and throw this pre-set up rigging of colored hooks into the bay. Pull it up and down a couple of times, and walla! real in at least two little fish about 5-7 inches long. Great fun for little kids. My question: Were they smelt or herring?

[MoJet Driver]

Could have been Tom Cod too. Timing seems right and they'll take almost anything dropped in front of their faces.

Just a thought...

I'm done thinking now

[CAGEY]

My guess is herring but in that type of location who knows. The scales on a smelt are different than that on a herring and the two are really very opposit of one another.

[Son of an Okie]

Starr,

I don't know if they range this far north, but back home at Humboldt Bay, they have what we called jack smelt. Some of these got to be pretty good sized, but big schools of 6-12 inchers roam up and down the docks.

The smaller ones worked pretty well for salmon bait, and the stingrays in the bay would really gobble down chunks of the larger ones.

Labor day seems a little late for herring, but I guess they could be.... there are a few locals from the Newport area on here, maybe they have an idea..

Keith

[RJ]

I would have to agree with son of a okie,good chance they were jack smelt we get them coming into the yaquina around the port docks that time of year.RJ

------------------
http://www.fishhawk1.homestead.com