04/29/2026
Hw many of you followers say "schmelt" instead of "smelt"? Either way, same little fish fried up so we want to share some info in today's post from the Wisconsin State Historial page.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙣!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘁? Smelt are tiny, silver fish that swim to the shores of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan each spring to spawn. For about two weeks every year, smelters use drag nets (seine nets) and dip nets to catch them. Because smelt are light sensitive and prefer water temperatures around 40 degrees, much of the work happens during chilly Wisconsin spring nights. This tradition helped inspire late-night smelt fry parties and bonfires along the beach.
During the 1930s and 1940s, smelting became so popular it was known as “smeltmania.” Seasonal runs drew thousands of visitors to communities like Oconto, Marinette, Sheboygan, and Ashland. Some towns celebrated with parades, dances, smelt fries, and even crowned smelt kings and queens. There was even a “smestling” match, where competitors wrestled while trying to stuff smelt into each other’s clothing.
Smelt are not native to the Midwest. In 1912, more than 16 million rainbow smelt from Maine were stocked in Crystal Lake, Michigan, as food for salmon being raised there. Some escaped into Lake Michigan and eventually reached Little Sturgeon Bay in Door County by 1928. By 1930, they had spread to Manitowoc, Port Washington, and Racine. On Wisconsin’s Lake Superior shore, smelt were found in Chequamegon Bay by the late 1930s.
Smelting reached peak popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. By the 1990s, smelt populations had declined, and the big parties faded as well. Even so, each spring you can still find smelters and smelt fries along the shores of the Great Lakes.
Learn more facts about smelt on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website: https://wihist.org/4lLtvUp
📸: 1973 | Reese, Staber R. | Chequamegon Bay | UW-Madison Libraries
