Fishing For

Pacific rainbow smelt

3.0

(2)

10 Catches

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-11; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12-16; Vertebrae: 63-68. Adipose small, sickle shaped (Ref. 6885). Olive green above, shading to silvery below, a bright clearly bounded longitudinal silvery band, becoming dark in preserved specimens; speckled with black on top of head, chin and upper part of body, more plentifully along mid-dorsal line (Ref. 6885).

Average Length

5.8 in

Maximum Length

1.1 ft

Maximum Weight

4.2 oz

Depth Range

0.0 - 951.4 ft

Temperature Range

Top Fishing Spots To Catch Pacific rainbow smelt

4.0

(3)

North Pacific Ocean (Monterrey Bay-Carmel Bay)

Monterey County, California

North Pacific Ocean (CA)

Orange County, California

1 Catch

4.0

(25)

North Pacific Ocean (Deer Creek Beach-Alamitos Peninsula)

33.845657, -118.450854

1 Catch

4.0

(14)

North Pacific Ocean (Hutington Beach-Long Beach)

Orange County, California

1 Catch

4.0

(4)

North Pacific Ocean (Santa Clara River-Deer Creek Beach)

Ventura County, California

1 Catch

5.0

(3)

North Pacific Ocean (US/CA)

San Mateo County, California

48.735848, -123.292503

1 Catch

Top Baits For Catching Pacific rainbow smelt

Natural Baits by Live Bait Salt Water Atlantic Chub Mackerel

4.0

(15)

1 Catch

Natural Baits by Shellfish Salt Water White Shrimp

4.0

(63)

1 Catch

Natural Baits by Dead Bait Salt Water Squid

4.0

(83)

1 Catch

Natural Baits by Dead Bait Salt Water Shrimp

4.0

(179)

1 Catch

Natural Baits by Dead Bait Salt Water Mackerel

4.0

(63)

1 Catch

Recently Caught Pacific rainbow smelt

First cast. First time. First fish....

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

Weight 1 lb

13 likes • 1 comment

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

Weight 8 oz

Gear 1

6 likes • 1 comment

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Caught at least 20 good sized Pacific Smelt!

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

Weight 8 oz

Gear 1

10 likes • 3 comments

And finally why I was out there in the first place! 6-7 of these top smelt 5-7in long. Great for halibut hunting!

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

Gear 3

18 likes

I went crabbing, lost a crab trap, and didn’t catch any crabs, but ended up bringing home a dozen smelt to try. Fried them up in lemon and garlic and they were tasty, but not worth the effort to clean and fillet. There were millions of them schooling around the pier. In the last video, you can here the sound of them feeding on the surface.

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

Gear 1

47 likes • 5 comments

Not sure of the exact smelt species. I went for a sturgeon and ended up with this little guy, much better than skunking.

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

Gear 1

21 likes • 2 comments

Wasn’t biting much. Used squid.

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

18 likes

First catch today

Species Pacific rainbow smelt

12 likes

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Popular Fish Species

Largemouth black bass

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Pacific rainbow smelt?

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