Unlike Richard Brautigan, who learned about trout fishing in America as a child, I was an adult when I first heard about smelt fishing in Chicago.
It was 1979, a spring evening of course, and I was walking along the bike path north of Irving Park Road. At dusk I arrived at what looked like a huge party at Montrose Harbor. People were standing around in clusters, sitting in folding lawn chairs or leaning on the railing. They were lit by glowing cigarettes and the occasional Coleman lantern. The smell of grilled bratwurst and spilled beer hung in the air. I asked a small, friendly looking group what was going on. They told me it was the first night of smelt season.
“The law is we can’t drop our nets until seven,” the oldest one said. “But some greedy folks are rushing things. It’s not quite seven yet.”
They were three generations, father, two sons and grandson. They went smelting every year, from the time the sons were the same age as the grandson. The season ran March through April. Towards the end of April the season was as good as over.
One son asked if I had ever eaten smelt. I said no, I hadn’t even heard the word before. “You’re not a real Chicagoan if you’ve never eaten smelt,” he said.
“You have to eat the heads too,” the grandson chimed in.
I was advised to go to a shack near Navy Pier for an order of deep-fried smelt. I tried them. Once.
It’s been years since I visited Montrose Harbor at night. Are the fishermen still out there? Are the smelt still out there?
Credits: “Calumet Fisheries: Fried Smelt” courtesy of Jonathan via Flickr, Montrose Harbor courtesy of Marshall Rosenthal via Flickr.
Frank, thanks so much for providing the details of how to go smelt fishing. What a contraption!
It must be a lost art…someone told there weren’t many smelt in the harbors here, and that people just go out for the festivities
When i was a teenager in the early 1950’s my father and uncle would take me smelt fishing.We would use a large net with a 1/4th inch mesh. We would use what was called a trolly line rig .It was made with trot line string with a spider leg looking anchor.The other end was attached to an upright post,On the the trot line was hung a trolly ,It looked like a small fish hung upside down with 2 legs sticking up with wheels on the end . A hole is drilled in the nose of the trolly. A fishing line with snap hooks is attached to the trolly and the net is hung on these snap hooks. The trolly is hung on the trot line string and lowered down into the water. The anchor end is thrown into the water and attaches to rocks along the shoreline bottom that anchors the whole system to the pole at the other end of the line, then you run the trolly up and down with your net. This is how we would catch the fish.
To me personally presently there is almost nothing more special compared to doing some fishing, anytime I get the opportunity.I enjoy the tranquility and quiet inside of my passion, as other folks do I am certain. Thanks for your interesting reviews I love reading them so much. Thanks.
sure brings back a lot of memories.. my dad used to go smelt fishing at montrose harbor… and a lot of the restaurants had fried smelt this time of year on the menu–straight from our local waters!
Every spring I could look out my window and see the smelt fishermen’s lanterns sparkling along the lakefront throughtout the night until the sun rose in the morning. On my way to school, as I stood at the corner of Lakeview and Fullerton, waiting for the traffic light to change, along with the cars and trucks were the men on bicycles, carrying an assortment of fishing poles and buckets. I always wanted to be in one of those big families who spent the night together, kids wrapped in blankets, dads and grandads fishing along the lakefront, but all I could do was watch. It made me feel good. Another great post, Frances…..
By the way — are we still on for Sunday?
I remember seeing fisherman at the lakefront years ago as a child as we drove north on the Drive toward Rogers Park. I often wondered what they were hopeful of catching.
Like you, I learned of smelt as an adult, but have never been a fan. However, I would sign up for the bratwurst and beer the fishermen had on their diner menu.
Thanks, Joan. We should check out that snack shack for our lunches.
One of the things I like best about living on the lakefront is watching all the activities that people love to do around the water. Fishing is certainly one of them. There is a little snack shack right on the beach about a mile north of me. When you’re sitting there, you could be on any beach in the world. I’m going to check to see if it’s still there this summer.
Love your blog.
Joan