Range: Throughout inlets and Coves of Nova Scotia
Common caught Size: 6" - 10 "
Eating Size:
Record: Unknown
Bag Limit: 30 by dipnet
Season: No closed season. Spring runs into freshwater

Appearance: This is a small, slender, elongate fish averaging 6-8 inches long. This silvery fish has a complete lateral line, relatively large scales, a large mouth, a forked tail, and an adipose fin.

Sea-dwelling populations of this fish are anadromous, running up freshwater streams to spawn.

Smelt spawn in spring, when large numbers run up tributary streams. Although spawning usually occurs in streams, in some situations smelt may spawn offshore on gravel shoals. Spawning primarily takes place at night, with two or more males accompanying one female in riffle areas of the stream or along the lake shore. The female releases her 10,000 or more adhesive eggs, which stick to the bottom gravel. During spawning season male smelt have many rough-feeling breeding tubercles on the body which easily distinguish them from the females.

Smelt are schooling fish inhabiting the cool, medium depths of lakes. Feeding on many small invertebrates and some small fish, they, in turn, are preyed upon by other fishes, including many of our most prized sport species, such as the lake trout and landlocked salmon.

Smelt are caught by dip netting and winter ice fishing.

Natural History

The rainbow smelt is a schooling fish which is anadromous (growing and maturing in shallow coastal waters and migrating up freshwater streams to spawn). Smelt move into estuaries in the fall and to streams after the spring thaw.

Spawning occurs from February to June, usually at water temperatures from 4 to 10øC. Smelt do not necessarily return to the stream of their birth to spawn, especially if there are other nearby streams. Smelt in landlocked lakes swim up tributary streams or in some cases spawn along the shoreline. Spawning occurs at night in fast moving water. Several males spawn with one female. The fertilized eggs become sticky and attach to the bottom, sometimes forming a thick layer. One female can produce as many as 93,000 eggs. After spawning the adults return to the estuary during the day but may return upstream to spawn again on subsequent nights. Some fish die after spawning. Those that survive leave freshwater after spawning to spend the summer in coastal waters. Land-locked smelt populations remain in freshwater lakes.