After all, enjoying piles of whole smelt with a beverage in hand and friends alongside makes the prospect of bones much less intimidating. Such a delicious nature makes smelt a cheap fish worth ...

Probably the most controversial fish in this region, if not in California as a whole, is the Delta Smelt. The Delta smelt is the poster child of all that is wrong in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

This year’s Cowlitz River recreational smelt dip-fishing season kicked off Wednesday almost totally without its two most important elements: smelt and people dipping for them.

Dozens of fishermen from Oregon and Washington test their luck during a one-day chance for smelt dipping on the Cowlitz River on Tuesday afternoon. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Smelt dipping will ...