Rainbow Smelt fishing in Canada

Osmerus mordax

Documented at: 332 waters
Primary species at: 0 waters
Ideal water temp: 10°C
Active range: 5–15°C

Best rainbow smelt waters today

Scored for 2026-09-14 from live weather, water temperature and this species’ own thermal range.

How to fish for rainbow smelt

Rainbow smelt are a small, silvery, cold-water schooling baitfish - a crucial forage species for lake trout, salmon, and walleye rather than a conventional rod-and-reel gamefish. They are, however, genuinely 'fished' in a specific traditional way: spring smelt runs, when huge schools move up tributary streams at night to spawn, are dipped with fine-mesh nets in a long-standing seasonal ritual in many regions, and smelt are prized eating fried whole. For the angler, smelt matter mostly as context: their presence explains where and how predators like lake trout and salmon feed, and a lake with a healthy smelt population often grows big, fast predators. They aren't a target you'll catch on typical lures or bait in open water; where you'll interact with them is either as bait, as a spring dip-netting run, or as the reason a predator lake fishes the way it does.

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