Finfish / Smelt
Finfish: Smelt
Thaleichthys pacificus
By announcement
No fixed season. ODFW opens a short, often single-day run when the fish arrive, on little notice. Watch the alert.
Run window
Jan 15 – Apr 15
Likely
Feb–Mar
A brief late-winter spawning run out of the ocean into the Columbia, and only some years the Sandy; fish stage oil-rich and fat, then die (semelparous). Outside the run they're at sea and unavailable.
signal · ODFW smelt-opener announcements; Sandy River flow & temp (USGS 14142500) (sourced)
Plate No. 042 · Finley & Bohlman
Managed, mind the rules
Mind the season, size, and limit; release what you won't keep, gently and in the water.
The read
Oily smelt that runs the Sandy River in late winter. A dip-net frenzy: one good day.
The event: ODFW announces a one-day (or short) opener on the Sandy when the run arrives.
Field notes
Late winter (Feb–Mar) when the run pushes into the Sandy on a clearing, not-too-high flow. Watch ODFW news and the Cowlitz (WA) run as a leading indicator. When it's on it's a frenzy; go the day of.
Other smelt (surf, longfin) look similar; eulachon are the larger, oilier Columbia-tributary run. The recreational opener is specific to this protected fish; mind the rules.
When ODFW opens the Sandy, a license is required. Bank-only dip-netting (no boats), 10 lb/day per dipper. ESA-listed. Opened only in strong-run years for short windows.
Dip net from the bank in the open reach (mouth to the Stark St. Bridge), 10 lb/dipper; don't collect dead, spawned-out fish. Openers are announced 1–3 days ahead and may last a single day or a single afternoon.
Oily and rich: 'candlefish' because dried ones will burn. Best brined and hot-smoked, or rolled in cornmeal and fried whole (small enough to eat bones and all). Freeze fast; the oil turns quickly.
Where to find it
What we watch: live feeds
What informs Candlefish (Eulachon) in particular. The shared feeds it reads (tides, weather, water temp) are the live feeds above.
ODFW news releases · Where Sandy River smelt OPENERS are announced (~1–3 days ahead). The actual 'go' signal.
Event (Feb–Apr) · No API. Legacy mirror dfw.state.or.us/news/<year>/ is most scrape-friendly. Poll hourly in season.
ODFW GovDelivery (email + RSS) · Push of the same openers + weekly recreation report. RSS = cleanest machine ingest.
Event / weekly
WDFW Cowlitz smelt + Columbia Compact · Leading indicator: a strong/scheduled Cowlitz (WA) run predicts the Sandy may open.
Event (~Jan tentative)
ODFW: All about smelt · How they're caught (bank dipnet, no boats), access points, regs (10 lb), prior-year opener history.
Static
USGS NWIS: Sandy River (14142500) · Discharge, gage height, water temp: the 'is it dippable' gate (high/dirty water suppresses the dip).
15-min · No key, CORS. Migrate to api.waterdata.usgs.gov before ~2027. Find a gauge nearer the Troutdale dip reach.
NWS NWPS river forecast: Sandy (SNDO3) · 1–10 day forecast stage/flow: predict dippability around a rumored opener.
Multiple/day
ifish.net: smelt threads · On-the-ground fish-sighted/crowd reports, often the opener rumor before press.
Bursty in season · Thread IDs change yearly; TollBit-gated → manual. Confirm vs ODFW.
NW Sportsman + Google News RSS · Same-day opener coverage. Google News RSS query for "Sandy River" smelt = cheap auto-trigger.
Event
Smelt/Eulachon Joint Staff Reports · Annual pre-season abundance forecast + prior-year fishery dates/poundage → season-outlook + 'while you wait' timeline.
Annual (~Dec)