LOWE, smelt facts please

[jigglestick]

lowe,(our resident marine biologist)could you give us the optimal temperature smeltius maximus would prefer to run upstream in? also anyother tidbits of information you may have up your sleeve just to pass the time. all i can tell you is the optimum temperature crappies like to fry in
thanks man-------jigglestick---------

[Lowe]

Optimal temperature for the rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordaxis, actually, although Smeltus maximus has a better ring to it) is 43-56 degrees Fahrenheit, so the main part of the run should start when the river temps are around 43, but I'm sure some come up a little before that.

The only other thing I can tell you is listen to the seagulls. My brother-in-law was smelting at the Knife last year, and he swears that when they heard the gulls start squawking at the mouth they started catching smelt within a minute or two. No squawking, no smelt for a while. I've never experienced it myself, but it does make sense.

Let me know if you're heading down this way, Jigglestick.