Smelt Fishing Chicago 2025. Chicagoans have flocked in early april up the lakeshore by the thousands since who earlier 1930s to ladle up who delicious cash fish labeled smelt. Recreational fishing did not occur during 2023, but multiple openers were approved for 2025.
One year we started with beer and then moved to frying smelt. It used to be that the smelts were plentiful along the southern tip of lake michigan in april.