So that's where all my beer went...

Smelting was easily the deadliest form of fishing in Minnesota. It seemed at least one smelter per year would drink too much beer and his waders would fill up and drag him under.

Many years ago, I was living in the UMD (freshman year after moving from the cities) and found an official "No smelt!" sign on our dorm's bathroom door.

Being from the cities, smelting is either metalworking, or the past tense of smelling something, neither of which really made sense in this context. I needed one of my friends from Schroeder to explain it to me.

I really understood how ingrained the culture of smelting was to Duluth when UMD felt it necessary to print a sign to put on the women's bathroom in the dorms.

Does anyone still do this any more? I'd love to try it if anyone wants a hand.

Born in IL, raised in MPLS, ate my first deep-fried-head-and-tail-on Lester River smelt at a nursing home I worked at in New Hope, MN, circa 1979. Yum.Crunchy.Yum.

A woman I worked with would come up here each year with her friends/family and bring back literally coolers full - the big coleman coolers - and the kitchen staff would cook them up for the residents and staff - all free. 

'dems good eatin' *smack smack nom nom nom*

I did see some offered as "dressed' tonight at Cub in the fish coolers in the fish/meat section (although one package had an oddly diagonal cut head/tail in it - funny. I should have taken a photo), and a Smelt Fry sign earlier today, hanging on Mr D's.

Get 'em while ya can!