The state House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that affects a rite of passage practiced by generations of Washingtonians with a license — smelt dipping. Smelt, also called a candlefish, is ...

A smelt dip on the Cowlitz River brings about a festival atmosphere as folks gather to have fun, and hopefully end up with a mess of smelt. (Terry Otto for The Columbian) Smelt-dipping will return to ...

A smelt dip on the Cowlitz River brings about a festival atmosphere as folks gather to have fun, and hopefully end up with a mess of smelt. (Terry Otto for The Columbian) RIDGEFIELD — There will be ...

A late, strong showing of smelt are in the Sandy River, allowing approval of a one-day dipping season Thursday, from noon to 7 p.m. Unlike traditional all-comers dipping seasons, smelt are now ...

There likely will be no recreational smelt dipping this weekend, despite all those sea lions and seals that have swarmed to the Cowlitz River to hunt for the silvery fish in the last week. Commercial ...

The Cowlitz River will be open for smelt dipping Tuesday from 1-6 p.m., the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday. Each dipper is allowed to collect up to 10 pounds of smelt. The ...

Mar. 8—Smelt dippers will return to the banks of the Cowlitz River as the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved recreational fisheries for Wednesday, March 12, and Saturday, ...

Mar. 12—Anglers from across the Pacific Northwest took to the banks of the Cowlitz River on Wednesday, March 12, for the opening of the state's brief smelt dipping season. All it took was a few empty ...

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office confiscated approximately 2,500 pounds of illegally harvested smelt last week, after a poaching prevention operation conducted with Oregon State Police. This ...

Washington has approved a one-day smelt-dipping season Thursday on the Cowlitz River. Dipping will be allowed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a 10-pound limit (approximately a quarter of a five-gallon ...

Jan. 16—The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced a new tentative schedule approach for the Cowlitz River recreational smelt fishery. "This approach is designed to provide ...