Smelt fishermen find signs of life in Port

In a scene reminiscent of the past, fishermen lined the Port Washington breakwater and tended their dip nets Saturday night in search of smelt, which in recent years have been scarce. The tasty fish, which travels from the deep waters of Lake Michigan to tributaries to spawn in spring, aren’t being caught by the thousands like they were in the mid-1980s, but fishermen report catching enough this year for a few good meals. Pat Gahan (below right) had several in his net, while Jerry Berres (left) held one up for the camera. Rainbow smelt were brought to the Great Lakes in the early 1900s to help feed Atlantic salmon stocked in the lakes.   Photos by Sam Arendt