Norwegian record European smelt: 130 g

About European smelt

The European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) is a slender, semi-transparent fish of the smelt family, with an olive-green back, a silvery side stripe, an adipose fin and a large mouth with strong teeth. It smells distinctly of cucumber, a scent that vanishes when cooked. In fresh water it rarely exceeds 20 cm, and in Mjøsa most are 9–13 cm, although occasional large cannibalistic individuals turn up among the shoals. Sea-run populations can reach about 35 cm. In Norway it is native to large lakes and rivers in the south-east, including Mjøsa, Randsfjorden, Tyrifjorden and the Halden watercourse, and south to Vegår in Agder. It lives mostly in open water, feeding on zooplankton and larger crustaceans. In April–May it moves into shallows and rivers to spawn. Smelt are key prey for large trout, Arctic char, pike, perch and burbot. Where it has been introduced it is treated as an alien species. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Ferskvann
• Best month: Februar

See the species guide

Biggest European smelt in FishComp

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How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.