Any successful cooking experience with jacksmelt?

It seems to have a mixed reputation as food.  Wondering if there is any success story.

My experience with Jacksmelt is SF Bay.  The fish had worms.  I used to use them for halibut bait.

For eating, I used to catch surf smelt, both day and night.  Day were larger.  Wash off the sand, roll in seasoned flour, deep fry, eat.

I'll echo what Alan has said. All the smelt I've caught in the bay had worms (so then destined for the freezer as bait).

The smelt caught off the shore seem to be much cleaner. I've sauteed smelt in straight butter + salt and pepper, and it was alright. I think I'd rank perch above smelt, even with its mushy texture.

I’ve learned that the best way to serve jacksmelt is to a lingcod!

I’ve learned that the best way to serve jacksmelt is to a lingcod!

Dead, alive, or cooked     

I’ve learned that the best way to serve jacksmelt is to a lingcod!

+1

I almost ate some but worms and that nasty black gut lining psyched me out.  Smelt are fun to catch on light gear, then throw it on a sturdy live bait rig and down into Lingzone or Hali spots

I'll echo what Alan has said. All the smelt I've caught in the bay had worms (so then destined for the freezer as bait).

I think I'd rank perch above smelt, even with its mushy texture.

Yep

In all seriousness, I wasn’t very familiar w jacksmelt until this weekend, when I did have success dropping a live one into ling-ling land. It was quite the awesome experience.

Later on, reading about it, I learned that jacksmelt are not truly in the smelt family. They are silversides and closer to a flying fish than they are to smelts. And they are notorious for having worms and the nasty black stuff in their guts. However, I read that they can be great steamed Asian style w ginger and green onions.

The smelts, surf smelt and night smelt, on the other hand are considered very clean and delicious tablefare.

When I started fishing I caught a few, soon as I open the guts I puked all over the sink. Would never ever ever bring this fish home. Unless, I will use it for bait.

I catch them sometimes while surf perch fishing.  Almost always throw them back, but I kept a gut hooked one the other day and took it's (tiny) fillets and threw them in with the perch for fish tacos.  Couldn't tell the difference really through the beer batter

Hmmm, ok. yes they have worms. Yes there is that black gut lining (blood sack)... If you scrape the black out with your thumb nail then hard fry them they are good eating. Kelsie loves them. you have to clean them right though. Worms fry up just fine too...

I've tried them. Tastes pretty good pan fried! Jack smelt might have worms but even in the bay they are still considered safer eating than halibut, striper, sturgeon, or perch according to those fish advisory charts. Plenty of guys on the pier fish specifically for jack smelt. They make excellent ling bait!