Michigan 's smelt dipping season is not what it used to be. Smelt appeared in the Great Lakes and tributaries were the result of smelt eggs introduced into Crystal Lake.  In 1912 16,400,000 smelt eggs were planted in Crystal Lake, which after hatching, escaped into tributaries and by 1918 they were seen in Lake Michigan, by 1936 smelt were found in Lake Superior, Huron and Erie.  In 1942-43 there was a huge die off, (reports of shorelines a foot deep in places with dead smelt), fishing did rebound a couple of years later.  Smelt dipping was decent through the early 1980's but by the 1990's many areas were not what they used to be.  The current decline could be for several reasons such as, water clarity, pollution, zebra muscles, over fishing, or just a natural cycle.  Areas such as the Detroit River and Point Pelee,  it has not been a hot spot for the past several years.  According to Frank Chakratabarty at the Trenton Lighthouse on the Detroit River , he has not heard much on the smelt in the Detroit Area in the past several years.   Frank has heard in years past, anglers talking about smelt around the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron .  As far as any plans to cover Smelt fishing this spring in Outdoor Michigan .....will have to see what the season holds.