Some smelt species are common in the North American Great Lakes, and in the lakes and seas of the northern part of Europe, where they run in large schools along the saltwater coastline during spring migration to their spawning streams.

In size, smelts usually grow to about 20 cm long, although some species can reach 70 cm. Smelts are a food source for many fish, including salmon, striped bass, and lake trout. Like salmon, many species are anadromous, living most of their lives in the sea, but traveling into fresh water to breed. However, a few exceptions, such as the surf smelt, spend their entire lives at sea.

In the Canadian provinces and U.S. states around the Great Lakes, "smelt dipping" is a common group sport in the early spring and when stream waters reach around 4 °C. Fish are spotted using a flashlight or headlamp and scooped out of the water using a dip net made of nylon or metal mesh. Many of these streams were narrow enough for a person to straddle and get a good catch of smelts by dipping a bucket.

Smelts are an important winter catch in the saltwater mouths of rivers in New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Fishermen would historically go to customary locations over the ice using horses and sleighs. Smelt taken out of the cold saltwater were preferred to those taken in warm water. The fish did not command a high price on the market, but provided a source of supplemental income due to their abundance. The smelts were "flash frozen" simply by leaving them on the ice and then sold to fish buyers who came down the rivers.

In the present day, smelts are fished both commercially using nets at sea, and for recreation by hand-netting them or spearing or angling them through holes in river ice. Smelt is popular in Japan, as the species Sprinchus lanceolatus, and is generally served grilled, called shishamo, especially when full of eggs. Smelt roe, specifically from capelin, called masago in Japanese, is yellow to orange in color and is often used in sushi. Smelt is also served in dim sum restaurants, deep fried with the heads and tails attached, identified as duō chūn yú(多春鱼) or duō luǎn yú (多卵魚), which loosely translates as "fish with many eggs". Smelt is one of the prime fish species eaten in Tamil Nadu as Nethili fry, Nethili karuvadu(dried fish). For some Italians, especially from the region of Calabria, fried smelts are a traditional part of the Christmas Eve dinner consisting of multiple courses of fish.

In 1956, the Chamber of Commerce in Kelso, Washington, declared Kelso, located on the Cowlitz River, as the "Smelt Capital of the World". They erected billboards proclaiming this, and held festivals for the annual smelt runs, until the runs dried up. The village of Lewiston, New York, on the lower portion of the Niagara River, celebrates an annual two-day smelt festival the first weekend in May. During the festival, approximately 350 pounds of smelt are battered and fried at the Lewiston Waterfront. The smelt samples are free during the festival and donations are welcome, as they help support programs supported by the Niagara River Anglers.

The American Legion Post 82, in Port Washington, Wisconsin has been hosting its annual Smelt Fry since 1951. Located on the Western shore of Lake Michigan, 35 miles North of Milwaukee, Port Washington has a long history as a fishing community with commercial and sport ventures. The Legion's Smelt Fry happens every year in mid to late April. In mid-July the quaint town hosts their Fish Day event, billed as "The world's largest, one-day, outdoor fish fry!"

Lithuania celebrates an annual weekend smelt festival in Palanga "Palangos Stinta" early every January.

The Mukawa Shishamo Festival is held every year at the end of October, drawing in many people who are after the seasonal fresh flavor of the fish.