Smelt are good-looking small fish. They are dark olive green in color on their backs and silver on their undersides.
Many smelts have quite a few dark spots on their sides and fins.
Another distinguishing feature of smelt are the pearly covers on their gills and their forked brown tails. Smelt have large mouths and teeth. They have mature teeth on both their tongue and their jaws. These fish grow to be about half a foot to a foot long. They reach sexual maturity at the age of two years and have normal lifespans of four to five years.