Pond smelt

The Pond Smelt (Hypomesus olidus), is a relatively common winter fish found in the river at any time of the day between the months of December and February. It cannot be found in ponds, despite its name, and the characteristics it has in real life.

In City Folk
Blathers will give his usual short speech on the player's donation. His words are as follows:

"Pond smelt are a popular catch during winter ice-hole fishing, eh wot? It's a simple sport, really. You open a hole in the ice, drop your line in...and then wait for a nibbly-nibbly! Not that I've tried. I find cold weather rather unappealing, so ice fishing is hardly a possibility..."

Upon donating it to the Museum, it can be found in the middle/right tank in the Aquarium.

In New Leaf
An information board in the aquarium will display this description of the pond smelt after donation:

"Pond smelt are small but vigorous fish that can survive in water of relatively poor quality. Pond smelt are related to salmon and as such have a lot of the same migratory tendencies. Most of them swim from rivers to the ocean and then return to rivers and lakes. However, some of them actually live in lakes that have no connection to the ocean, so they don't migrate. They have small fins and are perfect for eating whole as tempura or grilled on barbecues."

Encyclopedia Information
Once the player has caught a particular fish or bug, they can find information about it in the bug or fish menus. Once the pond smelt has been caught, the following information can be found in the fish menu:

Further Information
The pond smelt is a type of harmless commercial fish found in middle to surface waters in lakes, rivers, and ponds - this means it is caught to be sold for food. It can be found across the world in the Arctic, Northwest to Northeast of the Pacific, Canada, Alaska, Korea, and Japan. They feed off of plankton, small insects, and algae. Adults can be found spawning in in-shore areas between spring and summer.