Well, the way I used to make smelts was to drop them into some seasoned flour and then quick-fry them in olive oil. They fry up quickly, about a minute, but don't overcrowd the pan - do it in batches.
You might try using almond flour with seasoning (S&P, maybe a hit of cayenne). If it doesn't seem to adhere, you may need to dip in egg wash first (egg + some water or milk), then into the flour.
You could also try patting the smelts dry, seasoning them directly, and frying without any flour.