Burbot

[danf2001]

Just curious how many folks actually target burbot through the ice. I remeber years ago on Lake Charlevoix people would leave them on the ice as they though they were trash fish. I would pick them up and take them home if they were not too dried out.

Anyway, what tactics do you use? Live bait, smelt, glo-sticks? (yes, I've heard that glo-sticks bring them in like magnets). I've just started targeting them this winter here in Alaska and have not been real sucessful. Lots of flags on my tip ups but having a hard time landing one.

I've been using size 5/0 octopus hooks baited with dead/frozen smelt fished off the bottom. (Alaska fishing regs..... single hooks only, have to have a gap wider than 3/4" and fished on the bottom to use 5 lines per person for burbot)

Just curious if anyone back in Michigan had any sure fire tips that might work up here.

Thanks,

Dan

[AUTRAINWILLY]

Is that the same as a Dog Fish? I've had one stick its head in my Pike spearing hole.

[mallardtone-man]

Is that the same as a Dog Fish? I've had one stick its head in my Pike spearing hole.

It is not the same as a dogfish, nor is the creature that you are referring to. A dogfish is a fish, it has scales, it is otherwise known as a bowfin. You are thinking of a mudpuppy. It is a reptile. The burbot is neither of the two, it is basically a species of freshwater cod, very slimy, but very tasty.

[stinger63]

I havent yet targeted them but sometime in late febuary I will be.
No they are not the same as dogfish and are much better eating.They are in the cod family.
I heard they eat dead smelt,alewives and minnows.There are few inland lakes that support populations where people fish them which are burt and Torch lake I believe.

[Linda G.]

burbot only eat dead fish as bait. In the wild they eat live fish, and are voracious predators.

But that's what makes them good eating. Years ago, no one ate burbot because they had plenty of walleye and perch from Lake Charlevoix. Now, they're targeting them. There's a regular burbot city out on the ice of Torch now, more than 100 shanties on a good night on good ice, which may or may not happen this year, it didn't last year. In fact, it's been 2-3 years since we had ice on Torch that was safe.

[martin1950]

When I live in Anchorage, and later in North Pole, we'd drive over to Delta and Tok and target burbot with fresh cutbait on trout-lines. Mind you, this was over 30yrs ago so I'm sure the regs have changed since then. I do remember that we had to let Lakers go. If I told what we used for cutt-bait, I'd have a couple of hundred fishermen in N/E Michigan wanting to string me up from a tree since here it's a catch and release fish.
During 1st ice we'd use cut-bait of chicken liver on the bottom. Those were to good ole days!

Martin

[y2ba]

we used live minnows in minnesota to cath them. we always caught them in the early evening and into the night while targeting walleye in the shallows{8-14 fow}. it seems they were there hunting along with the 'eyes. as said before..they are voracious predators and alot of fun to catch. good luck..hope this helps.

[stinger63]

[QUOTE=Linda G.]burbot only eat dead fish as bait. In the wild they eat live fish, and are voracious predators.
QUOTE]

Well Linda G. While not intentionaly fishing for them I did catch one on a nightcrawler.This was in Lexington harbor during the spring of 2001.I have stockpile of frozen smelt and alewives I got last spring that I will be using this time around when i do intend to target them on purpose.

[y2ba]

[quote=stinger63][quote=Linda G.]burbot only eat dead fish as bait. In the wild they eat live fish, and are voracious predators.
QUOTE]



linda could u please clear this up for us....does this mean that the burbot will only eat live fish...but will strike a rig with a dead minnow due to its presentation making it look alive? like i said in my post..we caught a few very nice burbot on lake of the woods in minnesota fishing for walleye....not while targeting them..all on live bait.....so any info would be cool

[lpgreg]

In Mich I,ve caught them on a glow spoon with a 3" minnow that i stepped on and got it oozing a little and left it on the bottom. At dark I caught them on a dead stick and a tip up. up at crosswinds lake near tolsona lodge left them in at night with cut bait 20 years ago that was my first experience with burbot. also lived in eagle river - mrytle drive eagle river valley

[Chawazz]

in case you've not seen one before.

This one was caught by a friend of my brother in Lake Michigan (UP shore). Not sure on the technique, but thought I'd add the pic,

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/533/Burbot-sm.jpg

[stinger63]

When feeding it doesnt matter if the bait is dead or alive.I will be using tip ups for them when I do fish for them next time.Late febuary to early march they come in close to shore near rocky rip rap areas in the thunb region on Lake Huron.Thats probaly where I will be fishing for them.

[Fecus]

Its a freshwater codfish. I always see them shallow in the spring.

[franky]

I thought that i heard somewhere that burbot is like poorman's lobster. Is this true?

[danf2001]

Guys,

Thanks for responding. I did not go out today because of the high presure system that is sitting on us right now. That plus my honey-do list was getting rather large. I did mange to put the extension on my auger though. Had a friend in Montana make me one a few years back. he made an 18" extension for my lasermag and now the darn thing is almost 6 foot tall!

Back to the burbot conversation. Thinking back a few years, folks in Montana spear them in late feburary and early march when they spawn. I guess when they spawn they form a large ball consisting of like 25 or more fish and they tumble around in shallow water (like 6 feet). I never tried spearing them.

The reson I am bringing this up is I am curious if anyone has seen this phenominon while spearing northerns?

[Linda G.]

Burbot spawn here between March and May, when the spearing season on pike is closed. In Michigan, I've never seen them on a fish finder or caught them shallower than 35 feet, they do come into shallower water, but not when I'm looking for them. We fish for them in late February-mid-March or so.