[muskratfisher]

Does anybody fish for burbot on the Saginaw river In Bay City or Saginaw?

 

[Big Skip]

I have personally never heard of one caught on the inner bay.

 

[Im hooked]

I have heard of them in the inner before, may not have been true. But never in the river...

 

[sureshot006]

Caught one roughly 20 yrs ago on the channel edge next to spoils island through the ice. It was 3rd biggest in the state that year (I think it was 9 lb+). I was about 10 yrs old and bored with walleye fishing. I put on a tiny jigging rapala and pulled up an ugly "thing". At first we thought dogfish, but it didn't look right... took it home and found out it was a burbot, and a relatively big one. Got a master angler for it and I THINK a letter from Fred Trost (don't remember if the letter was for a tagged eye or the burbot...)


Edit: must have been more than 20 yrs ago... searched master angler since 1994 and can't find it. Any way to look up prior to 1994?

 

[countryboy17]

Never heard of any caught in the river but hear of 1 or 2 a year taken out of the inner bay on the eastside. Seems more of them are caught around caseville or tawas

 

[sureshot006]

Never heard of any caught in the river but hear of 1 or 2 a year taken out of the inner bay on the eastside. Seems more of them are caught around caseville or tawas

Makes sense. Aren't they more of a cold water fish?

 

[jiggin is livin]

Makes sense. Aren't they more of a cold water fish?

Yeah. They get them in Caseville and around Tawas I hear. I have personally never caught them. I know some guys that get them off the pier in Oscoda.

 

[sureshot006]

Mine was a once in a lifetime I think. Kind of like sturgeon in the river.

 

[2508speed]

How do you tell the difference between a burbot and a dog fish? They both have that funny dorsal fin don't they?

 

[sureshot006]

Burbot has a split dorsal and barbels under its jaw.

 

[sureshot006]

This is my master angler Saginaw river mouth burbot. Only pic I can find is the one my mom had printed on a quilt.

Can't believe it was so long ago...

 

[2508speed]

This is my master angler Saginaw river mouth burbot. Only pic I can find is the one my mom had printed on a quilt.

Can't believe it was so long ago...

Awesome hat and glasses! lol I would throw that fish back! I don't care! Is that an All saints hat?

 

[sureshot006]

Burbot are very good to eat... to each their own.

I'm not sure about the hat. This was late 80s early 90s. I was probably 8

 

[2508speed]

Burbot are very good to eat... to each their own.

I'm not sure about the hat. This was late 80s early 90s. I was probably 8

I heard they were good eating! I thought that was you in the hat. Just messin around.

 

[sureshot006]

Nah. My dad. I have found old pics at work from the late 80s with the engineers wearing the same style glasses. Apparently that was the style lol.

That was back when we had a hard time catching anything but hog walleye. The river wasn't loaded with dinks at all.

 

[2508speed]

I used to wear a pair just like that! Now I've progressed to bi-focals! Your dad was pretty hip! I never wore the hat though.

 

[sureshot006]

I believe it was a softball team hat

 

[brian241]

Friends told me they catch them in the UP but said they call em fresh water cod! Haven't heard much talk about them around here.

 

[2508speed]

Friends told me they catch them in the UP but said they call em fresh water cod! Haven't heard much talk about them around here.

I'm sure they do! I'm sorry, but if I see that coming out of the hole, I'm cutting the line.

 

[lennyluv]

I have personally never heard of one caught on the inner bay.

My cousin caught a real nice one last year off standish