Ice Fishing Burbot
Ice fishing burbot is a great way to spend the evening out on the ice. These fish fight hard, are aggressive biters, and taste great.
Whether you call them burbot, eelpout, ling, or lawyer – burbot are members of the cod family.
They are the only member in the cod family that inhabits freshwater.
They inhabit deep, clear, cold northern natural lakes with plenty of oxygen content in the depths, where they spend most of their time.
Thoughout the year burbot spend a majority of their time in thirty feet of water or more.
National Geographic once filmed one in 1,300 feet of water on Lake Superior, lying in a wallowed-out foxhole in the basin.
Most burbot caught are typically between two and six pounds, although some state records exceed fifteen pounds. The world record was caught in Saskatchewan, Canada and weighed just over 25 lbs.
Location for Ice Fishing Burbot
A good starting depth when ice fishing burbot is twenty-seven feet of water.
When drilling out a piece of structure try to keep your holes between twenty-five and thirty feet of water.
Burbot can be caught shallower and deeper than that, but most fish seem to favor that twenty-five to thirty foot depth range.
Weedlines with sharp breaks, saddle systems, and rock piles are good places to find and catch burbot.
The key is to find those areas that have access to deepwater.
Timing for Ice Fishing Burbot
Burbot can be caught all throughout the winter months, but starting around the end of February, burbot begin moving shallower.
These fish begin to school up and make the move shallow in order too spawn beneath the ice.
That’s when most ice anglers are likely to contact them on typical walleye structure like the tips of points and the tops of sunken islands.
This bite really heats up in March and the peak is typically the second or third weekend in march.
Baits for Ice Fishing Burbot
If you can catch walleyes through the ice, you can catch eelpout, with minor adjustments. Use the same rod, reel and line combos you’d use for walleyes.
For lures, grab a few 1/2-ounce to 3/4-ounce glow-in-the-dark rattling spoons, and tip them with a minnow head. A great option is the Trout-N-Pout spoon by Big Nasty Tackle.
The Trout-N-Pout spoon is available in three different sizes and multiple color options that all glow in the dark. Tip this spoon with a couple of fathead minnows and you’ve got the ultimate burbot bait.
Another good option for burbot is rattlebaits.
Rattlebaits are heavy and make a ton of noise calling fish in from a distance.
Are Burbot Edible?
Burbot are good to eat, although they are a bit on the oily and chewy side. The are perfect for fish boils, but, also taste great beer battered and deep fried. They can also be baked in an oven.
Most anglers, however, trim off the backstraps, cube them, boil them in sprite or 7-Up, and then dip it in garlic butter. When prepared this way they taste very similar to lobster. It’s truly the best way to eat burbot.
It should be noted that once the meat has been frozen it does contract a strong fishy taste.
Burbot doesn’t save well in the freezer and it’s best when eaten fresh.
Conclusion
Burbot were once overlooked and deemed a nuisance by anglers ice anglers in the North country — but not anymore in many parts of the country.
Burbot are hard fighters, taste great, and can be reality easily to catch certain times of the year.
If you haven’t tired targeting burbot through ice you’ve got to give it a try. Ice fishing burbot is a great way to spend an evening on the ice.
