THE MIGHTY BURBOT
Don’t forget about those fish with the whiskers !
As the ice fishing season moves toward March, many anglers target schooled panfish like yellow perch. Some of the best perch fishing happens from now until ice off. You will also have a good shot at some real trophies in the two pound range with the big females putting on extra weight with eggs. That same holds true for walleye and pike. I love last ice because of the variety of opportunities that are presented. All are extremely great options to make for late ice memories, but there’s one tasty fish we all seem to forget about, the mighty burbot. How can anyone forget a pretty face like that?
DON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN!
It really hurts when your night fishing for hours on end without a bite then a huge mark comes on your flasher that gives you the walleye thump! After a wild ride all you see are whiskers coming up the hole or the tail of the big burbot coming up it first. After so many situations like this over the years it’s truly made me appreciate the look of those unique fish. I use to get bent out of shape wishing it was a giant walleye but now I laugh every time.
I often have anglers with me who have never seen one in person so that gets a wide variety of responses. I had one friend almost knock my tent over trying to get as far away from one as possible. And have seen a few kids get scared over the appearance of the burbot when it came on to the Ice. But all in all don’t judge the book by it’s cover! It’s one of the best tasting fish you can eat from the freshwater.
For a great burbot recipe, check out Hunt/ Fish MB Butter Burbot!
LATE WINTER SPAWNERS
Burbot are one of the few fish to actually lay their eggs under the ice . This usually happens between mid February into late March. They spawn on gravel flat areas in less than 20 feet of water.
I’ve had my best success on sunken sand bars that carry gravel and shallow gravel flats. The one cool thing about the burbot is during the spawn they often create what I like to call “the snake pit”!
I’ve been lucky enough to witness this cool experience several times on an underwater camera. It literally looks like a pile of snakes on the bottom together in huge numbers. Running into this scenario you will have a busy day catching burbot all day . When you catch a fish between three and fifteen pounds or better all day long your arms tell you how good the fishing was the next day!
LURE SELECTION
The best part about getting set up for them is very simple they take a wide variety of lures and bait. The famous jig and minnow is always a great option for the burbot. I also find three to five inch silver or gold flutter spoons with a lot of vibration work well. But the very best bait for them, especially this time of year, is a rattle bait ! It absolutely drives them nuts ! Using an aggressive jigging method near the bottom also allows you to fish with heavy line. You also don’t have to pay near as much attention to detail as you would triggering walleye or panfish.
FINDING THE SWEET SPOT
Summertime is the best way to cover a lot of ground to map out key burbot areas with your electronics. This saves time in the winter, so you don’t have to spend a ton of time drilling holes and searching. The underwater camera doesn’t lie and is a very effective tool for this technique. Drilling a spaced-out grid along these areas and the use of the under-water camera can lead you to great success for the burbot. I know its going to be hard to convince you all to fish for these fish for the rest of the season, but I suggest you give this a try, it’s a pile of fun! Nothing like a good family day on the Ice in the snake pit! Just remember to wash all your gear and clothing after handling these suckers all day or you will end up with a bunch of pet cats show up at your house.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Travel Manitoba’s Hunt/Fish content creator Josh McFaddin now shows you how to clean them in this video below