Burbot Fishing?

[Big G Hunter]

Was thinking about trying to catch some burbot and was wondering what are some best kept secrets for catching them? Kind of bait to use? I know you cant use fish parts, heard chicken liver works? I know about fishing at night is the best right about due to them spawning. any tips would be great.

[Mikey Rafiki]

Shrimp, worms or baby squids.

Glow hooks. Specifically a glowing spoon with the built in rattle.

[Paulyman]

Trout heads work very well.

[rocksteady]

Sink it to the bottom, bring it up 6 to 12" and leave it sit. I have never found where jigging helped. Target where creeks enter into lake, then drop off into deeper water.

We usually never fished over 30 feet. Any deeper than that and they would blow their swim bladders out their mouths, potentially killing them if you put them back..

The more stenchy the bait, the better...

[rocksteady]

Trout heads work very well.



Ummm....that would be illegal..

[Ambush]

Ummm....that would be illegal..

Legal in region 7 but don't have the regs handy for region 5.

[Big G Hunter]

no fish parts allowed in region 5

[Mikey Rafiki]

The more stenchy the bait, the better...

Ah yes... I've almost thrown up a few times putting some rotten squid on the hook. Needed a pair of rubber gloves to do it.

Too bad they have been overfished or fished out of some local lakes. Even worse, when ice fishing in Alberta we used to see them left on the ice to rot, 10-20 pounders.

[monasheemountainman]

If it's ice fishing in Alberta. They were most likely frozen cock stiff, not rotten, you shoulda picked em up and had some good dinner !

[rocksteady]

Legal in region 7 but don't have the regs handy for region 5.

Did not know that. Region 4 it is illegal. My bad

[Mikey Rafiki]

If it's ice fishing in Alberta. They were most likely frozen cock stiff, not rotten, you shoulda picked em up and had some good dinner !

We got a few that we knew were fresh.

[Sitkaspruce]

We used pieces of moose liver in a nylon, fish in 10-30' of water, sit it 6" off the bottom and leave it. Lakers also like moose liver!!

Cheers

SS

[TheProvider]

Back home in northern Ontario as soon as the sun went down the burbot would start hammering. Quite fun and lots of action sitting in a ice hut, middle of the night, stove going for warmth,

[Sofa King]

in Okanagan lake, it's become more frequent to have them bite your lure while trolling for rainbows.
they're taking a lyman lure as it goes by.

[Jagermeister]

I have had them hit a #4FST in red too.

[tigrr]

Trout heads work very well.

Only legal in zone 6 and 7. No fin fish parts allowed in all other regions. Other than roe.

[Drillbit]

Now that we've established that there are regions that allow fish parts for bait, what is THE BEST bait?

I have found Kokanee to be very good, the best of everything I've tried. Going to try moose liver now, have one in the freezer

Creek mouths, especially in a bay has been good.

I've always put them at 60 feet, but will try 10- 30 and see if that helps.

Does the bottom matter? Go for gravel, rock, muck....??

[Elkiller]

I've had really good luck without bait, spoons work quite well or buzz bombs. I usually fish them in 60-90' of water, one of my favourite fish to eat actually, good luck!

[Drillbit]

I've had really good luck without bait, spoons work quite well or buzz bombs. I usually fish them in 60-90' of water, one of my favourite fish to eat actually, good luck!

Jiggin in the daylight?

[Elkiller]

You betcha mornings and afternoons is when it's hot it tends to die off around noon, my biggest was in the dark those 20 pounders put up a good fight!

[knighthunter]

Used to catch them jigging with a jig & minnow for walleye. Just as the sun was going down in anywhere from 5-20 feet of water over gravel/ rocky points.
Also used to see piles of them strewn on the lake where the commercial fisherman pulled their nets.

[Sitkaspruce]

Now that we've established that there are regions that allow fish parts for bait, what is THE BEST bait?

I have found Kokanee to be very good, the best of everything I've tried. Going to try moose liver now, have one in the freezer

Creek mouths, especially in a bay has been good.

I've always put them at 60 feet, but will try 10- 30 and see if that helps.

Does the bottom matter? Go for gravel, rock, muck....??

We also used peamouth chub whole as another bait. The bottom we used to fish was a gravel/sand bottom. Target them in the shallows while they are spawing around this time. We had set lines and left them over night. Caught them up to 15 lbs with lots of 4-6 lbs range. Great fish and chips that night!!

Cheers

SS

[goatdancer]

We used to use nightcrawlers on those huge, heavy chrome jigs ( Norwegian jigs? ). That was at Balfour on the Kootenay lake in the '70s.

[BULLNUTTS]

I've never caught a burbot using bait however I know those that have tremendous sucess using kokanee as bait.Myself I fish them in deep water ,aprox 85 feet,in an area where the kokanee do spawn.when the kokanee are there so are the burbot following the kokanee feeding on them and the eggs as well.Also caught at same time are large lakers and/or char in same locations.biggest burbot- 45 inches, laker 34 lbs all without bait jigging mostly[but not unlimited to] buzz bombs.Drop to bottom and bonce off bottom with say two foot jigs.just keep banging away-if anything unusual,slack,or solid anything just set immediatly=hookups.One thing- use double or triple knots on hooks and rubber stoppers under your bomb and retie every couple hours as the constant banging away you will loose bombs from line wear.Have caught lots using this method and suprised manny lolmornings ,afternoons and evenings bestsometimes fishing into late evening darkness if bite is especially good. Tight lines n good huntin BULLNUTTS

[bc7mm]

Beef heart, its tough, stays on the jig and they seem to love it.