dead fish on the ice

[TGF]

Burbot rank up there on my favorite eating list. Sturgeon probably first. Please put the burbot back down the hole. They are a game fish. They have very few bones, lots of good meat. Don't always believe everything you hear. Try them and you will be surprised. I don't like walleye (personal preferance) but I wouldn't leave them scattered on the ice.

[alpinehigh]

Hi Gang!
   I have a question!  Do all fish explode inside when you bring them up from depths  over 30 feet?
    Da-Roc
Maybe they are leaving the burbots there cause they will die anyway?  

No da rock, fish dont explode inside when you bring them up from the depths. Their bladders can fill with expanding oxygen. I always put them back, Ive seen lakers that i have taken from 70 feet and they *burp* out the extra oxygen. I always see them swimming away.

[Carp1]

Burbot rank up there on my favorite eating list. Sturgeon probably first. Please put the burbot back down the hole. They are a game fish. They have very few bones, lots of good meat. Don't always believe everything you hear. Try them and you will be surprised. I don't like walleye (personal preferance) but I wouldn't leave them scattered on the ice.

No kidding, I always thought that they were a dog fish, I guess we don't have anything that compares to a burbot here in Indiana.  I am going to have to make my way up to Gods Country and try to catch me one, (or two).

[fishermanjake]

I'm with you on the walleye terry.  every walleye that i have had tasted muddy and was too flakey.  Burbot are definately one of the better eating.  Burbot have vented swimbladers so they can release air from them.  I've never seen burbot come up from the depths but i have seen cod and they fart( plainly stated) all the way up.  Burbot are a freshwater cod so i imagine there is no difference.  Their stomachs aren't forced through there mouth when they come up, so if you don't want them throw them back.  They are suseptable to over harvest like i said earlier, they have closed lakes in alaska for them for that reason. by the way burbot are known as eelpout, lawyer, cusk, and ling down in the states.

[Carp1]

 



Burbot
Lota lota


Length:15 to 22 inches
Weight:1 to 3 pounds
Coloring:mottled olive-green to shades of brown on back; cream-colored underneath
Common Names:lawyer, American burbot, ling, eelpout, loche, freshwater cod
Found in Lakes:Michigan, Huron, Ontario, Erie and Superior (but uncommon in Erie)
These elongated, cylindrical, freshwater codfish inhabit most waters of Alaska, Canada and northern United States as well as corresponding latitudes of Eurasia. Despite the burbot's homely form, its meat is palatable and nutritious. A delicacy in Scandinavia, the burbot's liver contains oil said to rival that of the saltwater cod.
 
In the U.S., burbots -- commonly called "lawyers" in the Great Lakes region -- have long been overlooked as a food fish. Early Great Lakes fishermen derided them as trash fish. In the middle of the 20th century, the lakes' burbot populations declined under the onslaught of the sea lamprey. Today, however, burbot are returning to the lakes in increasing numbers.
 
Burbot spawn under the midwinter ice, usually in one to four feet of water, though sometimes deeper. By midsummer, they move out to the cool depths of the lake, where they roam the open waters with lake trout, lake whitefish and other deepwater fish.
 
Many knowledgeable fishermen savor burbot. When boiled and buttered, the sweet flavor of burbot has earned it the title of "poor man's lobster." Though they continue to have an undeserved reputation as "trash fish," the commercial harvest of burbot from Green Bay and northern Lake Michigan increased nearly fivefold during the early 1980s to a total of nearly 100,000 pounds annually

[alpinehigh]

  shhhhhhhhh carp, don't let the secret out.

[Carp1]

I tried to paste a picture of the fish on that posting, but was unable to do so, but they are on ugly looking fish.  Not sure I could eat anything that ugly.  Do you skin them like a catfish?

[Hard_H2O]

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcf/brbt.htm
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/game_fish/burbot.phtml
http://www.nwtwildlife.com/fishing/burbot.htm
http://www.state.sd.us/gfp/divisionwildlife/fishing/CommonSDFishes/Burbot.htm
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/fish/lota.html

[fishermanjake]

Length:15 to 22 inches
Weight:1 to 3 pounds  ?!!!
those are the ones i let go lol

here is what i caught (first picture hopefully it works)

[trapdaddy21]

leaving fish on the ice is a touchy subject. i feel that although i have never left fish on the ice, its the decision of the fisherman to do what he/she pleases with the fish. i have fished lakes in wisconsin were you can't hardly fish because tiny perch are constantly biting your line. many people take them out as a management tool. in these cases the lake is overpopulated and there is not enough room and food for the fish to get bigger. its kinda like raising fish in a tank. i feel that if done correctly that it can be a good management tool, and aren't we as fishermen supposed to be conservationists. i took a class in college last year that talked about stunting of fish in waters like this.

[crappieloo]

Thats it jake, i've had it down here,i'm moving up north
Nice pic and nice fish.

[panfishhead]

Ok, Ok we all seem to be in agreement that weeding out small sunnies and perch is not a bad thing for lake/pond. However, leaving the dead fish laying all over the ice is an eyesore and looks like the Beverly Hillbillys just left the fishing area, and I don't give a damn how noble your coservation intentions were. You leave the place a $#!+ hole and "ALL" of ice fisherperson's look like a bunch of Slobs. Your handing more ammunition to the lakefront property owners who don't wan't us on what they percieve as "THEIR" lake anyway. So PLEASE, PLEASE, if you feel that you must "thin" the panfish population, pick up the fish and dispose of them or feed them to the cat. Don't leave the ice looking like a garbage dump for the next guy or gal.   TX & TIGHT LINES  >>>>>>  panfishhead  .......  // mark

[ChapstickCharlie]

FishermanJake can you tell me if Eelpout get oily tasting after they get over 5 lbs like walleye do?

[fishermanjake]

no they don't get oilly. they are fatty and rich tasting for a white meat fish, but not real oily.  when you boil them the fat foams up and can boil over, but there isn't an oil sheen.  they are quite different in texture than most fish.  I haven't kept any smaller than 4 pounds this year since ice up.

[grumpymoe]

carp1--i;m with fishermanjake--15-22 inches sounds like their being overharvested--we catch lots especially on the lake that exceed 36 inches and are not uncommon on a daily occurence

[Carp1]

carp1--i;m with fishermanjake--15-22 inches sounds like their being overharvested--we catch lots especially on the lake that exceed 36 inches and are not uncommon on a daily occurence

Nice Pictures Jake, Those are sweet.  I only cut and pasted that post from a web site.  I was trying to educate myself on Burbot.  Obviously they do get much bigger than that article led me to believe.  Do the Burbot eat live bait, Chase lures such as the rapala's,  do you use tip-ups, or jig with a pole.

Once again, you are da man Jake, Keep posting pictures like that.

[grumpymoe]

carp1   alot of anglers clean them as quick as they catch them--not me--to squirmy--some prefer to throw them out on the ice until they're nearly frozen and yes you can skin them just like catfish-being stiff makes it alot easier but alot colder on the hands

[grumpymoe]

nice pictures fishermanjake--now thats how a cord starts out

[Tricky]

Hey Guys,
Every February in Walker, Minnesota they have the Eelpout festival and people come from all over (some from as far as Europe and Australia) to catch Eelpout on Leech lake. The town of Walker is overrun with folks, some there to fish, some there to drink, some just there for the spectacle. Check out the Website:

http://www.eelpoutfestival.com/

The Eelpout I've caught have been a lot of fun. A friend caught an 11 pounder last year. They're strong and real fighters.
Most caught on rattle reels at night with live bait (usually right off the bottom of the lake). Taste good too if you can get past the cleaning. Very slimy and hard to hold. Meat is all along the top of the back. At the festival they have a huge pout fry. Don't knock the Pout!

[grumpymoe]

carp1  they say the hardest thing to do is push the fork to your mouth for the first time

[fishermanjake]

burbot hit about anything 8) somethings better than others.  I've found jigs i've lost on the bottom, mice, fish, other burbot. etc.  Here is what i use for jigs, glow in the dark of course attracts them from a farther distance.  i was using the smaller lure for the ones i caught, but we found bigger was better.

and of course they are way aggresive this is a real picture the fish hit it while my buddy was jigging rapidly...they like big bait

[mooseslayer]

perch and bluegill are invasive exotics introduced illegally into this area. we used to play hockey with them after they froze.funny to here some of you guys talk proudly about catching a mess of perch. come up here and i can show you 20 lakes you can load a truck bed full of perch.nolimit on them up here.

[Da_Roc]

Hey Guys,
Every February in Walker, Minnesota they have the Eelpout festival and people come from all over (some from as far as Europe and Australia) to catch Eelpout on Leech lake. The town of Walker is overrun with folks, some there to fish, some there to drink, some just there for the spectacle. Check out the Website:

http://www.eelpoutfestival.com/


The Eelpout I've caught have been a lot of fun. A friend caught an 11 pounder last year. They're strong and real fighters.
Most caught on rattle reels at night with live bait (usually right off the bottom of the lake). Taste good too if you can get past the cleaning. Very slimy and hard to hold. Meat is all along the top of the back. At the festival they have a huge pout fry. Don't knock the Pout!

 Hey Guys on (www.fishingaccessories .com) they have a holder for fish like burbot.  It holds the fish while you skin it.  Works great on squirle too!

[ADCO]

Here in Michigan, It's called LITTERING.
If anyone is caught doing this, I take a Pic, and just MIGHT walk behind the person to their car, get the License Plate, and call the D.N.R.

I've done that, and I'll do it again.

Stan

[Da_Roc]

Hi Gang!
     I guess Ill be taking all my fish home from now on cause my neighbor  will grind up dinks for her garden in the spring.  I wont throw them back cause the small lakes I fish are way over populated (Gills). Any given day you can catch about a 100 from any two holes.  I also noticed when pulling that many from the ponds  The next year they are bigger and are even more in number.  I have seen lakes // ponds that die because to many fish.  It is hard to see 10000 dead fish all over thru a summer just rotting  near shore.  I would rather fish them out and let critteres eat them then watch them starve!  So take a pic all your gonna get is a bird!
I might even ask you to my next fish fry!  Hey we might be able to find ya some thin ice to be nosey on!
  Da-Roc

[FishDeepCreek]

In a lot of states you can be sited for Wanton waste, and issued a citation, for doing it. I think taking a picture of it and the offender is a great idea, hope everyone of them gets busted and punished to the max.

[ChapstickCharlie]

I know where Roc is coming from.