Lake Champlain Burbot

[esoxmaster]

I'm going up the lake house on north hero next week and I'm planning on catching some monster northerns, but I was wondering if anyone might me able to give me some tips for burbot. Ive never caught one before and I'd like to give it a shot through the ice. I've heard some about catching them north of the sandbar. I'd like to catch them relatively in the area of S. Hero, Grand Isle, and N. Hero. Any advice?

[Vt Piker]

There's usually good ling fishing in the inner sea this time of year. I haven't been out for them yet this year...maybe this weekend. I'm thinking that the Alewife die-off might mess things up a bit.
  Plan on night fishing. They like to chew on smelt.

[whitetail05401]

I have no clue were to get them but the best way to fish them is dead bait right on the bottom. I also read that once you get one get ready for a good fight. We saw one this summer it was swimming oh about 3 feet down I had the kids fishing for bliegill and my youngest saw it and it scared the crap right out of her. She would not put her line back in the water until the fish was gone. It hung around a little bit but wanted nothing to do with anything I put in front of it. Oh well........jim s

[esoxmaster]

what part of the inner sea? I heard that they would be hot just north of the rt. 2 causeway at the sandbar. that sound like it might be good?

[Smada_Evad]

If you find them let me know, I had a blast catching a bunch of cusk/ling/burbot last winter up in Moosehead Lake in Maine, fished at nite with airplane jigs and cut bait...I would love to find some in VT and spend an evening out cusk hunting.

[Vt Piker]

Jim S, I'm thinking that you're confusing burbot with bowfin. (Honest mistake) Burbot won't be hanging out 3 ft down. They like it deep. If I was a bettin' man, Bowfin. And bowfin are insane fighters.
 e mstr, The inner sea burbot hang deep in the day and head shallower at night. I like to set up on a drop that goes to at least 90 fow and transitions to a shallow gravel bottom(spawn ground). I have good luck fishing in 45 fow at sundown.
  
                                             Tight lines
Oh, btw, I fish burbot just a tad north of the sandbar...off Savage Island.

[Smada_Evad]

Jim S, I'm thinking that you're confusing burbot with bowfin. (Honest mistake) Burbot won't be hanging out 3 ft down. They like it deep. If I was a bettin' man, Bowfin. And bowfin are insane fighters.

Do people get Bowfin in the winter, that would be a hell of a fight on a jig stick!

[esoxmaster]

No I'm not confusing Burbot with Bowfin, I catch those things all the time through the soft water. They put up a hell  of a fight on rod and reel. I'm just dying to catch a burbot!

[Vt Piker]

e mstr,  I was suggesting that jim s may be thinking of bowfin. If I go linging this weekend, I'll let you know what's up.

[whitetail05401]

well let me ask you It was a fish with a fin all the way down the belly and back. I have been told they are burbot not bowfin. This was in june and clear water so I got a very good look at the fish and I could tell that is was not a bowfin. Maybe Im wrong but this is what I was told once a pon a time....jim s

[YOAdrien]

Whatever you call them they taste good. I say Cusk, Find rocky spots, one of their favorite foods is crayfish and they hang in the shallow rocks at night a lot. I don't know the vt rules on fishing them but i do know that a live bait will outfish a dead bait. In NH we anchor big shiners/suckers or anything to the bottom with 1 oz lead weights (because it is law to have a 1 oz weight or bigger) if you have rocky points it is a good spot to start.

Right now is pre-spawn for them and they are GORGING on anything they can find. Best fishing from dusk to about 10pm and then seems to slow on my lake.

They love any disturbance on the bottom, jigging for them with a heavy bucktail jig and some type of meat on it will do very well if there are any around, i used to jig them at night a lot in maine with an aqua view camera, turn the lights on and jig for a couple minutes and then they will come over to see, turn out the light and BANG they hit it instantly, they hate light but they come to check it out, very curious.

If you have time, pre chum an area, if legal, and go back at dark, my brother caught a 14 pounder on a 12 inch dead sucker and my dad caught 1 on a sounder, it hit the mud and the cusk grabbed it, pretty funny.

[esoxmaster]

Oh, btw, I fish burbot just a tad north of the sandbar...off Savage Island.

What side/part of savage island?

[Vt Piker]

Whitetail05401, I ain't trying to pick a fight, I just never heard of burbot going shallow in the summer. The bowin has a dorsal fin that goes all the way to the tail and then the fin continues up the belly. Go to About.com and search for "bowfin picture". Then go to the friday night cusk league link hear on Iceshanty and take a look at the burbot(cusk) entries. The bowfin is thicker on the tail end than a burbot and the burbot has a big gut.
 Yoadrien, east side of savage. If you park at Van Everest and head for Savage, hike until you hit about 45 fow. I hope to be out there fri. nite. not sure yet.
               Tight lines

[whitetail05401]

I will do that...jim s

[ajsoma8]

I have always been interested in catching a Burbot on lake Champlain.  I live on the lake in Grand Isle and fish like crazy but have never caught one.  Are they VERY few and far between?  I have heard they are a great eating fish and would think that a lot of people would target them but it doesn't seem like many do!  So if I were to go out and fish say off the south east side of Savage from 17' to where it drops into 100' with a live shiner on the bottom with tip ups at night what do you think the odds would be???  I just find it funny that with all the baits i have put on the bottom of that lake (just N of sandbar and around savage) that I have never caught one

[Vt Piker]

 I'd say that you'd put something on the ice. Pretty good odds of a cusk. Some folks like live bait, but I prefer half of a smelt with the guts hanging out. Put it right on the bottom. As someone else mentioned, chumming during the day will help put them there at night.
 If the cusk are hitting good, you won't have time for tip-ups. As soon as you put the bait on the bottom you'll have a flag. If you fish the bottom at night, I'm surprised you haven't picked one up. The guys who fish eyes and lakers at night hate cusk with a passion.
 It doesn't look good for Fri. night. Winds are supposed to be approaching 20mph. Sat. looks like temps in the single digits and breezy. Maybe Sunday.

[ajsoma8]

Yea I am gonna be fishing on saturday with the portable shanty and my heater..def. not at night though.  I will probably try off bow and arrow point for lakers...try to get some action.

[Vt Piker]

Bow and Arrow point? Is that a slang name? Never heard of it. Where's it at?

[ajsoma8]

broad side lake of abnaki bay

[ajsoma8]

oh yeah, didn't catch jack crap

[jeffd7766]

Does anyone know where the burbot are biting? I have never caught one and it is my goal before ice out, i have got my fair share of bowfin or dogfish whatever you wanna call them but never a burbot. if anyone could point me in the right direction,( preferably on champlain) that would be excellent. Thank you Jeff

[ChillerThriller]

i caught a 9 pound burbot 2 feet below my hole in 20 feet of water on a size 14 ratso, they swim high during the day where i am