Author Topic: Lake Superior Burbot  (Read 4789 times)

Offline tritz18

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Lake Superior Burbot
« on: Jan 04, 2018, 12:19 PM »
Hello my name is Thornton Ritz, I am a graduate student at Northern Michigan University. I am conducting a research project on burbot and am looking for some avid burbot anglers for some insights and help. This winter I am hoping to catch Lake Superior burbot and fertilize eggs to rear in our lab back at NMU. Our goal is to catch some burbot from Munising Bay/Sand Point area and if possible closer to Marquette (ice dependent). If anyone is interested in this research project, has any questions, or has any tips on catching them feel free to comment on this thread or email me directly at [email protected]. Thank you in advance!

Offline bigmike7272

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #1 on: Jan 04, 2018, 04:43 PM »
Glowing rattle spoons tipped with a minnow head pound the bottom with it and hang on.


Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I'll remember some of it. Involve me and I will have lifetime knowledge.

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Offline Teggs

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #2 on: Jan 05, 2018, 12:06 PM »
We catch a lot by accident in the lower harbor they eat almost anything. I have never met anyone with a desire to try and catch a burbot let alone research them. Went out with a group once last year to target them for craps. prolly caught 20-30 nice ones, they fought pretty good. This was an inland lake though near republic. Middle of the night bite. We used small minnows on spoons and pounded sand. It was the worst fillet session i had had in my life, its like skinning a snake. Then when your done you get about 2oz of meat off of a 3lb fish. Sure was tasty though boiled and dipped in butter. Ugliest fish ever.

Offline DanaM

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #3 on: Jan 05, 2018, 01:55 PM »
I'm interested to know what the focus of the research is? What is your goal?

Offline tritz18

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #4 on: Jan 05, 2018, 03:16 PM »
Not sure how much people know about burbot on here, but they are a top predator in the Great Lakes, they consume almost exclusively fish as adults, and occupy similar habitat to lake trout. More importantly, this means that they play a pretty big role in the Great Lakes ecosystem, and as a cold water species are a potential indicator for a changing lake. Interestingly enough, burbot in the Great Lakes choose to either spawn in shallow water of the lakes or move into the tributaries to spawn. After hatching, larvae are then either in the open water of the lake, get flushed out of the tributaries into the lake, or remain in the tributaries.

My research will focus mainly on the larval stage. We hope to collect river spawning burbot through trap nets in two UP rivers and then lake spawning burbot through ice fishing. Once we have fertilized eggs from these locations they will be reared separately in our lab and I will be collecting data on their development as they grow. We hope to see some differences in development between river spawned and lake spawned larval burbot. This could potentially give us some information regarding the burbot's choice to spawn in the lake or to spawn the rivers. Also, very little is known about burbot during the larval stage, so at the least this project should provide more information on the species as a whole.

Offline Flag UP

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #5 on: Jan 05, 2018, 04:14 PM »
OK, I have to ask. What is the larva stage of a burbot? What is the difference between a larval burbot and a fry/fingerling of a game fish?  I would have assumed that they are like other fish. Egg-fry-fingerling-small adult-large adult
I've never targeted them but we do catch them occasionally in Huron & Keweenaw Bays and in Pike Bay on Portage Lake. 

Offline tritz18

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #6 on: Jan 05, 2018, 04:32 PM »
Technically, a larvae is a newly hatched fish that is still consuming its yolk sac and isn't capable of feeding on anything else. It then becomes a fry when its yolk sac is absorbed and it starts to feed on prey like zooplankton and other small organisms. However burbot are quite unique as larvae and fry because they are very very small. Upon hatch burbot larvae weight 0.1 grams and are about 3 mm long!

Offline Flag UP

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #7 on: Jan 05, 2018, 04:55 PM »
You learn something new every day. Thanks for the explanation.

Offline icefishman

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #8 on: Jan 05, 2018, 05:07 PM »
Yes thanks
very interesting
Catching Any?

Offline squidly454

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #9 on: Jan 11, 2018, 09:25 AM »
A group of us will likely be out off Sand Point the weekend of the 27th,  We target splake and whitefish during the day and then get into the Burbot as it gets dark.   You're welcome to come and partake in the fun. 
I second BigMike7272 on the tackle.   We use buckshot rattle spoons in glow perch, a whole or partial minnow on the hook.   Charge it up with a light and bounce on the bottom.   If we see fish on the flasher you can almost expect a fish on the second bounce.
The grease doesn't discriminate - W.W. Smith

Offline Depthfinder

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #10 on: Jan 16, 2018, 10:29 PM »
Is sand point along the Baraga shoreline?

Offline sunup

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #11 on: Jan 17, 2018, 09:18 AM »
Yes it is. Go a little North of the village and take the road with the campground sign near the DNR office.

Offline Depthfinder

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #12 on: Jan 19, 2018, 07:07 AM »
Thanks!

Offline Teggs

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #13 on: Jan 22, 2018, 08:11 AM »
They are talking about the Sand point between marquette and Munising i belive.

Offline squidly454

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #14 on: Jan 22, 2018, 01:02 PM »
We're talking about the Sand Point just east of Munising.
The grease doesn't discriminate - W.W. Smith

Offline MichiganMan

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #15 on: Jan 22, 2018, 02:40 PM »
Just a heads up, the ice at sand point east of Munising is FULL of sand blown off shore while the ice was forming. It easts auger blades like candy. I seen the same thing several years ago, but this year is worse. Off the motel or the Anna my not be as bad.
It's more important to be nice, than it is nice to be important.

Offline tritz18

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #16 on: Jan 26, 2018, 10:24 AM »
Thanks everyone for the interest! We have been catching a lot of burbot the past two weekends and they are just about ready to spawn. If you see someone out there in the next week with more gear than usual its probably me!

Offline tritz18

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #17 on: Feb 04, 2018, 08:40 AM »
Hey all,

We have been catching good numbers of burbot every we have gone night out. The fish are very close to spawning so its almost time for me to do that whole research thing. I would really appreciate it if anyone catches any fish with eggs or milt flowing out freely to shoot me a message or post here. I am in Marquette so any observations could save me a trip out to Munising or get me out there ASAP. Thanks in advance

Thornton

Offline Voncker11

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #18 on: Feb 15, 2018, 09:39 AM »
Trying burbot fishing for the first time this weekend. I don't really know where I am going though. I'm based in Marquette. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Feel free to message me. Thanks!

Offline Teggs

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Re: Lake Superior Burbot
« Reply #19 on: Feb 16, 2018, 12:06 PM »
Any bay on lake superior after dark will produce this time of year.

 



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