cusk fishing

[lobsternazi]

Does anybody know when it is good to start cusk fishing and what kind of bait/ gear to use.  I work a crazy scheduale and nights are often the only time I can fish and since cusk and smelts are the only thing open at night I wanted to give it a try.  Also is the meat of a fresh water cusk anything like the saltwater cusk?

[JohnPorter]

I'll start this off for you and then maybe everyone else will chime in. You can start cusk fishing any time the ice is safe. Feb and March is the best in the north country since this is when the cusk starts its spawn.
 Any tip-up is good as most cusk just inhale the bait and then lay on the bottom.Bring lots of hooks as they seldom trigger a trap and the results is a deep hooked fish. Jigging a Swedish Pimple with a piece of cut bait works good also. I have best results if I bang the jig off the bottom every once in awhile. Any baitfish will work as bait but I prefer to use smelts. What I do is smash the bait or cut it so the smelt bleeds.
   Cusk is an awesome tablefare fish and you will want to catch more soon.
    Good luck in your endeavors,
                                   John Porter

[Marsh]

I really need to try this cusk fishing i know you can fish for them in osipee down south maybe ill give it a wirl i want to try them in some chowdah!!

[Scott Wright]

Cusk is fun to fish for at night. I save dead bait and sea smelt heads to suspend just off the bottom, or drop right on the bottom with traps. and I like to jig for them in the shanty. One thing to watch for is "Flag-Face"... that's when you go to check your trap and spoon out your fishing hole, pull your un-triggered trap from the hole and... WHAP!! the flag goes of and smacks you in the face, 'cause there's a cusk on the other end who swallowed your bait and is just laying there..

They're ugly, slimy, and smelly... but the meat taste great and is very versatile. We like to cut the boned, skinned fillets into chunks and batter them for the deep fryer... they come out like fryed scallops if you do it right..

[Marsh]

Where is a good place to fish for these things in southern maine???

[hardwatergrampa]

slowbago they do fish little o right by the lanch last year there were a lot of guys fishing them on friday nights

[Marsh]

grandpa do you know if they get any numbers at little o?

[bass_assassin]

echo lake is a great place to cusk fish also. i went there last year and got 15-20 in five hours. i keep only three or four.

[Marsh]

Welcome Assasin.  Good to see all these new members signing on!! 

 where is echo lake located?

[icefishmaine]

 Ive tried a few places in southern Maine like Crescent lake, Panther pond, Bryant pond, and Long lake. Long lake is the only place i have caught cusk in Southern maine and it doesn't compare to the amounts we have caught on Moosehead and West Grand.  I hope to get a few cusk this weekend on Eagle, i can't wait. I have always used chunked up sea smelts for bait. and put most right on bottom with one or two traps suspended 6" or so off bottom.

[tbtool]

little o is slow and small fish.  sebago is your best bet.  there are a couple other secret spots that not to many people talk about.  not sure where they are but im going to try and find out

[hardwatergrampa]

grandpa do you know if they get any numbers at little o?

most of the ones ive talked to say its slow but there are a couple that clam you cant keep up with them its little o so i would say its slow iam going to try it a few nights this year if i get the shanty up there this year a guy i talked to up there last friday clames hes been catching smelt up ther it was slow fishing them when i was a teenager and i havent caught a fish that eaten any

[ifishhi]

Welcome Assasin.  Good to see all these new members signing on!! 

 where is echo lake located?

i'd say he's talking about echo in fayette, mt.vernon. i've heard there's relly good cusk in there only open jan and feb. for cusk.

[bwalleye]

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