Burbot/Ling

[PikeMan1234]

Hello all, 
I am interested in catching my first Ling this year.  I live in Kalispell an am willing to travel to catch one.  I know nothing about fishing for them as where to go, how deep, what to use, or the best time to go.  I will be traveling down to Tiber Resivor later on for ice fishing and thought I would ask some of you for some advice.  Also does anyone here fish for ling in Koocanusa? 

Any help would be greatly appreciated on helping me catch my first ling.   

[IceCreeper]

Big ole chunk of sucker meat (BIG) on a 3/8 jig head right on the bottom,leave some slack so they can get it swallowed.

[PikeMan1234]

Cool thanks, would you know if Tiber Resivor is a good place to catch them?  Also any ideas how deep

[MTangler]

Tiber has ling if you look under the reports and conditions you might find some info there. Not sure where or when to target them. If you really want to knock em dead I would suggest newlan or sutherlan lakes.

MTA

[PikeMan1234]

Where would I find the reports and conditions at?  If I don't run into a sucker would smelt work?  Thanks for the help so far guys. 

[missoulafish]

You need a couple more posts before that page becomes available to you. You're almost there:)

[lundin-loading]

If I don't run into a sucker would smelt work?

yes, i like to use a big spoon tipped with a smelt head, ive caught em using perch rib cages, salted minnows, and gulp minnows too.

[Tacojuan]

I've caught them on worms and minnows bottom fishing. I've never fished Tiber but newlan creek and Sutherland are both awesome lakes for ling. I'm not sure where the closest place for you to catch them would be but if you find some just fish the bottom in deeper water and if you're using tip ups check them somewhat regularly. I've had ling on and multiple tip ups and none set off the flags. I hope this helps you

[PikeMan1234]

Yes all of this helps a ton.  Thank you guys very much!  Have any of you fished Tiber Res before, I only ask because this is also my first time going there and I am not sure what to expect. 

[IceCreeper]

If I didnt have sucker meat I would use perch skins with the tail on,they seem to be the next best thing.

[PikeMan1234]

That sounds good, has anyone here gone for the walleye in there?  I am not sure what to target in Tiber Res.

[Tacojuan]

I've never fished it but I hear its good for pike and walleye. As a matter of fact the state record walleye is out of there I can't tell you where to fish or what works best up there but from what I've heard it's a good lake

[jigging the dream]

I fish Tiber a couple times every year. It can be good sometimes. But like anywhere else it can be really slow. I've had a few trips up there when I had fished hard for three days and only iced one pike. It seems to me that the earlier you can go the better. Like aroundthe first of the year. We use both live minnows and smelt. Lately I've just been running mostly minnows cuz I want to catch more walleye. Last year I caught a 1.5# perch on my last trip there. And my biggest pike caught from there was 17#. I haven't caught any super sized walleye yet but I'm always trying. We have caught some ling there as well on tip ups bit not very often and I'm not sure where a guy would go to target them. If and when you go try north bootlegger. That's a good place to start.

[PikeMan1234]

Thanks guy, this is all good information when for when I go.  Ill post whatever I catch and let ya know how it is

[baltimoremountainman]

Here is what I've learned about ling. Fresh meat will greatly increase your chances. I like to catch suckers the day of and fillet them on the ice. I use a ribbon of meat so it undulates in the water. I mainly use tip ups with a tripple swivel..I tie a bullet weight on the longer tag and bait on the shorter tag so it hangs weightless in the water. I also use a tiny glow stick called the beacon and I attach it to the bait tag about a few inches above the hook. Ling primary spawn in feb on muddy flats..I've had my best luck from 8pm to 2 am. I can't stress enough the importance of glow w these fish. If fishing w a rod it can be poductive to pound the bottom w a large baited glow jig..then suspend about a foot or so above the bottom. Goodluck! I like to fillet them and boil them in 2 parts water and one part sprite. Then dip in butter. Yum!

[gamehog]

do you have any pics of your setups.i would like to catch some burbot tis winter and not by accident.thanks for all the pointers

[baltimoremountainman]

Ill tie up a rig tonight or tomorrow and post some pictures. Getting ready for the ice to form! 

[MTangler]

Sounds like he wants you to catch them for him too 

MTA

[tfdoke]

Sucker meat or frozen minnows on a glow jig head. 10-30 feet of water works best (at Cooney Reservoir)...I usually set up incremental poles to find where they are biting.  Use a flashlight to glow up the jig head and drop it down until it hits the bottom then reel it up to an inch or two off the bottom.  Every 10 - 15 min reel up and re-glow the jig.

When the ling starts biting (I use a bobber and the bobber will just slowly sink) reel the bait in slow and just a little bit until you feel the weight of the fish.  The reeling in makes them bite and really take the bait.  Oh and January is usually best before they start spawning in mid Februray.  They feed like crazy.

[Pastor B]

This is the best info. I have read about ling fishing...All of you guys are great for sharing your secrets and letting us try or luck too!

Thanks

[gso12]

Does anybody know what the conditions are at lake Sutherlin

[pcammo]

Here is what I've learned about ling. Fresh meat will greatly increase your chances. I like to catch suckers the day of and fillet them on the ice. I use a ribbon of meat so it undulates in the water. I mainly use tip ups with a tripple swivel..I tie a bullet weight on the longer tag and bait on the shorter tag so it hangs weightless in the water. I also use a tiny glow stick called the beacon and I attach it to the bait tag about a few inches above the hook. Ling primary spawn in feb on muddy flats..I've had my best luck from 8pm to 2 am. I can't stress enough the importance of glow w these fish. If fishing w a rod it can be poductive to pound the bottom w a large baited glow jig..then suspend about a foot or so above the bottom. Goodluck! I like to fillet them and boil them in 2 parts water and one part sprite. Then dip in butter. Yum!

How many other people use glow sticks?  I have used them in Canyon Ferry and could not tell the difference.  I got the same number of bites with and without.

[Turbo jig2000]

I will usually put glow sticks on half of my tip ups. And sometimes they do better than the non glow but that is not all the time.Best bet is to have fresh bait.

[pcammo]

Fresh bait has been the ticket for me as well.  Has anyone tried the glowsticks that were not the standard green?
Thanks,
John

[baltimoremountainman]

I've done well on red blue and green.

[MT_btagger]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that when you are jigging for ling, really thumping the bottom with a heavy jig seems to help. They don't call for a delicate presentation.

[Tacojuan]

Light definitely draws ling in. I've never used the glow sticks through the ice but when we go fishing for them on the Yellowstone the guy with the lantern closest to his pole usually gets the most. There's also been times that it didn't make a difference. I think it all just depends on when you're fishing

[icing_perch]

I have seen a few come out of Francis and tried unsuccessfully last winter for them leaving tip-ups out all night.  I have fished Tiber 2 times with lines out all night and no ling.  I have done well on Holter on several occasions using tip-ups and buckshot rattle spoons tipped with fillets from big sucker minnows or whole minnows.  The key I have found there for the bait is to kill it right before you leave the house.  I  normally go with other people so we have 12-24 lines out starting as deep as 40 feet then spaced evenly going shallower.  Normally the deepest lines get bit first and slowly progress shallower.  The shallowest we have caught them is about 8-9 feet of water but we stopped fishing once we reached our limit.   One thing I learned there is to not leave any slack in your line that allows your bait to rest on the bottom.  If you do the ling will swallow the hook and not set the tip-up off.  I love to pound a big buckshot spoon that I have charged so it glows and watch the ling react and come up and slam it.  I also use a plain white glow jig head with minnows and use lighted bobbers with the jig suspended at times.  If you are looking for some other pointers just keep watching on here and I am sure you will see more.

[Tacojuan]

I've also caught a couple at Cooney, not that I suggest making he drive, on a jigging rap and a lindy darter with no bait while trying unsuccessfully to ice a walleye there. I believe the moral of that story is that some lakes are just better for long than others

[baltimoremountainman]

I've had good luck at canyon ferry just off the silos and also on the otherside near the marina. Also I've had geat luck on Hauser andI hear newlan is great for ling. If anyone gets into them let us know! I agree with thr fresh meat..the best day iI've had I caught suckers that morning and filleted them on the ice. I've used the frozen sucker at the same spots and didn't have near as much action. Also..if its legal in your area...perch eyes work great as they are naturally reflective.