Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Ever catch a Burbot?

We were at either Montana or Willow creek where it flows in, can’t remember but same river anyway.

Never caught a burbot, but have caught a few turbot.

Caught many back in the 70's ice fishing mostly at night using white fish for bait on set lines. I also found their liver to be tasty and I don't like liver usually.

We get a lot of them commercial fishing for whitefish—problem is they go mushy pretty fast—even packed in ice so they need to be eaten right after catching them

Thanks Karl, I did not know that.

Have caught them on set lines through the ice baited with whitefish.

At our cabin in the remote northern B.C. bush, we fish for burbot in deep cold lakes in the summer with set lines baited with trout heads and left in deep water ( 50' - 150') over night. It's a traditional way of fishing for them in this area. They are highly prized since they are the ONLY white fleshed fish that is generally available to anglers here. A nice and delicious change form trout and salmon.

Back in the younger days we caught many through the ice, best tasting fresh water fish in Alaska. We also battered fried and ate the liver, try it.

I was fishing out of Henderson Harbor in Lake Ontario in the early 80s and caught one. I was on the Harbor side of Snowshoe bay where there is a narrow passage under a bridge to gain access to the main lake. It hit a lure. I reeled it in and marveled at this strange fish. I released it. My older cousin Casey Converse, who had fished the area his whole life, told me what it was and said it was great to eat.

Here’s a couple out of Central Washington we caught. One yesterday and one a couple weeks before.

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Yes. We’ve caught lots over the years. We have cut off the tails and eat those. Lots of meat there.