Growing numbers of fishermen are discovering that burbot are fun to catch, typically large in size, and make a fine meal when properly prepared.

Burbot look like a cross between an American eel and a brown bullhead. A layer of tiny scales covers a thick, slimy skin. Mottled coloration in shades of yellows and browns resembles the markings of a wild cat and serves the same purpose. Burbot aren’t strong swimmers, relying instead on camouflage and a sensitive lateral line to capture food. Their strong triangular jaws are filled with rows of tiny teeth, designed to seize and swallow live prey.

Burbot inhabit northern lakes, rivers, and even brackish estuaries around the globe. They’re common throughout Canada except in Nova Scotia and the Atlantic islands. They also occur across the northern tier of the United States from Maine to eastern Washington and as far south as Missouri. Burbot also are abundant in Alaska, one of the few places where they’re highly regarded as a commercial and gamefish species.

Despite the burbot’s circumpolar distribution, we know little about its movements and habits. Their preference for deep water, seemingly random movements during winter, and lack of movement during the rest of the year make them difficult to collect with standard sampling gear. And angler indifference toward burbot across most of their range have made scientific study a low priority.

We do know, however, that burbot are voracious predators. This has led many fishery managers to suspect that they might compete with walleyes, lake trout, and other popular gamefish for limited forage in infertile lakes. Unlimited harvest, including commercial fishing, has been allowed in many areas to reduce burbot numbers.

Coldwater Haunts

During winter, burbot location and activity levels are based on water temperature, but they often vary considerably from one body of water to the next. In large shallow lakes like Mille Lacs and Leech in Minnesota, for example, burbot often are active as soon as the ice begins to form in early December. Walleye and perch anglers fishing shallow bars and flats often catch burbot on jigging presentations throughout the day, though the catch rate peaks during the evening twilight period and the first few hours of darkness.

Burbot eventually spawn on rock or gravel bars in 2 to 20 feet of water, but food continues to be a priority. Smaller males typically arrive on spawning grounds several days before females. They cruise over the tops of bars under the cover of darkness, feeding on crayfish, perch, minnows, and other organisms. When spawning, as many as a dozen males and females form a writhing ball several feet in diameter as they roll across the bottom, simultaneously releasing eggs and sperm.

By early to mid-January, most burbot in shallow lakes have spawned, and catching them becomes more difficult. After spawning, burbot return to the deepest areas of the lake basin where they remain sedentary until the urge to feed and spawn draws them back into shallow water.

On deeper lakes with more complex structural elements, however, burbot often spawn later in the season and remain active for several weeks after ice-out. In Leech Lake’s Walker Bay, for example, the best fishing usually coincides with the Annual Eelpout Festival in mid-February. This 48-hour burbot marathon attracts thousands of contestants every year and has become something of a Northwoods Mardi Gras. During some years, burbot in these deep lakes continue to feed aggressively until early May when water temperatures reach the mid-40˚F range.