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Saturday, November 9th, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

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Saturday, November 9th, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Learning to love the ugliest fish in Michigan — the burbot

A freshwater cod, burbot (or “eelpout”) require cold water and therefore are most active during the winter. That’s when ice anglers frequently catch them in Michigan’s northern lakes. Burbot spawn under the ice from mid-to late-winter, usually in 15 feet of water or less. They’ll hit ice walleye presentations: Try jigging glow spoons or jigs tipped with live bait. (Photo by Rob Drieslein)

If you were to hold a beauty contest for Michigan’s fish species, you’ll get a lot nominees: brook trout, steelhead, yellow perch – especially pre-spawn hens when their fins glow bright orange – or any number of finsters. But if you were to hold an ugly fish contest, as soon as burbot were named, the nominations might just close.
Deep-water denizens that I would guess most anglers have never encountered, burbot are fish that even their mothers would struggle to love. Despite their relative rarity, burbot “have gained a lot traction in the last decade or so,” says Jim Chamberlin, a northern Michigan fishing guide.

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