Targeting the Burbot...

[N.E.T.O.]

I've got a buddy who recently found out about the Burbot in Flaming Gorge. He says he's down for an ice fishing trip if that is what we are targeting.

Has anyone actually targeted Burbot and had success?

If I knew we would come home with a couple dozen I'd be down also, he says they are very good eating.

Where do you go to catch them? What time of year? What kind of jigs/bait, etc.

Thanks!
Randy
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[Stickhorse]

There is a clip on KUTV outdoors with Reese Stein on the Burbot at the Gorge. It was pretty interesting. Go to kutvoutdoors.com
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[FishingIsLife]

here is the link: [url "http://kutv.com/archive/local_story_030153345.html"]http://kutv.com/archive/local_story_030153345.html[/url]

[redlight88]

There was also a post a couple of weeks ago from TD on an e-mail he got from Prettyman at the Tribune about a DWR biologist catching more than a dozen of them with details on how.
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[Jigler1]

Remember you can chum in Wyoming but not Utah, on Flaming Gorge. Fish with fish meat, cut up suckers, or minnows. After hours are best. When the sun goes down.
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[FishingIsLife]

HEre is an excerpt from the article in question that talks about burbot in FG: "If whitefish doesn't sound tasty enough to entice you to brave the frigid temperatures, maybe burbot will. Lowell Marthe, DWR project leader for Flaming Gorge and the Green River, made a trip to target the nonnative species and recent addition to the huge reservoir on the Utah/Wyoming stateline.
Marthe reports his party landed 13 of the flavorful fish in five hours of evening angling near the Firehole boat ramp on the northeast side of the reservoir in Wyoming.
The fish ranged from 13 to 23 inches and were caught on glow spoons and glow jigs tipped with cucker meat, crayfish meat or pieces of shiner. Marthe said the burbot were caught in 20 to 25 feet of water close to shore off a rocky cliff.
"As I had already experienced from back in Minnesota, the table quality is excellent," Marthe wrote, in an e-mail. "
© SL Tribune

[FishingIsLife]

I fished for burbot in Russia, but never here. We used to fish from sundown until after midnight. The technique is quite simple - jig for 20-30 sec. so that the bait is hovering just above the bottom, lift it slowly to about 1 ft while continuing jigging lightly, then dead-stick for 7-10 min. Most of the bites would come shortly after jigging; however, sometimes dead-sticking alone produced better results, so experimenting is key. The rockier the bottom, the better, and we found out that fishing is best off of steep rocky shores. We used life bait (smaller minnows), but I guess you can't use that here Glow jigs were the best. The bites are sure soft, so I would definitely use a strike indicator.

[Ryno]

There have been several catch reports by Utah and Wyoming BFT members this winter. A lot of burbot have been caught on the Gorge this year, mostly in the inflow area near Firehole and Lost Dog. There have also been some caught farther south, around Buckboard and even down in Linwood Bay, but the frequency has been much lower the farther downlake you get. What's alarming is how quickly they spread. What's good is that anglers are getting into them, keeping them, and spreading the word. I fished Firehole a couple of times this year. We caught 13 one evening and 5 on another. Fish were as big as 24 inches, which put up a good fight. I was put on to the burbot bite, by an angler from Rock Springs. He was up there, first ice, and slayed them two nights for over 40 fish!

Glow jigs and spoons tipped with sucker meat, frozen shiners, crayfish, or even dipped in smelly jelly have all produced fish. The techniques vary, but the timing is crucial. They're a low light feeder, and we didn't get a bite until around 5:00pm both nights we were there. Fish were caught inches from the bottom in 20-30 feet of water near rocky shorelines. Pretty simple actually.

The rumors are true. They are great to eat! Fried or boiled/dipped in butter have been the most popular. Research shows they are high in omega-3s and vitamins A&D. I actually feel like I'm doing the ol' body a favor by catching and eating them, if I forget that I'm cooking them in oil or butter! Good luck!
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[Hellsangler69]

If I remember right , Burbot spawn about this time of year , so rocky areas are good choices . So did you see any eggs in the fish you caught ?
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[N.E.T.O.]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Initially I brought up this subject because of a buddy who would be interested, but I've gone out and read the articles, reports, and such and now I'm very interested myself and I really don't care if he goes with me or not!

So now I'm going to ask a few more specific questions. Please bear in mind, I have never fished Flaming Gorge so I'm not at all familiar with the lake, marinas, towns, etc.

It appears that the place to go is the northeast arm (firehole?) area of the lake. Is there a marina over there? More than one marina? Are there roads that go down to the lake, or would you just "launch" from one of the marina's walking out on the ice. And how do you get to it? Via Green River or Rock Springs? Motels? I think I'm going to go Friday morning, fish Friday evening and stay in a motel.
Directions would be helpful.
I've kindof penciled in Feb 23 and 24 of this month and I'm really thinking about making the trip.

Thanks again in advance!

Randy
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[Majja]

And to add to N.E.T.O.S question can you get their via car, or do you need a 4x4.
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[Ryno]

[size 1]It appears that the place to go is the northeast arm (firehole?) area of the lake. Is there a marina over there? There's a launch area, campground, and picnic area. Its manned by a ranger in the summer, but shuts down for the winter.[/size]
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[size 1]More than one marina? Are there roads that go down to the lake, or would you just "launch" from one of the marina's walking out on the ice. The road off Hwy 191 out of Rock Springs is paved and plowed all the way to Firehole. You probably want a 4 wheel drive, even though they plow the road. Park on or near the snow covered launch, walk 100 yards to the rocky shore upstream of the launch, and start fishing. You can also access the area via dirt roads from the Green River (west) side, but you definitely want to pick-up a map. The Flaming Gorge map you can buy at Sportsman's would be extremely helpful.[/size]
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[size 1]And how do you get to it? Via Green River or Rock Springs? Motels? Head south on 191 out of Rock Springs. You'll see a sign for Firehole Canyon, turn right, and drive right up to the ice. There's lots of lodging in GR or RS. [/size]
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[Ryno]

You're right, burbot are probably getting ready to spawn. Definitely saw eggs, not sure how developed they were though. Also cut open the stomachs. Lots and lots of young crayfish. The crayfish were as small as and inch, and one of the 14 inch burbots I caught, had 11 crayfish in it! They are definitely "gorging" at the Gorge.
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[Hellsangler69]

Only eggs I have seen are trout eggs in the bellys of burbot and lots of crawfish . Maybe I haven't caught a female yet or they are done spawning . They are just about as thick as perch here . Thanks for your tips .
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