Anyone fish "LING" burbot ?

J

jetman

New member

We went last night, It was kinda like a perfect storm. Warm light winds moon rise in the AM and almost a new moon. Got there before sundown to get set up in the light, always lots of crap to carry in when we ling fish. Heaters lanterns chairs food ( Beer, No don't drink much )tackle you know the essentials for a night time fishing fest. As the sun disappeared the ling started there nightly food raid. It's like then come out of there hidey holes in waves. When one gets a bite we all get bites, any food laying on the river bottom must get eaten by the hoard. We turned back most the ling and a lot of the trout which are collateral damage, other wise we would be finished fishing the first hour. One of my buddy's came up from Butte with a friend of his he also had his girl friend come from town. I had a buddy from here and he brought his soon to be son in law.
Fish on rang out on the up stream fisherman then it rang out one to the other we all had ling on. Again and again, Most of the night. the occasional rainbow and brown swept up in the frenzy. There is a slot on trout you can keep three with only one over 18". At night with sucker meat , we had to keep track how many we kept, they where all over 18. The ling which we all got 8 or 9 each ( released most ) ranged from 12" to 31". At about ten the east wind came up and the fish stopped with in a few minutes. We hung on till 11:00 PM and caller her a night. Good thing my Butte guys had an 8:00 class back in Butte. Glad it was them and not me the 45 minute drive I had was bad enough . To bad no BSB boyz could attend...
Some Pics.


Jet

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There mainly active at Night and feed in the dark, NO moonlight is best. They spawn in the winter under the ice. There a predator, but we use SUCKER meat, smelt and shiners don't work well. A big chunk of sucker a #2 hook on 6" leader and a heavy slip sinker right on the bottom. Put in on the edge of a deep rocky hole, there very light biters. Back east they call them Eelpout .
 
Used to catch them on the wingwalls at the Garrison Dam on occasion. When one guy caught them, EVERYBODY caught them. Didn't matter what you were fishing for bait there, when they hit, they hit. Everyone whined and cried, lot of guys would cut their lines, because they will wrap around your arm like an eel when you take them off the hook, and most refused to take them home and clean them.

Left the walls one day with a few in our bucket, SEVERAL laying on the pier where folks had tossed them to the side, and everyone on the wall said, "if you want them ugly things, take 'em with you!" Walked out of there with a five gallon bucket full of 2 - 2 1/2 pounders. Had a dozen or more!

Skinned 'em like a catfish; filetting is a piece of cake, no ribcage, little cartilage where ribs should be. Simply run your filet knife down the back bone, and cut that cartilage out and it's done. Called the in-laws up for a fish fry, they always cussed and swore about them when fishing, said they'd never eat them ugly salamander looking things.

They thought that was the best walleye they'd ever eaten!! I told them after the fact!!
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Nice fish!!! I wouldn't hike in for them, but if I could drive in and not have to carry the beer, (I been known to drink more than you'd want to pack in on a fishing expedition!), I'd be up for it!!
 
I have caught them while fishing the Missouri for walleyes by accident. Didn't know they were good to eat so threw them back. While looking on-line just now to read up about the fish, came across the annual Eelpout Festival in Brainerd, Minnesota. Looks like one giant party/ice fishing contest. You should google it Jetman.
 
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