# Burbot?



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm going camping at Flaming Gorge next week. I'm going to be doing lots of fishing, and I was wondering about targeting some burbot. I know that they are an invasive species and I would be happy to rid the lake of as many of them as I can. It sounds like I might have access to a float tube. 

My question is, how do I target burbot from a float tube? How can I catch them from shore?

Thanks


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Type Burbot in the search engine in the upper right of the page and you will find a few threads on Burbot.


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Find a rocky point in 10-25 feet of water late at night. Get some glow jigs and use some sucker or chub meat for bait. Recharge the glow frequently. Sometimes they like the jig to move a little. Other times they don't. You'll have to see what they want. This time of year, they might be a little deeper, even at night. I'd probably start in about 10 feet and work my way down the point until I either ran out of point or found the fish.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Al Hansen said:


> Type Burbot in the search engine in the upper right of the page and you will find a few threads on Burbot.


It's amazing how I don't notice/remember certain things. :x Thanks Al.

And thanks to you as well Dodger. It sounds like shore fishing might not be as difficult as I thought if they are that shallow at night.

One more question: I saw on the DWR website that "A worm and a marshmallow or floating powerbait... MAY also work and would be good to try if fishing from shore." Does anyone know if it in fact DOES work? I've got a second pole permit so if bait works well I'd certainly use it. I don't think I'd be able to jig with two poles at once.


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

I've not heard of using the worm and marshmallow combo. It could be worth a shot.

Personally, I'd use minnows.


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## 10yearquest (Oct 15, 2009)

I tried this a couple years ago. I went out on some pionts in the dark and jigged from my boat. I used glow jigs but had no sucker meat. All I caught was a couple rainbows. Worm and marshmallow would most likely catch rainbows as well.


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## FG angler (Jan 12, 2010)

I've tried fishing from shore a couple of times with a little success. It's tougher this time of year because the surface temps climb to the upper 60s- low 70s and burbot prefer cooler water temps in the 40s- 50s. Once the surface temps climb, the thermocline sets-up, so there is a distinct temperature change at about 30-35 ft below the surface. In the summer, burbot tend to spend most of their time below the thermocline where water temps are cooler. Getting down to about 40 ft should greatly increase your chances but casting jigs can be pretty tough if you want to target deeper water from shore. 

Still fishing can work using techniques similar to catfishing. Unfortunately, I think burbot are less prone to picking baits off the bottom like catfish. I've been successful using a sliding sinker rig and a Northland floating jig head in "glow" tipped with bait. I typically use a chunk of sucker/chub meat, but have also heard anglers catching them using nightcrawler, shrimp, etc. 

Having a float tube would help if you want to position over deeper water and vertically jig. Just stay close to the bottom using jigging spoons like Northland Buckshots or jigs like Yamamoto curly tails and Radical Glow tubes. As stated, glow is a necessity.

Just pick a bank with rock and a steeper gradient and there should be burbot (especially on the WY end of the reservoir). The best bite always seems to be the first couple of hours after sunset.

Good luck.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Thanks for all the responses. You've all been a big help. 



> I've tried fishing from shore a couple of times with a little success.


I'm sure glad to hear that. I'm more hopeful now that I know someone's done it.

One more question: How big are these fish? Is 8-pound line strong enough to handle them or should I switch to a stronger line?


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## FG angler (Jan 12, 2010)

For sure. The biggest I've caught was 7.5 lbs, not that there aren't some biggers one out there.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Thanks. As I was researching burbot last night I found a site that said that an average burbot was 8-15 pounds. :shock: Of course that was talking about Alaska burbot but I didn't know how big they get here.


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## FG angler (Jan 12, 2010)

At last year's Burbot Bash tournament on Flaming Gorge, 4022 burbot were checked in. The heaviest fish weighed-in was 7.3 lbs and the average was 1.3 lbs.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Thanks. It's always nice to know what to expect. 

Suckers are easy to catch at FG, right? I figure I don't need to buy the meat if I can catch it there.


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## FG angler (Jan 12, 2010)

Not sure how easy white suckers are to catch. I've heard of anglers using a chunk of worm on the bottom to get them, but never tried myself.


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