ALBINO BAY DE NOC BURBOT CAUGHT

ALBINO BAY DE NOC BURBOT CAUGHT
By: Ray Hansen

I have mentioned fishing for burbot on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula several times. This is a time of year when they are commonly caught in northern waters. These primitive fish are also called eelpout, and have a long dorsal fin extending to the tail that can make them look like an eel. Local anglers like them because they eat gobies which threaten to overpopulate the Great Lakes, and because the burbot can be cooked as a dish called “poor man’s lobster”
which I have enjoyed.

In 2007, John Katarincic of Gladstone, Michigan caught an albino burbot from Little Bay de Noc off Kipling, Michigan while fishing for walleyes in 26 feet of water. The bizarrely colored fish measured over 28 inches in length, and was brought to the Escanaba office of the Department of Natural Resources where it was checked by biologist Darren Kramer.

Katarincic said he thought he had hooked a big walleye, but was not disappointed by his unusual catch. Many anglers target these fish during mid-February since they can be very active biters at this time of year, and are attracted to “glow” style lures tipped with minnows.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009