Live From The Water 2021!!

[chrisw]

Oneida through the ice is a good bet if you're looking for burbots. They're great to eat and fight like a catfish. I've never caught one non ice fishing though.

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[Pygmy]

7 hours ago, stubborn1VT said:

There are both bowfin and ling (burbot) in Champlain.  Kinda similar looking, but bowfin live in the swampy shallows and ling live in the deep water.  Bowfin have nasty teeth and ling don't.  

Rumor had it that the Chinese restaurant would trade you free food for fresh bowfin.  I never tried it myself.  People I know who have tried them say they aren't great and the meat is kind of mushy.

The first time I hunted gobblers in Ontario,  my host introduced me to a local friend of his who was a commercial fisherman on the north shore of Lake Ontario....  

The guy had his pickup truck with him with his day's catch...Part of that catch were 8 or 10 bowfin which were head down in 5 gallon buckets of water...He told me that the Chinese in Toronto paid big bucks for them, but they would not buy them unless they were alive...However, the guy said they were incredibly hardy and several would survive for several days head down in a bucket of water..

[Robhuntandfish]

3 hours ago, chrisw said:

Oneida through the ice is a good bet if you're looking for burbots. They're great to eat and fight like a catfish. I've never caught one non ice fishing though.

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It is really weird that no one catches them except ice fishing.   

[wolc123]

4 hours ago, chrisw said:

Oneida through the ice is a good bet if you're looking for burbots. They're great to eat and fight like a catfish. I've never caught one non ice fishing though.

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I  have caught two smaller ones in bays connected to lake Ontario (one at Wilson harbor and the other in the pond at Fairhaven) in the summer while bass fishing.  I think one was on a spinnerbait and the other on a plastic worm. 

The big one earlier this week, up on Goose bay, hit a 3/8 oz blue and black weedless jig with a purple rubber craw trailer.  Based on its shape, I thought maybe it was a big walleye at first.  It certainly had much more pull than the "water filled pillow case" of a walleye though.

I bet they are similar to bullhead in that they taste a lot better when caught in cold water.  I would try a smaller one if I caught it thru the ice.  Does the meat have the consistency of mush then like it apparently does in the summer ?  I tried a mushy summer bullhead once and I would not do that again.

[wolc123]

Duplicate

Edited August 5, 2021 by wolc123

[chrisw]

I  have caught two smaller ones in bays connected to lake Ontario (one at Wilson harbor and the other in the pond at Fairhaven) in the summer while bass fishing.  I think one was on a spinnerbait and the other on a plastic worm. 
The big one earlier this week, up on Goose bay, hit a 3/8 oz blue and black weedless jig with a purple rubber craw trailer.  Based on its shape, I thought maybe it was a big walleye at first.  It certainly had much more pull than the "water filled pillow case" of a walleye though.
I bet they are similar to bullhead in that they taste a lot better when caught in cold water.  I would try a smaller one if I caught it thru the ice.  Does the meat have the consistency of mush then like it apparently does in the summer ?  I tried a mushy summer bullhead once and I would not do that again.

Are you sure they were burbots? Typically burbots are a cold, deep water fish. I could see you getting bowfins on a spinner bait and a worm in shallow water but not a burbot? The ones I've eaten from ice fishing were very good, not mushy at all. There isn't as much meat on them as it would appear though, they're mostly belly. But I would skin them, fillet them and cut the fillets into chunks about 1-2" in size, boil them in some milk and butter for a few minutes then sear them really quick in a hot pan. Tastes a lot like a scallop or lobster in consistency. In fact I believe some people refer to them as "poor man's lobster." It always made me mad when I saw where someone threw them out onto the ice and left them.

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[wolc123]

2 minutes ago, chrisw said:

Are you sure they were burbots? Typically burbots are a cold, deep water fish. I could see you getting bowfins on a spinner bait and a worm in shallow water but not a burbot? The ones I've eaten from ice fishing were very good, not mushy at all. There isn't as much meat on them as it would appear though, they're mostly belly. But I would skin them, fillet them and cut the fillets into chunks about 1-2" in size, boil them in some milk and butter for a few minutes then sear them really quick in a hot pan. Tastes a lot like a scallop or lobster in consistency. In fact I believe some people refer to them as "poor man's lobster." It always made me mad when I saw where someone threw them out onto the ice and left them.

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I guess they were bowfin.  I get those two mixed up because they look similar.  Is the bowfin the same as a dogfish ?

[chrisw]

I guess they were bowfin.  I get those two mixed up because they look similar.  Is the bowfin the same as a dogfish ?

I'm not familiar with a dogfish, I've caught "mudpuppies"? The fish/salamander looking thing with legs. If that's what you're referring to then no, bowfin don't have legs.

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[wolc123]

Damn, I may have released the state record bowfin (12 pounds 14 oz).  The record burbot is over 16.  This bowfin was certainly less than that but may have been 13.  

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by wolc123

[turkeyfeathers]

28 minutes ago, chrisw said:

I'm not familiar with a dogfish, I've caught "mudpuppies"? The fish/salamander looking thing with legs. If that's what you're referring to then no, bowfin don't have legs.

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I caught 6 big azz mud puppies bottom fishing for steelhead at mouth of cattaraugus many years ago. After the 3rd I realized that hook is getting bent removing it so snip and toss. Like taking a hook out of the leather tongue of work boots. 

[Pygmy]

A bowfin and a dogfish are the same  thing....

Burbot are a fresh water relative of the cod..They are also called ling or lawyers ( possibly because they are slimy bottom feeders)....

Mudpuppy is another name for hellbenders, which are large salamanders...

[Robhuntandfish]

8 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Damn, I may have released the state record bowfin (12 pounds 14 oz).  The record burbot is over 16.  This bowfin was certainly less than that but may have been 13.  

 

you need a scale in your boat.  Or at least a PA fish chart. 

[wolc123]

35 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

you need a scale in your boat.  Or at least a PA fish chart. 

I have one but hardly ever use it. 

 

[rachunter]

Damn, I may have released the state record bowfin (12 pounds 14 oz).  The record burbot is over 16.  This bowfin was certainly less than that but may have been 13.  
 

You gotta start weighing them wolc123



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[Robhuntandfish]

[Robhuntandfish]

Added a good one.  Need one more

[Robhuntandfish]

There it is.  Took me a while. Good day out on the water.  In by 9.

[mlammerhirt]

Skunk city on Erie this morning. We were jigging and casting crank baits for bass. Marking fish all morning at times....then the fish finder was blank. Moved a few times between 25-37 feet but it was still a no go. July usually is typically a tough month on Eire....and they may be spilling into early August.

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[chrisw]

Fire walleye bite this morning, 2 limits in an hour, threw 2 back, home by 9.

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[Robhuntandfish]

I'm not hitting it as good as Chris but looking for one more.

[Robhuntandfish]

There he is

[Lawdwaz]

Nice job Rob!

Same program as early June when we were up there?

[The_Real_TCIII]

Much fun had this morning!


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[Robhuntandfish]

1 hour ago, Lawdwaz said:

Nice job Rob!

Same program as early June when we were up there?

Thanks. Yup same thing. Just a bit deeper. 

[Robhuntandfish]

33 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

Much fun had this morning!


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Looks like a great morn.  Some real nice bass.