With years of learning how to catch burbot from shore I have found that it requires a specific type of lure and technique.
But it can be quite tricky to fish for them especially if you don’t know that you have to use a glow in the dark lure. When learning how to catch burbot from shore first you need to know how to find them first.
They are very aggressive eaters and eat crayfish commonly so rocky areas are a great spot to look for burbot since crayfish are near rocks. Also, they’re a deep fish species so fishing where theirs a good thirty feet depth lake is a great idea.
When it comes to catching them jigging is the best way, since their so deep you have to start at the bottom. The one important thing to keep in mind though is that you have to use a glow in the dark lure with a UV flashlight to increase its brightness.
It’s a total waste of time if you don’t use one as I have I learned from this with many years of fishing and now that I use a glow in the dark lure I’m able to catch anywhere between thirty to even forty burbots in one night.
The reason for the glowing lure is because burbot have bad eyesight so the glow helps them find your bait a lot better and it really makes a huge difference. Also, it’s best to fish them at night as they are a nocturnal fish species, day fishing wouldn’t be a good idea.
By the end of this guide, you will know how to catch burbot from shore with much more success.
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Table Of Contents
How To Catch Burbot From Shore
When we are fishing for burbot we do it at night, that’s the best time to fish for them as they are nocturnal.
The most important thing when it comes to fishing burbot is using a glow in the dark lure. This is because burbot have very bad eyesight and without a glow in the dark lure it’s going to be extremely hard to get them to bite.
Especially since they are deep at the bottom so the deeper your lure goes the darker it gets, making the glow very useful. What I do with the lure when fishing for burbot is pull the lure up every twenty minutes and charge it with an ultraviolet light.
The UV flashlight gives me the most success in catching burbot and I highly recommend you take one with you as well. Without a UV flashlight, you just won’t get that stronger bright glow on your lure and it’s going to be much more difficult to catch any burbot.
I personally use the Skylan ultra violet flashlight and I highly recommend it if you don’t have one. This UV flashlight is waterproof which is perfect for us fishers since we are always near water when fishing.
Also, it’s going to give your glow in the dark lure that brighter glow that will be needed to make it a lot easier for the burbot to go for the bite.
If you would like to check out the Skylan ultra violet flashlight that I highly recommend you can find it here below at a great price!
After you have you have boosted your glowing lure with the UV flashlight you’re going to jig your lure down to the very bottom. The lure I use is the size 10g glowing spoon, these are perfect to use since we need treble hooks for burbot.
If you don’t have any glow in the dark spoons I highly recommend the SILANON glow in the dark spoons size 10g. I personally use these for burbot fishing and after many years I have found that these are the best for catching burbot.
Along with that I put on a three ounce sinker so that my lure is able to reach the bottom much more effectively.
Once you charge your glowing spoon with the UV light start jigging it to the bottom and wait for the burbot to strike. When you catch one make sure you recast at the same location because burbot always move in groups and you will be likely to catch another.
If you would like to check out the SILANON glow in the dark spoons that I use for fishing burbot, I highly recommend them and you can find them here below at a great price!
Where To Find Burbot?
The most common place to find burbot is lakes with a depth of at least thirty feet deep. Also fishing in areas that have nearby access to deep waters are excellent locations for catching burbot.
When your learning how to catch burbot from shore the first thing to look out for is a lake that is feeding into a river. Burbots are mostly active during the cold season and are deep dwelling fish species.
Since burbot love to feed on crayfish fishing near rocks is also a great idea because crayfish are always in rocky areas. They spawn typically on hard gravel bottoms and if you find shallow weed flats you will most likely find burbot feeding there.
Walleye fishing spots are also great spots for fishing burbot so If you fish walleye often then check out those locations. Where the largest basin on the lake meets the biggest feeding flat on the lake is an incredible area for finding burbot.
This is because the biggest flat on the lake is going to have the most baitfish which means it’s going to have the most fish feeding especially since burbot love to feed aggressively.
Steep rocky breaks that meet the basin are excellent locations for fishing burbot because it tapers off into deeper water where burbot are.
If you’re fishing in a river near the reservoir then I recommend you look for the main river channel that flows and swings close to the shore and fish below and above that. A cliff line with a very steep drop off that leads to a lake with a nice deep depth is also a great area for finding burbot.
Another thing that most fishers don’t know is that smallmouth habitat makes a great burbot habitat so if you are experienced with fishing smallmouth bass and know of their locations it’s most likely that you will find burbot there.
Are Burbot Good To Eat?
Burbot is very delicious and has a lobster taste to them. I really like to fillet them and cut them into chunks to put them in a frying pan along with some butter. They are the only freshwater cod species and have a very unique taste.
One of the most common and popular ways to cook a burbot is by boiling it. Burbot is also very fat and has firm meat they taste great if you dip them in butter.
If you have cooked walleye before they can be fillet very similarly except when you get to the ribcage you cut down right to the backbone and shave it right off to the beginning of the ribcage.
If you have never eaten burbot then go and catch some they have one of the most unique tastes and are my favorite fish to eat.
What Do Burbot Eat?
Burbot are aggressive predators and eat many fish species like bluegill, yellow perch, cisco, bullheads and fathead minnows, and much more. Also, they eat crayfish commonly so you can find them where rocky areas are as that is where crayfish like to be.
On top of that, they also eat trout clams and even fish eggs their diet is quite versatile, and eat most things that you can think of. That’s why they are so fat and when I catch them they’re usually very fat due to their aggressive diet.
When it comes to the bait to use you can pretty much use any fish and just cut it into small chunks and put it in the hook one by one.
How To Catch Burbot In The Summer
Since burbot are a cold winter season fish species it’s going to be much harder to fish for them during the summer but it can be done.
Along with them being active in colder water temperatures they are also nocturnal so you will have the most success in fishing them at night. During the day when your out fishing for burbot the main locations to look out for are troughs and also holes.
They will be forty to about eighty feet deep which is pretty much right at the bottom. Also, keep an eye out for rocky structures since burbot tend to be near them at about ten to forty feet.
With the water being warmer in the summer burbot will swim down to deeper depths so you have to find them in deep water locations. Fishing in a deep lake with a deep water channel is a great start.
When you find your fishing location you will have to jig to the very bottom because that’s where the water is much colder.
Learning how to catch burbot in the summer isn’t that hard but once you know they’re in the deep just jig where you know it’s very deep and you will find them.
Burbot Fishing Rigs
Rigging for burbot is actually very simple and theirs nothing to it other than making sure you have a glow in the dark lure. I recommend you use a glow in the dark spoons with a three ounce weight.
If your fishing for burbot do not forget your UV light as it is important when fishing for burbot because they have horrible eyesight and won’t go for the hook without this nice added bright glow to the lure.
Along with that I attach a fathead minnow to the hook and jig it down the bottom. That’s pretty much it when it comes to jigging for burbot. If you don’t use a glow in the dark lure you’re going to have a very bad time with years of fishing burbot I can tell you it makes a huge difference and I’m able to catch at least thirty five burbots in a night which is amazing!
All burbot fishing rigs use UV flashlights for a good reason and they will increase your burbot catch rate by a good amount.
When jigging just jig up and down when you hit the bottom and watch the burbot bite.
In Conclusion
In Conclusion when your learning how to catch burbot from shore it’s going to very hard if you don’t know that their eyesight is so bad that your going to have to use a glow in the dark lure. Not only just because of that but also since they’re a nocturnal fish.
Now that you have learned how to catch burbot from shore go out and catch some burbot and don’t forget your glow in the dark lure!