Utah Fishing Report: Burbot is an Unwanted Resident at Flaming Gorge Reservoir
This Utah fishing report is about the Burbot – they are ugly and they are not wanted in the Flaming Gorge, but they are quite comfortable in their new home.
Burbot, a fish angler generally thought of as a “junk fish”, is a freshwater fish related to cod and looks a lot like an eel, with a mouthful of very delicate teeth.
It is commonly found in streams and lakes in North America above 40 ° N latitude. And Burbot was recently smuggled into Wyoming’s Green River drainage, which is how they recently made their way into the gorge.
Although they were considered “junk” by almost all sport fishermen, there was a day when Burbots were in demand. In the 1920s, a Minnesota apothecary, Theadore H. Rowell, and his father Joseph Rowell were using Burbot to feed foxes at Joe’s blue fox farm. The Lota contained some mysterious element that improved the quality of the fox’s skins. Tests showed that burbot oil is 4 times more potent in vitamin D and up to 10 times more potent in vitamin A than cod liver oil. And Ted found that the oil is digested and assimilated faster than most other fish oils. This led Ted to establish Burbot Liver Products Compnay, which later became Roswell Labratories, Inc.
Despite all that, fishermen know that Burbot competes with other game fish, feeding on insects and other invertebrates until they are old enough to feed on other fish. Since their diet is the same as that of sport fish, it is a shame that they are now in the gorge. Most of the burbot in Flaming Gorge is at the upper end of the lake. The Division of Wildlife Resources is asking fishermen to reach their 25-bag limit and kill them if they don’t eat them.
Here’s how to catch them. Use spoons and stencils that have some kind of shine. Don’t be afraid of their appearance if you find one. Their teeth are like catfish or snook teeth and they do not bite. But they are slimy.
They are surprisingly very tasty. Put them on bread and fry them, or simmer them for 4 minutes and then dip them in butter. You will see that they taste a lot like lobster.
To clean the burbot, cut the skin behind the head and peel it with pliers. Then fillet the meat around the rib cage and work your way down the tail, leaving them with some nice boneless steaks.
Take advantage of a bad situation and try to fish Burbot in Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The fish tastes great and you will help the lake by fishing for these non-native squatters.
For an up-to-date Utah Fishing Report, visit http://bringmefishing.com for any other questions you may have about Utah Fishing Report, UT