Burbot Bash On Flaming Gorge — Big Hit
If you like spending your evenings in sub-freezing weather, on ice that’s a couple of feet thick, and in a remote area miles from the nearest town or city, then the 2011 Burbot Bash is custom made for you. Over 430 anglers signed up for the inaugural event which includes close to 180 teams. There hasn’t been this much excitement in the area since they discovered oil. But what’s the big deal about burbot?
Burbot, or fresh water ling cod were introduced (unofficially) to Flaming Gorge Reservoir, located in far northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming some time around the year 2000. Since then the population has exploded and the eel-like predator fish can now be found in all parts of the lake. What’s more, they have now traveled through the dam, into the famed Green River and have made their way a majority of the distance to Lake Powell. This has left Division of Wildlife Resources officials scratching their heads and praying the species doesn’t destroy a very excellent fishery in the process.
Burbot are native to parts of Wyoming on the east side of the Continental Divide but now they are squarely across the Divide to the West. The problem is that in Flaming Gorge, kokanee salmon are an extremely popular species of game fish and it is feared that the burbot will decimate the population by targeting their eggs and young in the spawning areas. Will that happen? Is it happening right now? These are two great questions that as of yet don’t really have an answer.
Here’s what we do know. The kokanee population has suffered in recent years. Catch-rates are down and it appears that some year classes are weaker than usual. This points to “a” problem. Are the burbot responsible? The jury’s still out on that one I believe. Which brings us back to the Burbot Bash.
Officials would really like for anglers to catch every single burbot in the reservoir, kill them and eat them so as not to take a chance on hurting the populations of other game fish. So, three chambers of commerce, Green River, Rocks Springs, and Flaming Gorge got together and decided to hold a derby. It’s a team event, runs for almost a week and all the fish caught (burbot only) must be killed, kept, and turned in to officials for counting and measuring purposes. In addition, close to 500 burbot were caught, tagged, and released back into the reservoir with the hopes that some of the tagged fish would be caught so officials could track them to see where they go and how they live their lives. Oh, also, if anglers catch a tagged fish, their names go in a hat and one lucky angler or team will win the Grand Prize — $5000.00 dollars.
Burbot love structure and they love the bottom, so anglers are focusing their efforts near rocky ledges, cliff walls, and rocky point in the many bays on the reservoir. Burbot are night feeders so the emphasis for most anglers will be to fish in the evening and perhaps even all night long.
Here is a tip or two for catching these interesting-looking fish. First, they seem to like lures or baits that glow. So, I like to use a Gitzit that glows in the dark tipped with sucker meat. Don’t worry if the meat is old and stinky because burbot really like the smelly stuff. They’re a lot like catfish in that respect. In fact, their skin reminds me of catfish too.
Next, try to find water with structure within 15 to 30 feet of depth. They are aggressive eaters so if you find an area holding fish, you should be able to catch quite a few. And, finally, don’t think they are always going to jerk the rod out of your hands. Burbot can be very subtle as they mouth your bait. If you feel “anything” give the rod a quick jerk and is you don’t have a fish, stay focused until the bait is back down close to the bottom. Burbot also like to hit baits while they’re on the drop.
So, take your ice tent, heaters, rods, reels, baits, several coats, a chair or two and even maybe a portable grill and help officials rid Flaming Gorge of a fish, that although is certainly a game fish, is not what resource managers ordered. This should be fun to watch.
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