Mille Lacs Poutin'

[pumper317]

Hey guys i am heading up there this weekend and am new to this site. I want to know if anyone really tries for eelpout first of all, and secondly where to go to catch some up there? I love catching and eating those beauties of the deep, but have not had much luck on the big pond. I am going to be walking out there also, so any places close to shore would be great!

Thanks all and happy fishing!

[elusivecrappiecatcher]

Fish like your fishing for walleyes and hope for the best. I would say if you can get to the mud you would be better off.

[Jimmy from Cottage Grove]

We have our shack out of hunters point. We caught a bunch of them last week. If I were you, I would put yourself on a lot of rocks. And get your lure, damn near on the bottom. We have caught them all over the lake. But I have noticed we have caught the most on large rock piles.

[Zzapp]

I said it last year, and I'll say it again: the bottom has always worked for me! )

[jb426]

Do you smoke those "beauties" or how do you cook em. Are they like catfish for eating. Just wondering because no matter when I've stayed on mille lacs I always catch quite a few pouts. I only fish for walleyes so like stated before, fish for wallys and your bound to catch pouts.

[eelpout50]

oh the greatest fish there is! Fish a 20' hump with access to deep water, lively minnows on the bottom and they will be most active at night, just when you pass out the rattle wheels will be calling. As for eating (just the tail section)I prefer mine poached, served with drawn butter and washed down with a premium. In-Fisherman did an article on them in the latest issue and for recipes or a unique experiance go to poutfest.com

[pumper317]

ok so i amcctually did most of these tips (thanks by the way) and didnt even see them til now. i went out there, stayed overnight on a 20 foot rock pile hump. $ rattle reels in a portable otter for 2 of us. Right on bottom, tried with one shiner live minnow, one dead with a slit belly, one sucker and one chub... At 3 am we haddle a rattle. my buddy got up and proceeded to catch the smallest pout i have ever seen. It was all of 13 inches and skinny. That was it, no other bites, no nothin... It was by the way on a lively shiner minnow. We saw a lot left on the ice by uneducated fisherman, but could get anymore to bite on the trip.

As for eating if you look at a pout from the side, they have there lateral line. Cut from there lateral line down to the base of the tail, it makes a triangle, and then the tail. If you cube it and boil it it tastes kind of like lobster. For that big fish, there really is not a lot of eating opportunity, but they sure are good.

A quick question to those who look at this... A long time ago, back in the psychadelic stages of the mid 1900's, my dad was cleaning a pout and saw a little green blob in the abdomen area. Out of all the pout we have ever cleaned together, i have yet to see one of those blobs... So is there such a blob, or was my pops on something while cleaning the pout with the " wee little leprichon it it?"

As always good luck to all