eelpout/burbot?

[Handsonthepole]

How common is it to catch these up here? First time for me in 15 years. Caught 8 this afternoon?

[pikestabber]

Eel pout are VERY common on Red, in my experience. I can't say as I've caught 8 in a day, but I am not shocked to hear you that did, either. Usually later in the winter when they spawn is when you're likely to catch multiples, but hey, lucky you! The "back straps" are good eats

[Handsonthepole]

No kidding! A little butter and you can't beat it. Was just a little strange to get hammered by them.

[BuckSutherland]

U are one lucky SOB to catch 8 of them. I have spent lots of time out there and never caught or even got to see one. They are delicious.

[traveler]

Eel pout are VERY common on Red, in my experience. I can't say as I've caught 8 in a day, but I am not shocked to hear you that did, either. Usually later in the winter when they spawn is when you're likely to catch multiples, but hey, lucky you! The "back straps" are good eats

Really pikestabber?? surprised to hear that....I've never caught one on Red, nada, zippo. And that's with a LOT of trips, winter and summer. Not saying they aren't in there, but I sure wouldn't call them common!

[luckydog25]

The last 2 winters we have caught 3 or 4, but that's quite a few guys and a lot of hours over several trips. Seems like I hear about more and more each year on Red. We never got any big ones, all around that 2-3 pound range. Good eats though!! Boil em up and dip them in butter....my mouth is watering.

[MaxGoldman]

I caught one on the one trip we took last year. It was my first one so I was pretty pumped ha.

[kelly-p]

30 years ago there were a lot of eelpout in URl. Then there was a very warm summer and the eelpout died out from the heat. The past 2-3 years I have seen more eelpout then I have seen in about 20 years. They still are not a numerous or big as they were from what I remember back in the 70's and 80's but it is really nice to see them again.

During the winter of 86/87 Jon and Mindy were scouting in a little 6X8 fish house while I was at a different place across the lake. Jon would have been about 11 and Mindy about 7 years old. From across the lake I saw the truck flashers come on that signaled they needed help. When I got there I found absolute chaos. They had caught an eelpout that was well over 30 inches long. While that one was still squirming around the floor of that little fish house they caught another one that was bigger. That was too much for Mindy with those 2 big eelpout squirming around the house and she panicked. The pout were between her and the door so she couldn't get out of the house so she stood up on a chair and started screaming/crying. To help his little sister out Jon ran out to the truck and grabbed a #2 shovel to try beat the eeelpout into submission. When I got there it looked like a Scifi movie in that house.

[bturck]

That would have been a great You Tube moment.

[eyeguy 54]

bwaaa haaaa haaaaaa!!! what a great memory!!

[fishing tech]

good humor

[Threedogs]

Well I now know if I need help to hit the flashers ! Kelly to the rescue ! ! Lol good story

[Handsonthepole]

dam KP. Always got to one up! Lol. One thing I did leave out of my experience was we did get 3 and 2 on seperate occasions. Didn't know they were a schooling fish. My wife was not pleased to have to remove from her line but I was a little busy to deal with all of them!

[SDS]

Over 8 years and countless days Ive hooked only one small pout.

[Mr.Seaguar]

I bet that story never comes up anymore either, haha

[BLACKJACK]

Good one Kelly!!

Back in the crappie hay day we'd catch a few eelpout, I can remember catching my first one and tossing it into my brothers house!!! When you'd leave on Sunday morning they would be all over the ice!!! We collected a bunch and went back and tossed them on the roof of his ice house - his 4 and 6 year old kids thought that was funny.