Fish-Hawk.Net

Hi all. I'm just wondering if anybody else has targeted ling (burbot) in their hardwater adventures. We used to catch the odd one icefishing on Charleston years ago , when there was a 2 week winter laketrout season. Most folks didnt keep them back then , me included. They'r not a very pretty thing and tend to horrify most who encounter them . I have got it in my head to target them and actualy try them as table fare. They are the only fresh water member of the cod family and the meat is said to be very sweet, (when boiled it's called poor man's lobster !) Last winter I tryed for them on Charleston in about 20 feet of water . We fished in a creek mouth after dark, right off the bottom. No ling. I tryed Wolfe lake last weekend, after dark, right off the bottom , no ling.
I'm gonna keep at them. Gotta try this poor man's lobster. The plan will come together one of these times ! Happy New Years to everybody !

Otter Lake (west of Smiths Falls) is your best bet around here. LOTS of good sized ling.

Otter lake huh? I was on Otter last summer for the first time. Had a nice day bass fishing . The small mouth were on the bite ! Thanks for the tip out 4 !

Chum the area the day before you want to go, then head back the next afternoon and stay past dark, fishing the same bait

Cheers

The Ottawa is full of them too. I don't target them but I get one almost every time I fish after dark around Rockland.

Otter is now on the winter hit list.

Has anyone ever caught Ling in the St. Lawrence?

There are a lot of good sized ling in the Nation River, couldn't keep them off last year.
Shane

I know alot of people fish ling on the Madawaska near Barry's bay. Not me though, can't stand them.

Ling caught through the ice are delicious. They are just like cod. Is Otter Lake accessible by foot?

We catch ling on the ottawa pretty regularly. Usually tend to pull em out of 20-25FOW on live or dead minnows. Last year i hooked one a lil too deep and decided to keep him for table fare since a live release was pretty unlikely. Well i started to clean it and i could not beleive the stink that came out of the thing. I was tottally turned off and gave it to my Dad to eat, a man who will eat brains, testicles( cooked!!), kidneys etc.

You can catch lots of ling at Shirly's Bay after dark.... tons of experience catching these monsters.... thought they were all walleye.

Wolfe lake use to have a good population. Don't know what the status of the ling in Wolfe is now.

I've heard they are good to eat.....just could never get myself to invite one to dinner. Use to get some real bruisers in Charleston.

Drop

flyinfish wrote:Has anyone ever caught Ling in the St. Lawrence?

Lots around Mtl, they hit jigging raps on the Larry but only caught them on minnows on the Ottawa.

We used to catch tons of them in the spring when the smelts run. The best bait I've used are a dead smelt on the bottom. Haven't fished for them in years.