NSR Burbot

[Bergerboy]

I was down by the river the other day and watched a guy pull up a small Burbot. This is the first time I have seen one come out of the North Saskatchewan river. Has anyone else caught one?

[walleyechaser]

I was down by the river the other day and watched a guy pull up a small Burbot. This is the first time I have seen one come out of the North Saskatchewan river. Has anyone else caught one?

If you want to catch burbot, you should fish at night. Far less common to catch during the day in open water. Burbot are in most if not all rivers in Alberta

[boonedocks]

I’ve caught piles of burbot out of the NSR, especially in the early season.

[trigger7mm]

I’ve caught piles of burbot out of the NSR, especially in the early season.

Same here.

[fish99]

i have them in the bow river below carsland dam

[Talking moose]

If you fish the nsr, immediately after Ice out and for the next 2-3 weeks after, you will catch more burbs than anything. I’ve been fishing it this year since Ice out and have caught probably 50 burbs this year. All of them under 1.5 lbs. most of them probably under 1 lb. Last time I went out only caught a couple. So they are almost done for the year. (Thank god)
Seems to be a lot more Rockies being caught this spring too.(another fish you can catch immediately after ice out for a couple weeks) as far down as ft. Sask.

[Talking moose]

Some pics this year of the bastards.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/a396ac1276a3138197082105b8f71ea7.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/b991794887e377a5793bb12cfda1b646.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/83e181aa29ee5c378cba989c05e447f6.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/f6c44133082e6dfec00697ddfcbf1ba8.jpg


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[Talking moose]

And first lil sturgeon of 2020
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/56e0cfb01286737df9f2287faa9a1d9a.jpg


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[Red Bullets]

Last week of April and early May is when the burbot are running in the river. I too have caught 2 at a time on a pickerel rig and over the course of the day caught 30 or 40. A couple days later, same spot, all I caught was rocky mountain whites.

[Talking moose]

Another lil sturgeon this morning
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/30173af1202cad7a4a668fda60a40300.jpg


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[Red Bullets]

Not to sidetrack the thread.

Talking Moose... nice to see young sturgeon. Would be nice to be tagging the young sturgeon. There used to be such a program for anglers to participate in. Don't know if the program still runs.

At least carry a water proof marker to sign your initials and date on the fish. Some one will catch that fish in 70 years and be amazed. :sHa_sarcasticlol: (kidding)

[OL_JR]

Talking Moose your pictures remind me a lot of fishing the Peace where the water conditions were not completely blown out but muddy. I would catch a lot of Burbot, well mainly only Burbot when the river was flowing like that.

[Talking moose]

Talking Moose your pictures remind me a lot of fishing the Peace where the water conditions were not completely blown out but muddy. I would catch a lot of Burbot, well mainly only Burbot when the river was flowing like that.

Yes me too. I lived in peace river/manning for 36 years. Lol. I know it well. Oh, I caught flathead Chubb as well when the peace was chocolate milk.

[Red Bullets]

Close to 50 years ago during high water on the NSR I used to catch lots of river chub. Haven't seen or caught one in years.

Regarding burbot, fishing all night in June I have caught a few that were 5 or so lbs. in the NSR. You don't need to fish far from shore for burbot because at night they hunt closer to shore.

[OL_JR]

Yes me too. I lived in peace river/manning for 36 years. Lol. I know it well. Oh, I caught flathead Chubb as well when the peace was chocolate milk.

If we are talking the same fish we would call those "herring" for whatever reason. We would catch grasshoppers and put them on a pickeral rig, catch them and then turn around as use them as bait and catch some big stinkin walleye when the conditions were good. Or as mentioned if the water was dirty mostly burbot.

Now a little older I look back and wonder about the legalities of doing that as I'm not sure what they would fall under as far as "bait fish" goes.

[Talking moose]

If we are talking the same fish we would call those "herring" for whatever reason. We would catch grasshoppers and put them on a pickeral rig, catch them and then turn around as use them as bait and catch some big stinkin walleye when the conditions were good. Or as mentioned if the water was dirty mostly burbot.

Now a little older I look back and wonder about the legalities of doing that as I'm not sure what they would fall under as far as "bait fish" goes.

Yes those were Chubb. Perfectly legal as Chubb are not game/sport fish. And me too. I’d leave the house with one strip of bacon and use it on a pic rig until I caught a Chubb. Then it was game on as now I had bait.

[WayneChristie]

Not to sidetrack the thread.

Talking Moose... nice to see young sturgeon. Would be nice to be tagging the young sturgeon. There used to be such a program for anglers to participate in. Don't know if the program still runs.

At least carry a water proof marker to sign your initials and date on the fish. Some one will catch that fish in 70 years and be amazed. :sHa_sarcasticlol: (kidding)

sturgeon tagging program is shut down right now. wasnt getting the results they wanted

[Positrac]

If you fish the nsr, immediately after Ice out and for the next 2-3 weeks after, you will catch more burbs than anything. I’ve been fishing it this year since Ice out and have caught probably 50 burbs this year. All of them under 1.5 lbs. most of them probably under 1 lb. Last time I went out only caught a couple. So they are almost done for the year. (Thank god)
Seems to be a lot more Rockies being caught this spring too.(another fish you can catch immediately after ice out for a couple weeks) as far down as ft. Sask.

The Athabasca just up stream of Fort McMurray is the same. Tons of Burbs right after the Ice breaks then none the rest of the year. I usually try to get out and get a few but this year every boat launch is closed and the ice with the flooding is 10 feet deep along the shore so it won’t be happening.