Burbot

Key points

• Habits: Bottom-dwelling piscivore, highly active at night and under ice. They utilize a single chin barbel to locate prey on the bottom.
• Range: near-circumpolar above 40° N; in North America from Alaska to New Brunswick, across most of Canada (source). Kootenay waters include Kootenay Lake, Kootenay River, Columbia River, Duncan Lake, Moyie Lake, and Columbia Lake .
• Tactics: Primarily targeted in winter or at night using heavy jigs tipped with bait (such as fish heads or worms) fished directly on the bottom.

Fishing by region

• Regulations, seasons, and the waters to target vary by region — in the Kootenays, see Beyond Trout in the Kootenays.

Open questions

• The recovery rate of Kootenay Lake burbot following long-term catch-and-release measures.

Related

• Kootenay Lake — key deepwater habitat.
• Kootenay River — connected migration corridor.
• Sculpin — primary bottom forage.

Sources

• — river presence.
• Wikipedia — Burbot — circumpolar / North American range.