The Field Journal

Fish Species

Burbot

Burbot (Lota lota)

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.
Where: Found in 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.

Regulations (Region 4, 2025–2027)

Conservation Limits: The default regional daily quota is 2 burbot .
Catch-and-Release Reaches: Burbot are strictly catch-and-release in Kootenay Lake (all parts), the Kootenay River (from the US border to Kootenay Lake), Columbia River, Columbia Lake, and Windermere Creek .
Spawning Closures: Moyie Lake has a burbot C&R conservation window from Feb 14–28 to protect spawning aggregations .

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.

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Field Notes

The only freshwater member of the cod family (*Lota lota*), also locally known as lingcod or lawyer. Native to deep, cold lakes and large river corridors in the Columbia Basin. Burbot are prized eating fish, but slow growth and vulnerability during winter spawning have led to strict conservation quotas and catch-and-release rules in major waters.

insights

Observation records

Jim Smith Creek 146 records
Glacier Creek 87 records
North Creek 80 records
Howser Creek 58 records

View this species on the fish map

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Tagged

burbot native cod kootenay lake deepwater

Image · Naturalist Observation, c. 1912.

Where next

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