# EELPOUT



## Chuck Smith

I am going to lake of the woods....and has anyone ever eaten eelpout? IF so how do you clean them and any recipes would be helpful.


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## KEN W

They are great eating....."poor man's lobster."flesh does no flake like other fish....very firm.

Broil,grill,boil....just like lobster.....serve with butter.

I would fillet them just like any other fish....but be careful when you remove the skin....no scales.


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## Ron Gilmore

Couple things to add to what Ken said. I only use the backbone meat. None of the dark belly meat. When we use to rent sleeper houses on LOW I would bring along a kettle and butter. Fillet out the fish at the house and have them as an evening meal or lunch the next day.

A couple years back I brought 10 back from LOW and deep fried the back meat. There are very few fish that taste better than cold water ell pout. Most people cannot get past the way they look or feel when dealing with them.

Just like other fish, do not over cook and enjoy!


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## Chris Schulz

Another thing to add. Try not to let them freeze but rather keep them cool.


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## Quackkills9

mmm people do really eat eelpouts.. interesting


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## Chuck Smith

Is there in trick in peeling the skin off? Or is it like Halibut. Just filet the flesh off the skin with a knife. I am wondering because I will cook it this year.


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## woodpecker

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## Madison

Once you try it you will be amazed.. I was telling my buddies about how good they were and I still dont think they beleive me..

But definatley try it.. Do what the previous posts indicate about filleting. I only keep the tail section meat myself.. Simply boil it for about 5 minutes with seasoning or without. When people say it tastes like lobster it really does!!! I dont even use butter since it tastes so good.. Your making my mouth sweat just thinking about it..


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## mallard

Is LOW still covered with frozen eelpout by the end of winter?


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## Shu

LOTW Lobster.....mmmm

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## Ron Gilmore

It is not legal to leave them on the ice and you can be fined a lot for doing so.


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## Quackkills9

but people still throw em on the ice anyways.


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## mallard

Ron,the last time I fished out there,there were frozen eelpout everywhere.Some guy with a pickup was driving around picking them up.


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## drjongy

I thought it was a new regulation this year that you couldn't throw them away on the ice. Until I want to clean one I'll just release them back...at least it gives you something to catch at night. I don't think I've ever caught one during the day.


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## dpx814

I catch them during the day all the time up there but once you do it pretty much means the end of any good eye fishing for a litte bit of time becuase they tend to scare off schools at a time.

Good ponit that Mr Gilmore pointed out on the belly meat, don't use it. I have yet to try it when its done right but the belly meat will ruin the whole mess. From everything I've heard use the just the backbone meat.

As far as leaving them on the ice, its digusting and that is why the regulation was put forth last year and they are slowly enforcing it more and more. The reason it was done was due to the wasted fish floating up in groups on the shores at spring time and rotting. I know that we store our fish outside the house when we fish and last year DNR stopped to do a check in and reminded us about our Burbot disposal so they are on the lookout.


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## KEN W

Nice picture Shu.....


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## Invector

This is coming form the biologist in me, eelpout is a fish that lives in the ocean around alaska and to the north. Burbot _Lota lota, _is the fish that has many differnt names (I did resurch on this a few years ago). They are members of the cod family. If you have ever eaten fish in a McDonalds or any other resterant there is a good chance that you have eat'n cod. Ling is another word used but that again is a cold wanter fish in the oceans of the north. Burbot spawn in the deep cold under the ice thats why most people catch them during the winter. A few years past I took some realy nice ones up there at LOTW. They all are related and have very good eating quality, most people dont eat them cause how they look. I guess people want to eat a pritty fish :lol:.


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## fishunt

I would like to try catch and taste eelpout someday but where can I find them? thanks


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## Ron Gilmore

The big lake in your back yard has them, we caught quite a few through the ice and some in the summer when fishing with a slow presentation in deep water.


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## fishunt

today I went Audbon ice fishing around less 50 feet deep( that what man say from chruch) and I have not get chance to catch eelpout but caught yellow perch and walleye again today and same time I caught walleye last week and today around the same time and so do Perch too but today not much people around but last week many people


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## Andy M.

So eelpout really taste like lobster. hmmmm. can you fish eelpout in summertime i have been reading articles on pouting and it doesn't say any thing about it. are they strictly an ice fishing adventure. and what kind of conditions should i be looking for to catch ths sort of fish?


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## MOB

If you want to see a grown man scream like a little girl, just watch your buddy's reaction to an pout wrapping around his arm as he grabs it by the head to unhook it. They are ugly, slimey things, although I'm going to clean and eat the next one I get.


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## Savage260

I am not ashamed to say I was one of the screaming girls the first time I took one of those slimy buggars off my hook. At 21 I had never seen or heard of a "ling" "eelpout" or "burbot". My "friends" all watched while holding their breath, then laughed like crazy when it wrapped around my arm and tried to burrow into my chest and eat my internal organs!! I damn near fell out of the boat! Well, that might be a little overboard, but I will never forget my "first time". I don't think I could ever eat one now. The nightmares might come back!! Great fun to catch though!! Last time ice fishing, last winter, people had them scattered all over the ice. Very few were picked up.


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## drjongy

The best way to clean these things is to think about getting backstraps off a deer. You cut down either side of the backbone and around the ribs to get a nice strap of meat. Clean off any darker colored meat and you're good to go!

Would be a very good fish to deep fry for fish-and-chips, as they taste like cod, and I believe they are a member of the cod family.


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## Maverick

drjongy said:


> The best way to clean these things is to think about getting backstraps off a deer. You cut down either side of the backbone and around the ribs to get a nice strap of meat. Clean off any darker colored meat and you're good to go!
> 
> Would be a very good fish to deep fry for fish-and-chips, as they taste like cod, and I believe they are a member of the cod family.


That's exactly how I do it! The first thing I do is give them a good wack across the head with a shovel! I take the back straps out right away (right there on the ice) leaving the skin on (legality).

If you do decide to boil them, we usually put them in some kind of a bag. They will hold togethor better while boiling! Little butter and you got poor man lobster! I got all kinds of old timers trying to trade me for the backstraps when I come back with some!

as Tony the Tiger would say.... TTThhhhhheeeerrrrrrrreeeeee ggggrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaatttttt!!!


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## muskat

Last year while on LOW's, we cleaned two while on the ice (first year you could legally do that), and fried them in shore lunch. Absolutely fantastic. Everyone is correct with defining the meat as the backstraps. Once you cut into one, you will understand.


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## Gildog

hardly ever hear of anyone catching them in the summer, and if I did I wouldn't eat it from the warmer water. But they are excellent eating after being caught through the ice, as everyone has described. I would recomend eating them fresh as possible...freeze them and they are not good at best and absolutely horrible at worst.

You can catch them anywhere on LOTW...used to think they were strictly on the bottom but have caught a few cruising up 10 feet, just like big 'eyes, using the VEX. Seems like we did catch more of them off Twin Islands by Long Point than anywhere else, but like I said they show up anywhere.

and FYI, the drug company that is in Baudette (Solvay now or did they change the name again?) was started by the Rowell family way back in the day...making cod liver oil from LOTW burbots.


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## fishnhuntngirl

We also have eelpout here in Wisconsin, except we call them Lawyers. I fish for them on Lake Winnebago, right outside my back door. Around here they can be caught or speared, but you can only find them in shallow waters when they come in to spawn. I'm going spearing them tomorrow & am excited to try the recipes you all have provided!! Thanks!


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## HugeBurrito2k6

Finally got my nerve up and cleaned one (DISGUSTING!) BUT! after getting the thought of that ugly fish out of my head a few days later i grabbed the meat from the fridge used the backbone meat like everyone said and tossed the belly meat and DAMN did it taste AMAZING!!!! I will definelty never throw one of these back. Boiled in sprite for 5 minutes and ate with some butter. Please don't throw these fish on the ice because they taste wonderful

HAPPY FISHING!!! :beer:


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## hwdeuce

Those things don't come out in the summer they hide 
They taste great though 
Anyone goin to eelpout festival or "mardi gra on ice"


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## KurtR

Savage260 said:


> I am not ashamed to say I was one of the screaming girls the first time I took one of those slimy buggars off my hook. At 21 I had never seen or heard of a "ling" "eelpout" or "burbot". My "friends" all watched while holding their breath, then laughed like crazy when it wrapped around my arm and tried to burrow into my chest and eat my internal organs!! I damn near fell out of the boat! Well, that might be a little overboard, but I will never forget my "first time". I don't think I could ever eat one now. The nightmares might come back!! Great fun to catch though!! Last time ice fishing, last winter, people had them scattered all over the ice. Very few were picked up.


Me to first fish i ever caught on oahe when i just moved here and went ice fishing. Everyone got a good laugh out of that. We catch alot in the spring fishing from shore for walleyes biggest was about 12 pounds and they are good eats


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