Freshwater Cod Ontario Record

Photo by Richard Brochu

Freshwater Cod Ontario Record

A Canadian teenager has caught a new Ontario record burbot, according to CBC News in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

For southerners who might not know, a burbot is a cod-like freshwater fish that has an appearance like a cross between a catfish and an eel. They require cold water and inhabit northern rivers and lakes, including the Great Lakes. Burbot are known as “the poor-man’s lobster,” as they are said to have a taste and texture similar to the crustacean. However, some anglers prefer to cut the line rather than handle the slimy fish. “Freshwater Cod Ontario Record”

With that out of the way, Landan Brochu, 18, of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, was still fishing through a hole in the ice on March 5, when many of us “yanks” were digging out the shorts and flip flops. According to the CBC report, Brochu thought it was a lake trout that hit his bucktail jig. It was only after a several minute fight, when he saw the fish through his hole in the ice, that he realized the monster fish he had caught. That 8-inch hole in the ice became an issue when it came time to land the fish. Its head barely fit through the hole, and Brochu had to reach wrist-deep into the water and grab the burbot by the gills to wrestle it out of the water.

The fish ended up weighing 16.8 pounds on certified scales to best the previous record of 15.8 pounds. Both fish were caught from Jessie Lake, near Nipigon, Ontario, which is on the northern shore of Lake Superior. Brochu’s fish measured 37 inches in length and 22 inches around. The world record burbot is a 25-pound, 2-ounce fish caught from Saskatchewan’s Lake Diefenbaker in 2010.

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE BOAT!
CLICKHERE!

[easy-social-share]