LOL
They catch them thru the ice on Simcoe. The locals would rather catch "ling" than perch.
Burbot = Ling cod

Ya wanna be careful with the Burbot; it may take you to court.

aka: 'The Lawyer Fish' (lol)

Jim Beam or Jack Daniel's? I'm saying Beam. Definitely not Wild Turkey I've had my fair share and then some. Need a strong brew to warm the bones this time of year. Strong but smooth.

Nothing like enjoying good stories and a cup of java with Captain Morgan, while your on the ice.  Although, I do rely on Seagrams in the event of a 'snake bite'.

FIreball warms good.

Hey guys, I really appreciate your replies.  My bucket list is not too long...Punxsutawney on Feb. 2 and a burbot or two, sometime in the undetermined future.  I grew up in Erie and spent the first 30 years of my life there, fishing as soon as I was able to use the tackle.  The big complication for me is that I live in the southern tier of NY...Supposedly, burbot are in the upper Allegheny River watershed (I live about a mile from the river), but nobody that I have talked to knows anything about them...It just kills me that there's a good-eating fish out there that I haven't caught...One more question:  What's going on with the fishing reports?
 

I never heard that they were in the rivers watershed but I would like to hear that you got one there. Every now and then we get surprised don't we? 
Last year we were bottom bouncing in 50fow off Shades Beach. All the rods had my homemade willowleaf rigs with crawlers. I sometimes use those quick change clevises and unknown to me my buddies wife had lost the blade. So here she is bouncing on the bottom with some beads and a 3/0 truturn hook with a worm in 50 ft.
 
Going to catch nothing right? So what did she catch? A bluegill!  A big old handsized bluegill. On the bottom in 50 ft. 
 
I never say never. Almost never. 
 
 

jstone, I don't think anything is going on with the reports other than 1) people aren't posting their steelhead outcomes any longer thinking that will reduce the numbers of people in the tribs.  2) the creeks have been iced up off and on since the beginning of the year anyway, plus the nasty storms that are keeping people from traveling.  3) guys just getting out now to ice fish so we should start seeing some ice fishing reports.

Cobia = Ling  too.

Burpits seem to be the name thief of fresh water species.  What I know of cobia, is not even close to burbots.  Ling, not lingcod, seem similar to burbot.  I am sure it is a regional slang for them.  I've heard eel pout as well.