As for recreational fishing, the burbot can be caught through the ice in late winter. Traditionally, burbots caught in this manner were left on the ice by fishermen seeking walleye or pan fish. In an effort to rectify this tragic waste of protein, a sporting goods dealer from Chicago created the International Eelpout Festival, a raucous weekend ice festival/fishing contest. The festival, now in its thirteenth year, drew a record 10,000 people last winter to Leech Lake in Minnesota. The event culminated in prizes for the most fish (and icehouse antics) and a community fish fry involving about 4000 lbs. of eelpout and at least an equal weight of beer. Perhaps the Festival can at last succeed in teaching the world to appreciate the value of the lawyer. Or perhaps not.

Text by Kristin Blann Experiment for Fisheries 5601 March 11, 1997