# it had legs!!!!



## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

Went out burbot fishing sunday night for a couple 3hrs. Tried a new spot, about an hour in and my line felt heavy, cool I got one and reeled it up. Could tell it wasnt big and Oh look its a baby burbot... Mother of god this burbots got legs:yikes:.. Turned my headlamp on and discovered I caught what I assume was my first mud puppy... Burbot skunked me the rest of the night...

Cant believe that thing hit a 4" swedish pimple


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

I've caught quite a few mud puppies while fishing burbot on Crystal. They can be quite a nusance since they will suck on your bait without tripping a flag. But, they are pretty cool so I forgive them.


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## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

wartfroggy said:


> I've caught quite a few mud puppies while fishing burbot on Crystal. They can be quite a nusance since they will suck on your bait without tripping a flag. But, they are pretty cool so I forgive them.


yeah it was kind of cool but freaked me at first:lol:.. I sent him back down the hole..

I keep hearing of guys using tip ups for burbot but have never tried it.. Still holding my breath that the ice freezes in my favorite spot so I can try em out.... You just use dead bait???


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

Those things are so cool! When I was a kid I used to catch them in Lk Fenton all the time (those are probably all gone too). They can be nast critters too. I can remember the big ones used to try to bite. :yikes:


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

sbooy42 said:


> I keep hearing of guys using tip ups for burbot but have never tried it.. Still holding my breath that the ice freezes in my favorite spot so I can try em out.... You just use dead bait???


 A smaller smelt on or just off bottom. Usually step on it a little to get some guts to hang out and send off more scent. When I am just fishing burbot, usually I'll set out a couple tipups and then sit in the shanty, jigging a rattlin buckshot w/ a smelt head. Most of the time it is while I am smelt fishing, so I'll fish my smelt rods and then set out a tip-up or two outside for burbot. It gives you a reason to get up and walk around once in a while.


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## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

wartfroggy said:


> A smaller smelt on or just off bottom. Usually step on it a little to get some guts to hang out and send off more scent. When I am just fishing burbot, usually I'll set out a couple tipups and then sit in the shanty, jigging a rattlin buckshot w/ a smelt head. Most of the time it is while I am smelt fishing, so I'll fish my smelt rods and then set out a tip-up or two outside for burbot. It gives you a reason to get up and walk around once in a while.


Sounds like a good plan for when I am Whitefish'n... Thanks


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## KPOD (Nov 17, 2009)

Man mud puppies are nasty slimy buggers :yikes: How does one take the hook out? Grab it around the midsection like a fish and with pliers?


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## roger23 (Jan 14, 2001)

sbooy42 said:


> Went out burbot fishing sunday night for a couple 3hrs. Tried a new spot, about an hour in and my line felt heavy, cool I got one and reeled it up. Could tell it wasnt big and Oh look its a baby burbot... Mother of god this burbots got legs:yikes:.. Turned my headlamp on and discovered I caught what I assume was my first mud puppy... Burbot skunked me the rest of the night...
> 
> Cant believe that thing hit a 4" swedish pimple


did it look like this???


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## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

roger23 said:


> did it look like this???


 Yep thats it...

KPOD.. i didnt touch it...held it over the hole grabbed the treble with pliers, turn em over and shook until it came off..


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## iLiveInTrees (Jun 29, 2010)

roger23 said:


> did it look like this???


......thats a disturbing little creature.


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## Gone Fishing (Jul 31, 2001)

KPOD said:


> How does one take the hook out?


They are just hard to hang on to because they are so slimey. Kind of like trying to grab a lamphrey.


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## steelhead-hunter (Apr 15, 2007)

we used to run into those all the time when i was a kid in the rivers, sucker fishing they are kinda nasty looking little things.


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

KPOD said:


> Man mud puppies are nasty slimy buggers :yikes: How does one take the hook out? Grab it around the midsection like a fish and with pliers?


First......put down your purse.
Second.......hike up your skirt
Third........do it like a man......pick it up, and pop the hook out like you would anything else. 
:lol:


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I catch a few out of higgins every year, especially if you get a buildup of lost bait under your hole. The perch dont come around as much if you have a mud puppy down there, so its best to catch them out and throw them down somebody elses hole. It is a sign of good water quality though.


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

:lol::lol::lol: This is funny, my kids freaked out about swiming in the lakes around here after they saw their first pike up close last summer. I never thought to tell them about mud puppies!!!! :lol::lol::lol: This is going to be fun. If they didnt bite, I'd catch one and drop is down the back of my oldests swim trunks :lol::lol::lol:. My middle son would LOVE that!


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## wintrrun (Jun 11, 2008)

wartfroggy said:


> First......put down your purse.
> Second.......hike up your skirt
> Third........do it like a man......pick it up, and pop the hook out like you would anything else.
> :lol:


 
Your spot on.:evilsmile


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## unclecbass (Sep 29, 2005)

set a tipup inches off the bottom. Use small trebble hook with a grey. Place a small glow stick six inches above your minnow. Burbott like the green glow sticks.


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## GaryFisherman (Jan 9, 2009)

Did you give it a kiss on the head and then let him loose?


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## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

unclecbass said:


> Burbott like the green glow sticks.


Yep  I always have one above whatever jig is tied on..they seem to like a little anise oil too


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## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

GaryFisherman said:


> Did you give it a kiss on the head and then let him loose?


Thats funny because we did take a pic with me holding it very close to me face and a jimmy houston kiss was mentioned... SOB almost got me with its tail...:lol:


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## HardWayMike (Nov 24, 2010)

ANISH, I like the way you think,lol!!! My youngest would love to see that happen to his big bro or sis, lol! I assume anyways because he get giggleing really hard when I wait until we get back to the woods to remind them about all of the coyote that we seen during the day while they were at school!!! Not that we have ever seen any but he gets a kick out of it,lol!


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

:lol::lol: I mess with mine with the coyote thing too. It was great when we were camping over at Reedsburg last fall and a fight broke out between a group of em at the end of the campground. Thought I was going to have to pick the kids out of the trees!:lol::lol:


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

Great, just tried to scare the kids by telling them about mudpuppies and my 10 year old is sufficiently scared but my 16 year old wants one as a pet . He's no fun anymore. So if anyone knows of any lakes in Ogemaw county (or the surrounding area) that has a healthy population of mudpuppies, please let me know :lol:.


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## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

Anish said:


> Great, just tried to scare the kids by telling them about mudpuppies and my 10 year old is sufficiently scared but my 16 year old wants one as a pet . He's no fun anymore. So if anyone knows of any lakes in Ogemaw county (or the surrounding area) that has a healthy population of mudpuppies, please let me know :lol:.


LOL somebody at work made the pet recommendation for my boys


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

I cant immagine that they would take a whole lot of care. We used to have a waterdog (axolotl) which is pretty similar. As long as you have really good filtration, aeration, and a decent sized tank. I think it's easy to figure out what they eat :lol:.
I told him about the post that mentioned Higgins and he is all excited. FINALLY! Something to get him interested in ice fishing !!


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## MaizeLabMan (Jun 15, 2010)

I don't know if it is legal anymore but we used to use those for pike bait in South Dakota when I was young (1980s) and they are dynamite!!


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

They are not in season to keep or possess


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## kbkrause (Feb 12, 2002)

wartfroggy said:


> They are not in season to keep or possess


Yep, season is last Sat. in May - Nov. 1. Limit is 10, combined with other amphibians.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/full-no-ads_272056_7.pdf


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## triplelunger (Dec 21, 2009)

Does anyone actually keep those disgusting little creatures?


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

triplelunger said:


> Does anyone actually keep those disgusting little creatures?


 I kept one in my aquarium for a while.....he was pretty cool.


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

kbkrause said:


> Yep, season is last Sat. in May - Nov. 1. Limit is 10, combined with other amphibians.
> 
> http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/full-no-ads_272056_7.pdf


We can wait till May. I'm in no great rush. :lol:
I wonder how much of a pain in the butt it would be to get a scientiffic collection permit? That might just be a handy thing to have.


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