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If you're new to Side Imaging, it can be a little confusing to figure out what you're looking at. I came across this post shared on Brad Durick's FB page that is a cool "real life" analogy for why the fish and shadows look the way they do on SI.

It's easy to spot BIG fish on Side Imaging units, but the reality is you're not typically gonna be targeting walleye the size of moose (lol)...unless maybe you're Layne "only catches bigguns" Maier who graphed AND caught this 31-incher on SK's Last Mountain Lake a couple years back:

Most lakes around here, it's those 15-19″ eater-sized fish you're after, and they're not gonna drop a shadow the size of your great aunt Eleanor (no offense, Elly baby!). So imagine that first moose pic, but instead they are squirrels....

When Yellowstone meets fishing....

This is what happens when a fishing-geek starts watching too much Yellowstone.... 👀😂 Hope The Next Bite TV crew doesn't take me down to the "train station" for this one!

Lol don't overthink any of this, it was all in good fun.

Now that I've seen a few more episodes (I just finished season 1 so don't spoil it for me!) I do sort of feel bad that John Hoyer got the shaft in the picture above. But to be fair, every character seems to have their own major flaws in the show 😳 hahaha. It was nothing personal – dude is an absolute GOAT in the sport. So this next pic makes way more sense:

Doesn't matter if Hoyer is fishing walleye derbies or bass, chasing sky carp or filling tags, dude always seems to be on 'em...whatever that "'em" is:

And no, he's not paying me off to say this LOL. Much love, Hoyer! 👊

Burbot/eelpout have been known as bottom feeders for years. If you've been trying to learn up on 'em...basically every write-up or YouTube video you'll see talks about pounding bottom. How you don't even really need a flasher or graph 'cuz they come thru soooo tight to bottom that they'll often be in the sonar's "dead zone" anyway.

BUT I'd say probably half the fish I have caught the last 2 seasons have been suspended off bottom. Sometimes that's just 2-4' off...but MANY other times they are 10-15' off bottom and right in the middle of the water column. Shoot, the other night I had one stroll thru just 5-6' under the ice!

Bugs me that I don't know the actual reason(s). Wish I had firm answers for you, but these are just a couple of random thoughts on a fish we don't know a whole lot about:

The more obvious one might be that suspended burbot are up feeding on baitfish. The prey depends on the system you're fishing. The couple of lakes I target 'em around here have tullibee/cisco. Don't see a whole lot of them after dark, but the ones we do see usually tend to be suspended and slow moving. Yup, burbot will absolutely take one down. Same goes for a suspended rainbow trout or even smaller walleye.

Judging by the burbot I have cleaned in the past (and checked their stomach contents) they still seem to prefer eating crayfish and small perch, which of course are going to be tighter to the bottom.

Another thing I've noticed since getting LiveScope a couple seasons back, is that a lot of those suspended burbot are staying at the same depth as where they slid off the break. Can't tell you how many times I have watched them swim OUT of a big weed flat on LiveScope, and stay right at the 14-18' depth where they left the weeds. Then they swim off into the abyss – out over 30-50' of water – but stay suspended at that 14-18' depth until they're no longer visible on LiveScope. Wild.

Maybe it's a pressure thing? Not like angling pressure, but the pressure changes of going from shallow to deep water, and vice versa.

I've also watched numerous suspended fish "meet up" in the middle of the water column. Burbot that were hundreds of feet apart on LiveScope – both suspended – but then meet up somewhere in the middle and mosey off together.

Don't know what it all means, but it's interesting nonetheless. 🤷‍♂️ Or at least I think it is lol.

Had myself a slimy weekend in central MN! 🐉🦠👽 Heaviest fish went 10-lbs on my Rapala Touch Screen Scale...pretty sure FaceTiming with Sobi and crew was our good luck charm. Thx for snagging a screenshot, Sobi!

We convinced a few other "sniffers" into biting that night too. Pre-spawn burbot are the definition of "paunchy." 😍

We've been graphing 5-7 fish for every 1 that we actually get to bite, so have been playing around with some different baits/tweaks.

My two biggest fish came on a 3/4-oz Luhr Jensen Crippled Herring that I had 1) doused in more glow paint, 2) added a brass rattle chamber to the back, and 3) upgraded to a big #3 VMC Hybrid Treble for loading up with bait.

The burbot that have been suspended up 2-10' off bottom have been loving it aggressively danced in place – can basically get this spoon to do a vertical "walk the dog."

Always tweaking to try and make a better mousetrap as Jeremy Smith would say. Still on the search for that "teener" one of these days!

Not saying Mathieu Theriault Vincent isn't both, but he definitely had luck on his side with this drop:

Looks like one of those Buck Classic Knives to me – good thing Mathieu kept a sharp point on it!

Walleye/pike/bass seasons are now closed in most of MN. Which is one reason we get soooo into chasing burbot, because it's nice catching a fish that actually fights back. 😜

That means fish-house removal dates are also coming in hot. If you're south of this line, they've gotta be gonzo by Mar 7 – north of the line is Mar 21:

If you're lucky-enough to be up on the MN/CAN border at Lake of the Woods you have until Mar 31. Oh, and...

Never know what you're going to catch on Lake of the Woods. I'm not much for kill shots, but I LOVE this one – looks like a painting or something:

The 2021 winners are so awesome.

Special guests Tony Roach and Senator Carrie Ruud who introduced the bill to reduce walleye bag limits in MN.

The clarity and distance you can see out with the new LiveScope Plus (LVS34) transducer is pretty wild. Little on-ice first look from the Fish Addictions crew:

The new regs lower limits on specific waters to protect and improve sunfish sizes. I personally love to see it. Lots more info on the "why" behind it all here.

Internal promotion. Gerad is a 14-yr Daiwa veteran and was previously their national accounts manager. Congrats!

Btw I don't know what Diawa has dropping 3/4/22 but I'm digging the hype video:

TCWU = Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited.

Out of Red Door Resort on the north end. There are some absolute giants in "The Big Pond" so can't wait to see the fish that come in. More info here.

I first started following Chad's adventures when Uncut Angling posted a pic of him in 2017 with a monster (34" long x 21" girth) Columbia River freakazoid that went 17 or 18 lbs:

Dude has also been lighting up walleye derbies out west the last couple years. And every time I look at the results of a FishDonkey virtual tourney, he's throwing up a 32"+ fish. 🤯

Starting at just $12. Check 'em out here.

Quickie-but-goodie tip from Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 TV on one of the finer details of jig selection. Here's how/when he chooses to fish a 60° vs a 90° line tie on his jigs. He's specifically talking the Eagle Claw Boxing Glove Jig and the Pro-V Eagle Eye Jig in this vid, but a good little nugget no matter what you're running:

Little something to keep in mind if you're boat shopping this spring:

Fair enough lol.

See 👀 GOATS and dogs do get along! Here's John "catch 'em all" Hoyer getting his northern-Wi slabbin' on with a Johnson Rattlin' Scout Spoon tipped with a Berkley PowerBait Ice Whipworm – shake it quickly and make those basin-dwellers chase:

I've had my current phone for a little more than 2 years now. Has always been flawless, but the last few months has gotten a little slow and the battery seems to drain ultra fast all of a sudden. Something that ALWAYS seems to happen right after the 2-year-ish mark when you'd normally have it paid-off and your phone bill drops. 👀

Now I'm not trying to be one of those "tin foil hat" type of folks, but it sure seems like that buggy-ness has to do with new phone updates. I'd almost swear that's how they get folks to upgrade....

Speaking of which:

Anyone else find it funny that those companies will be all: "You're eligible for an upgrade!" Like WOOHOO, what are my options?!?! And basically it's just that you're fortunate enough to be allowed to fork over $1,200 for a new phone LOL. 🤦‍♂️ Wow thanks.... Looks like I'm also "eligible" to renew my truck tabs next month too – yay! Hopefully my roof, furnace, water heater, etc aren't eligible for upgrades anytime soon either.

Alright, alright...I'm done venting 😤🤣. Thx much for reading!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.