A state record that was held for 32 years has been broken twice in two weeks.
On Dec. 30 of last year, Scott Skafar broke the state burbot record that had been set in 1990 with a 10.2-pound fish he caught from Lake Michigan. On Jan. 10, Phillip Duracz caught a new state record burbot weighing 11.4 pounds, also from Lake Michigan. Duracz also holds the lake whitefish state record, 9.34 pounds, which he caught from Lake Michigan in 2021.
Cold water temperatures from November to April bring Lake Michigan burbot closer to shore to feed.
“The recent warm weather coupled with light winds has provided excellent opportunities for anglers to fish Lake Michigan at a time they are usually unable to safely access the lake,” said Lake Michigan fisheries research biologist Ben Dickinson.
Burbot are good to eat. They have firm, white flesh and a large liver, similar to cod. Find more information about Lake Michigan fishing at on.IN.gov/lakemichiganfishing and learn more about purchasing a fishing license at on.IN.gov/huntfishlicenseretailers.
