When I finished a video project at the Lodge at Palmer Lake, and was heading home, I noticed some anglers that had just pulled their boat off the lake, and it looked like they were cleaning fish. Of course, I had to stop and check it out. They were in fact filleting a nice burbot. They had been fishing for kokanee, and although the kokanee weren’t biting they caught two burbot and several perch on their kokanee gear. If you don’t know, Palmer Lake is probably the best lake in the state for burbot. In fact, the state record for burbot was set at Palmer Lake and stood for many years. Some people call these fish freshwater ling cod, as they have a large head that looks like the saltwater version. Burbot are highly prized for their bright white flesh. I recall being told that when Palmer freezes many anglers are targeting these fish. They would catch the redside chubs that inhabit the lake and use these for bait. The fact that these anglers were catching burbot on their kokanee gear indicates there are very good numbers of them in the lake and they are hungry!