March is for Mariah (Burbot)

Let me start off by saying that yes, I know that burbot is their real name. In Saskatchewan, though, people call them Mariah, and I use that name in favour of burbot mostly because it just doesn't seem fair for such an ugly fish to have such an ugly name, too. Anyway, the last several years have really seen the Mariah take off as a sport fish. They're usually aggressive, and while they don't put up much of a fight, their white meat is fantastic on the table. In all my life, I've only ever caught three in open water, they really are an ice anglers fish. They spawn under the ice in late winter, and they become extremely aggressive during this time in an effort to keep their spawning grounds free of anything and everything except for other Mariah. I've watched them attack chase whitefish and suckers on my underwater camera, and have even had them attack the camera itself during this time. Look for them on sandy flats in 8-12 feet of water, preferably free of much vegetation. They scatter their eggs on the flat and abandon them. Jig close to the bottom, within six inches of it. A trick that I like to use that works well is to let the lure continually fall against the bottom, stirring up particles of sand and creating a commotion that seems to attract them. It's worth noting that you can get into some amazing whitefish action in these locations as well, as the whitefish move in to feed on the eggs. As well, while pike are preparing for their own spawn, if you can find a sandy flat adjacent to a shallow, soft bottomed, weedy bay, no better spot exists to hammer big last ice northerns! I got out on Turtle Lake a few days ago and tried for Mariah on a flat I've been going to with good success for years. I thought I may be a little early, and I'm quite sure now that I was. I still managed to catch a half dozen little males, who move onto the spawning flats just before the females. I had the most success with a Swedish Pimple tipped witha shiner, though I also caught a couple on a 1/4 oz jig with a black 4" single tail Mister Twister. In the coming weeks it will be picking up for sure. While I like to reserve the last few days of the season for pike fishing, a nice thing about Mariah is that they feed actively at night, whereas pike typically do not. So, after a day of chasing gators, you can switch things up at sunset and target Mariah. They're fun fish and definitely worth your time!