How to Catch Burbot Using Setlines - Environment Yukon

How to Catch Burbot Using Setlines 

Information for Setline Licence Holders 

Building a setline 

The basic setline requires a length of stick or board, 20-30 m of strong line or cord, a 

heavy weight and a hook. Tie one end of the line to the stick, wind the line around the 

stick, and tie the weight to the other end of the line. Tie a short leader (60 cm or so) to 

the weight, using cord or heavy monofilament, and tie your hook to the other end of the 

leader, so it hangs below the weight. 

Fishing with setlines 

• To set and retrieve your setlines, you’ll need your setline licence, an ice auger, a 

snow shovel, and a pair of pliers for unhooking fish. 

• Bait your hook and lower it down into the water through your hole. Be sure to check 

the buoyancy of your baited hook – your hook must not float off the bottom. Feed out 

line until the hook and weight are resting on the lake or river bottom. 

• Setting your baited hook on the bottom means you’re likely to catch only burbot. 

Hooks that float up or are set off the bottom are likely to catch other species like lake 

trout or northern pike, which must be released. 

• Prevent your hole from freezing over by making a pile of snow on top of it, but don’t 

forget to mark your holes so you can find them again! You must also clearly mark 

each set line with your name and licence number. All setlines must be checked at 

least every 30 hours. 

• If you catch a burbot and wish to keep it, quickly kill it with a sharp blow behind the 

eyes. If you catch any other species, like lake trout or northern pike, you must 

release them. Consider using barbless and/or circle hooks, to make releasing these 

fish easier. 

• Every day you fish, remember to record your effort and catch on your Setline Catch 

Report! 

Right way and wrong ways 

Your hook must rest on the bottom of the lake/river.

Tips for catching burbot 

• Burbot are most active at night and feed along the bottoms of lakes and rivers. 

• The best spots to find burbot are shallow bays, shoals and near creek mouths with 

mud or sand bottoms. 

• Burbot hunt mostly by smell, not sight, and are not spooked by heavy line – using 

heavy line reduces bycatch of other species, and is easier to handle while wearing 

gloves. 

• Burbot are attracted to a wide variety of bait – try frozen smelt, chicken livers, or 

even bacon! 

• Consider using circle hooks for setlines – they are designed to avoid deeply hooking 

fish. 

Circle hooks? 

Circle hooks differ from conventional J-style hooks in that the hook point is bent back 

toward the hook shank. This design means that as a fish swims away with the bait in its 

mouth, the hook doesn’t set until it reaches the corner of their mouth, hooking them 

there rather than in the throat or stomach. The curved-in point also makes it harder for 

fish to spit the hook, even with barbless circle hooks. 

Barbless 

J hook 

Barbed 

J hook 

In our experience, circle hooks are ideal for setlines. The best rig we have tested is a 2/0 

barbless circle hook on a 40lb test monofilament leader, tied using a knot such as a 

perfection loop or rapala knot, which allows the hook to rotate freely when hooking a 

fish. This rig has high catch rates, consistently catches burbot in the corner of the mouth, 

and is easy to unhook once you’ve landed the fish. 

Try using a circle hook rig. You’ll likely find you catch more burbot, and they’re easier to 

unhook, too! Using circle hooks also makes it much easier to release unharmed any 

other species you might catch. 

For more information, contact: 

Fisheries Programs 

Environment Yukon 

fisheries@gov.yk.ca 

(867) 667-5199 

Barbless 

circle hook 

Barbed 

circle hook

How to Catch Burbot Using Setlines - Environment Yukon

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