A dozen to more than 100 burbots form a quivering sphere of tangled bodies and release eggs and milt into the turbulent water. Closely related to ocean cod, which also spawn in winter. A larger cousin lives in Europe. Some scientists believe burbots were trapped in Minnesota and a few other northern states when an arm of a prehistoric sea receded. White, boneless meat, liver rich in vitamins A and D. French connoisseurs prize the liver.
Most catches are by ice anglers using minnow-tipped jigs for walleyes or crappies.
Many people despise the burbot for stealing bait, as well as for its odd appearance and habit of wrapping itself around the arm of an angler trying to unhook the fish.