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FISH GUIDE · Freshwater

Burbot: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Lota lota

An elongated, mottled freshwater fish associated with cool waters, Lota lota has a chin barbel. A French federation documents fishing for it with a worm on the bottom; a more detailed Swiss protocol is presented with its geographical limits and the necessary local checks.

Catalogue names : Lote. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Its Eurasian range includes the Loire, Rhône and many northern drainages east to the Lena. FishBase reports eastern English populations as extirpated. Older North American records may belong to Lota maculosa under some taxonomies and are not pooled here.

  • Native range : Loire and Rhône
  • Native range : Northern Europe and Siberia east to the Lena
  • Historical presence : Eastern England

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

A mottled body, a chin barbel and a very long second dorsal fin characterise burbot. Examine these features together and retain the name Lota lota: marine monkfish is a different fish.

Habitat

Cool rivers and lakes, notably the Rhône and eastern France. Rocks, roots and crevices offer shelter near the bottom; do not dismantle stones or probe a refuge with a hook to check for fish.

Diet

Invertebrates, small fish and fish eggs depending on age and resources.

Behaviour

It seeks shelter near the bottom and may forage in darkness. Observations and fishing accounts prove neither local abundance nor permission to fish at night; check venue hours and status.

Indicative biological size

Generally 30–60 cm in the lakes and rivers described by DORIS; a descriptive size range.

Fishing context and precautions

The Bouches-du-Rhône federation documents Lota lota with a worm on the bottom. To detail this method family, Nils Anderson describes shore fishing in Swiss lakes using a free-running anti-tangle boom holding a 40 g weight on the main line, followed by a swivel and a short 5–15 cm hooklength with a worm-baited single hook. He watches line movement with a bite indicator.

His example uses a rod at least 3 m long, with a casting rating of at least 50 g, and 0.33 mm monofilament. These values are indicative for the banks and depths described, not a universal French rig. Check local law, hours, access and whether retention is possible before targeting deep fish; the account warns of decompression problems. Its night sessions, deep-water capture and Québec setlines are not transferred as French permissions.

A distinctive feature

Its chin barbel helps detect food.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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