Fontenelle Burbot Raffle Underway

GREEN RIVER— Anglers have a chance to win $1000 for catching burbot at Fontenelle Reservoir with the return of the Fontenelle Burbot Raffle.

The raffle has returned for a second year with the Upper Bear River Chapter of Trout Unlimited group sponsoring the event.

There is no fee to participate in this raffle. To be entered into the drawing, anglers need to catch a burbot with a pink “2018 Burbot Raffle” floy tag. The tag is the angler’s “ticket” for entering the drawing. Each tag is imprinted with “2018 Burbot Raffle WGFD 307-875-3223”. “If you catch a burbot wearing a pink tag, call the phone number on the tag and a Game and Fish employee will provide the address and instructions for mailing the tag with your contact information to the Green River Game and Fish Office,” Green River Fisheries Biologist Troy Laughlin said.” Successful anglers will be officially entered into the drawing when their tag and contact information is received at the Green River office.”

The raffle will run from late October until the La Barge Ding the Ling Burbot Derby Closing Ceremonies on February 11, 2018. Laughlin said only the pink 2018 tags submitted during that time period will be eligible for the drawing. “The winning tag will be drawn on February 11, 2018 at the awards ceremony for the La Barge Ding the Ling Burbot Derby,” Laughlin said. “One tag will be drawn and the owner of that tag will win the $1000 grand prize. Anglers need not be part of the derby, nor present during the drawing, to win the 2018 Burbot Raffle. In the event no burbot wearing a 2018 Burbot Raffle tag are caught by the closing ceremonies on February 11, 2018, the raffle will continue until June 30, 2018. The first tag turned in on or prior to June 30 will win the $1000 grand prize. The 3rd annual La Barge Ding the Ling Burbot Derby on Fontenelle Reservoir will be February 10-11, 2018.”

The raffle is already underway, with 42 burbot tagged on October 17th. An additional 18 burbot will be tagged the week of October 23rd, resulting in 60 burbot tagged for the raffle.

“We encourage anglers to begin fishing as soon as possible, as water temperatures are becoming optimum for catching burbot,” Laughlin said. “Burbot are best caught with luminescent lures after dark. Tip a lure that glows, be it a grub bodied jig or a jigging spoon, with a little sucker meat or other legal bait and hold on. Burbot prefer rocky habitats and will start cruising slopes adjacent to and within rocky habitat as soon as the sun sets. Start fishing depths between 20 and 50 feet, but don’t hesitate to try shallower or deeper on any given evening. Two additional pointers: recharge your lure frequently, every 10-15 minutes. Lures with a bright glow catch more fish than those with a dim glow or no glow. Burbot typically travel in packs. If you catch one, get the lure back down as soon as possible because there may be more waiting below. Good luck!”