Toasting the Burbot
My recent interview with Kade Gewanter reminded me of a fish called burbot – alternatively referred to as eelpout, freshwater cod, or even “lawyers.” I’ve never caught one, but I spent parts several summers in the 1980s and 1990s in and around Walker, Minnesota, home to the famous “Eelpout Festival.” Our friends to the north talked glowingly of this hideous fish, but I always chalked that up to copious amounts of alcohol consumed. Anyway, if you’d like to adorn yourself or your loved ones in burbot gear, there are a few options out there.
The Eelpout Festival died a few years back (1980-2019), but here are some articles to fill you pouters and would-be pouters in what went on: