Have You Even Heard Of The Most Repulsive Fish In Minnesota?

This hideous Minnesota fish looks like a cross between a slimy snake and a whiskered catfish.

When I was a kid I would go fishing with my dad up by Brainerd, Minnesota.

Like a lot of fishermen at that time, if he happened to hook into an eelpout rather than pull it into the boat my dad would just cut the line. 

Folks didn't want to even handle what some described as a slimy, ugly, trash fish.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources even reminds anglers... “Don’t be shocked when our eel-like looking friend, uniquely and harmlessly, wraps its body around your forearm and gives you a little…. ur…ur…ur, vocalization when handling them. It’s just their way of greeting you.”

Burbot or eelpout, as its called, can be found in most northern Minnesota lakes and rivers.

You can hook into Eelpout from way up north on Lake Superior to all the way down to the prairie region lakes of Minnesota.

The Minnesota DNR describes eelpout like this...”With it's slimy skin and tendency to wrap itself around your arm, the burbot is considered by many anglers to be the "ish" of fish.”

But not everyone is disgusted by the uglies fish in Minnesota.

The city of Walker, Minnesota launched the International “Eelpout Festival” in 1980 as a strategy to draw tourists to northern Minnesota during the frigid winter season.

The International Eelpout Festival in Walker revolves around the state's most unattractive fish.

Despite centering on this unsightly creature, the event has evolved into an annual four-day celebration that has garnered nationwide recognition and lured thousands of attendees.