The International Eelpout Festival is an annual gathering held in the town of

Walker, Minnesota Walker is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 941 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County. Walker is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area. Minnesota State Highways 34, 200, and ...

. It celebrates the eelpout (or burbot, scientific name ''

Lota lota The burbot (''Lota lota'') is the only gadiform (cod-like) freshwater fish. It is also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, and eelpout. The species is closely ...

''), an indigenous bottom dwelling fish that inhabits the region's lakes, in some cases being found as deep as 300m. The fish itself is described as a cross between a

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

and

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

, giving it a slender disposition but retaining a tapered midsection with a full complement of

pectoral Pectoral may refer to: * The chest region and anything relating to it. * Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest * a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget * Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), a type of jewelry worn in ancient Egypt * Pectorali ...

and caudal fins. While ''Lota lota'' is known locally as eelpout,

eelpout The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the roughly 300 species are marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts are predominantly ...

also may refer to a family of marine fishes.

Leech Lake Leech Lake is a lake located in north central Minnesota, United States. It is southeast of Bemidji, located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, and completely within the Chippewa National Forest. It is used as a reservoir. The lake ...

is known for its exceptional

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

fishing, making this festival a banner for the often forgotten eelpout.

History

The first Eelpout Festival was held in January 1980, and it ran annually until 2019. From 1983 onwards, the festival was held in February. Because of pollution, cost and safety concerns, 2020 saw the festival get scrapped. The celebration is held during one of the coldest periods of the year, and temperatures often reach well below zero. In 2016 and 2017, however, the ice was too thin to permit motor vehicles onto the lake. The events are designed to cater to a wide range of audiences and family activities are plentiful.

Environment

is well known among locals for its abundance of

, bass,

Northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

, sunfish and

muskellunge The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskell ...

. Eelpout are frequently caught only during the winter months. Leech Lake is the third largest lake in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

covering 102,947.83

acres The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

, with 195 miles of shoreline, and a maximum depth of 150 feet. Temperatures in February average a high of 19 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 3 degrees F.

2018 attempted location move

As reported in September 2017 for a variety of reasons, the festival board had explored the possibility of relocating the event to

Lake Bemidji Lake Bemidji is a small glacially-formed lake, approximately in area, in northern Minnesota in the United States. Located less than downstream from the source of the Mississippi River, it both receives and is drained by the Mississippi. Name L ...

, an hour northwest of Walker. According to the Bemidji Pioneer, an application was filed with the Beltrami County board to proceed with moving the event north. Beltrami County officials voiced concern about the potential impact of the event on Lake Bemidji, and the 2018 festival ultimately did not move from Leech Lake.

References

{{reflist Tourist attractions in Cass County, Minnesota Festivals in Minnesota