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Best burbot lakes in Alberta

65 Alberta waters hold burbot, 62 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The freshwater cod that feeds at night under the ice — ugly, delicious and wildly underrated.

1. Lesser Slave Lake — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
2. Green Lake — 142 ft max · Walleye, Northern Pike, Lake Whitefish, BurbotWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
3. Lac la Biche — 73 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
4. Cold Lake — 325 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
5. Utikuma Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
6. Sandy Lake — 164 ft max · Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Lake WhitefishWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
7. Winefred Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
8. Chin Lakes — 76 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Lake Whitefish, BurbotWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
9. Buffalo Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, BurbotWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Wabamun Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
11. Pigeon Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
12. Gull Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
13. Beaver Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
14. Fawcett Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
15. Lac Ste. Anne — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Brook TroutWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
16. Muriel Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
17. Sylvan Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
18. Sturgeon Lake — 31 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
19. Frog Lake — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
20. Isle Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, BurbotWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Moose Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 11 public access sites
22. Wolf Lake — 131 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. North Buck Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Snipe Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
25. Marie Lake — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 40 more Alberta waters holding burbot.

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When to fish burbot in Alberta

• Spring 25–70 ft — Post-spawn burbot slide back toward deep basins but still run shallow rock after dark.
• Summer 50–120 ft — Deep and sluggish in warm months — mostly a bycatch while jigging deep structure for lake trout.
• Fall 30–80 ft — Feeding picks up hard as the water cools — dead bait or glow spoons on deep rock at night.
• Winter 15–60 ft — Late-winter spawners stack on rock humps and shoals — glow jigs pounded on bottom after dark.

Also in Alberta: best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes

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