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Best burbot lakes in Michigan

187 Michigan waters hold burbot, 186 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. Lake Huron — Sunrise Coast — 437 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, SteelheadWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
2. Lake Superior — Marquette Shore — 798 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake TroutWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
3. Lake Superior — Keweenaw Peninsula — 850 ft max · survey depth data · Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 7 public access sites
4. Osterhout Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
5. Blue Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
6. Ben-way Lake — 42 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
7. Drum Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
8. Horseshoe Lake — 44 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. Boot Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Third Fortune Lake — 55 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
11. Steuben Lake — 55 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Yellow PerchWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Rush Lake — 58 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Pine Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Bass Lake — 74 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Lake Angeline — 162 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow TroutWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Upper Jeptha Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. Pickerel Lake — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
18. Winfield Lake — 57 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Guthrie Lake — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Woodbeck Lake — 42 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Bellows Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
22. Sylvan Lake — 63 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Big Chub Lake — 74 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Derby Lake — 87 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Edey Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 162 more Michigan waters holding burbot.

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When to fish burbot in Michigan

• 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.

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