← Montana fishing maps

Best burbot lakes in Montana

16 Montana waters hold burbot, 16 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. Canyon Ferry Reservoir — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Hauser Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
3. Lake Sherburne — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
4. Clark Canyon Reservoir — 91 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
5. Lake Frances — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
6. Lake Helena — 12 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
7. Yellowtail Afterbay Reservoir — 46 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
8. Lake Sutherlin — 51 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
9. Newlan Reservoir — 87 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
10. Sophie Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
11. Glen Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
12. Mussigbrod Lake — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Brook Trout, Burbot, Arctic Grayling
13. Lower Miner Lakes — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Burbot, Arctic Grayling
14. Tetrault Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill
15. Lake Elmo — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
16. Spotted Eagle Lake — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger

When to fish burbot in Montana

• 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 Montana: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes

Burbot elsewhere: Minnesota · New Hampshire · Wyoming · Alaska · Manitoba · Alberta