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Best burbot lakes in Montana

23 Montana waters list burbot (official records or labelled estimates), 23 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — 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. Tiber Reservoir — 110 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
2. Canyon Ferry Reservoir — 130 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
3. Hauser Lake — 65 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
4. Clark Canyon Reservoir — 91 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
5. Lake Frances — 43 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
6. Lake Sherburne — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
7. Yellowtail Afterbay Reservoir — 46 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Channel Catfish, Rainbow TroutWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
8. Lake Sutherlin — 51 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Lake WhitefishWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
9. Newlan Reservoir — 87 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Lake Helena — 12 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
11. Glen Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Mussigbrod Lake — 69 ft max · real survey depth contours · Brook Trout, Burbot, Arctic GraylingWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Canyon Lake (Carbon) — 80 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
14. Lower Miner Lakes — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Burbot, Arctic GraylingWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
15. Lake Elmo — 16 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
16. Sky Top Lakes (Park) — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
17. Rock Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
18. Sophie Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Tetrault Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Spotted Eagle Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 3 more Montana waters holding burbot.

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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

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