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.
- Canyon Ferry Reservoir — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
- Hauser Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Clark Canyon Reservoir — 91 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
- Lake Frances — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Lake Sherburne — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Yellowtail Afterbay Reservoir — 46 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Channel Catfish, Rainbow TroutWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Lake Sutherlin — 51 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Lake WhitefishWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Newlan Reservoir — 87 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Glen Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Mussigbrod Lake — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Brook Trout, Burbot, Arctic GraylingWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Canyon Lake (Carbon) — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Lower Miner Lakes — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Burbot, Arctic GraylingWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Sky Top Lakes (Park) — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Rock Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Sophie Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Tetrault Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Montana waters with public access data
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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