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Best burbot lakes in Ontario

1372 Ontario waters list burbot (official records or labelled estimates), 866 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. Lake of the Woods — 36 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
2. Kopka River — 79 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
3. Lake Abitibi — 49 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
4. Sandy Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
5. Long Lake — 400 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
6. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
7. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
8. Eagle Lake — 100 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
9. Lake Simcoe — 135 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
10. Sturgeon Lake — 260 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
11. Deer Lake — 217 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
12. Lake Timiskaming — 70 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
13. Red Lake — 140 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
14. Missinaibi Lake — 250 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
15. Lac des Mille Lacs — 90 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
16. Trout Lake — 150 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
17. Dog Lake — 328 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
18. Lac la Croix — 168 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
19. Kesagami Lake — 13 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
20. Big Trout Lake — 120 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #20: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
21. Birch Lake — 118 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
22. Onaping Lake — 160 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Rice Lake — 44 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 12 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
24. Kabinakagami Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
25. Miniss Lake — 120 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 1347 more Ontario waters holding burbot.

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When to fish burbot in Ontario

• 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 Ontario: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass 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 freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes · best lake sturgeon lakes

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