Best burbot lakes in Ontario
595 Ontario waters hold burbot, 595 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.
- Lake Abitibi — 49 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Sandy Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Long Lake — 400 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
- Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
- Lake Simcoe — 135 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
- Deer Lake — 217 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Red Lake — 140 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike
- Missinaibi Lake — 250 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Lac des Mille Lacs — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Trout Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Lac la Croix — 168 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike
- Kesagami Lake — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Whitefish
- Birch Lake — 118 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Onaping Lake — 160 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Muskellunge
- Miniss Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Pigeon Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
- Atikwa Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Favourable Lake — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Onaman Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Whitefish
- Lake of Bays — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
- Dryberry Lake — 340 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Yellow Perch
- Kakagi Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Yellow Perch
- White Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Namakan Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
…plus 570 more Ontario waters holding burbot.
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 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
Burbot elsewhere: Minnesota · Québec · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Alaska · Manitoba · Alberta