Best burbot lakes in Vermont
7 Vermont waters hold burbot, 1 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 Willoughby — 337 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lac Wallace — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow TroutWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Seymour Lake — 167 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Echo Lake — 129 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Elligo — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Echo Lake — 91 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Echo Lake — 42 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
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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 Vermont waters with public access data
When to fish burbot in Vermont
- 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 Vermont: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best brown bullhead lakes
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