Burbot Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Other SpeciesFound in 13 lakes

Rough fish like Burbot are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 13 Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Burbot is narrowly distributed — only 13 lakes in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Burbot lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Burbot documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Total Lakes

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

81 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Burbot Lakes

31%

29%

17%

20%

Best Burbot Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with burbot ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
2	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
3	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
4	Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	49 ft	9
5	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	17
6	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	105 ft	21
7	Hanson Lake	Lake	MN	A	100 ft	6
8	Pine Lake	Cook	MN	A	113 ft	10
9	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	95 ft	17
10	Ponto Lake	Cass	MN	A	60 ft	16
11	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	126 ft	15
12	Siseebakwet Lake	Itasca	MN	A	105 ft	11
13	Gunflint Lake	Cook	MN	A	200 ft	12
14	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	64 ft	22
15	Ester Lake	Lake	MN	A	110 ft	8
16	Topaz Lake	Lake	MN	A	110 ft	4
17	Peter Lake	Cook	MN	A	120 ft	4
18	Snowbank Lake	Lake	MN	A	150 ft	11
19	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	95 ft	17
20	Amoeber Lake	Lake	MN	A	110 ft	4
21	Little Gunflint Lake	Cook	MN	A	200 ft	12
22	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	150 ft	18
23	Rog Lake	Cook	MN	A	40 ft	4
24	South Lake	Cook	MN	A	140 ft	6
25	Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	16
26	Mountain Lake	Unknown	MN	A	130 ft	7
27	Hen Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	105 ft	21
28	West Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	120 ft	5
29	Sagamore Mine Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	210 ft	11
30	Cass Lake Allens Bay	Beltrami	MN	A	120 ft	21
31	Cass Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	120 ft	21
32	Crystal Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	9
33	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	27
34	Round Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	51 ft	20
35	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	138 ft	23
36	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	105 ft	22
37	Washburn Lake	Cass	MN	A	111 ft	21
38	Swan Lake	Itasca	MN	A	65 ft	17
39	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	76 ft	16
40	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	22
41	Sea Gull Lake	Cook	MN	A	40 ft	12
42	Movil Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	50 ft	20
43	Kabekona Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	133 ft	20
44	Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	16
45	Whitewater Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	73 ft	15
46	Tamarack Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	69.8 ft	20
47	Mitawan Lake	Lake	MN	A	24 ft	9
48	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	MN	A	95 ft	20
49	Otter Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	30
50	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	MN	B	150 ft	18

Showing top 50 of 156 lakes with burbot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have burbot?

Burbot are found in 13 graded lakes: 13 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with burbot is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for burbot?

The best burbot lakes by water quality are Bad Medicine Lake, Gull Lake, Andrusia Lake, Eagles Nest Lake, Serpent Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where burbot have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with burbot?

Burbot are most commonly found alongside burbot, white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, walleye. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Burbot Lakes

White sucker Lakes

Found together in 141 lakes · 121 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 133 lakes · 113 total

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 130 lakes · 99 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 128 lakes · 840 total

Rock bass Lakes

Found together in 119 lakes · 117 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 109 lakes · 41 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.