burbot Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 138 lakes

Rough fish like burbot are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 138 Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. burbot is moderately distributed — present in 138 Minnesota lakes and 0 Wisconsin lakes. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

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.

138

Total Lakes

138

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

81 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of burbot Lakes

36%

23%

21%

17%

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	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	59 ft	15
3	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	138 ft	23
4	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
5	Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	49 ft	9
6	Ottertrack Lake	Unknown	MN	A	116 ft	9
7	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	17
8	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	105 ft	21
9	Hanson Lake	Lake	MN	A	100 ft	6
10	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	95 ft	17
11	Pine Lake	Cook	MN	A	113 ft	10
12	Ponto Lake	Cass	MN	A	60 ft	16
13	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	126 ft	15
14	Siseebakwet Lake	Itasca	MN	A	105 ft	11
15	Gunflint Lake	Cook	MN	A	200 ft	12
16	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	64 ft	22
17	Ester Lake	Lake	MN	A	110 ft	8
18	Topaz Lake	Lake	MN	A	110 ft	4
19	Peter Lake	Cook	MN	A	120 ft	4
20	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	95 ft	17
21	Amoeber Lake	Lake	MN	A	110 ft	4
22	Whitewater Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	73 ft	15
23	Little Gunflint Lake	Cook	MN	A	200 ft	12
24	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	150 ft	18
25	Rog Lake	Cook	MN	A	40 ft	4
26	16-0524-00 Lake	Cook	MN	A	142 ft	4
27	Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	16
28	Mountain Lake	Unknown	MN	A	130 ft	7
29	Hen Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	105 ft	21
30	West Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	120 ft	5
31	Ml-Thains Lake	Mille Lacs	MN	A	42 ft	21
32	Ml-Seventeen Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	42 ft	21
33	Ml Lake	Mille Lacs	MN	A	42 ft	21
34	Ml Lake	Mille Lacs	MN	A	42 ft	21
35	Ml-Vineland Lake	Mille Lacs	MN	A	42 ft	21
36	Ml-Peterson Lake	Mille Lacs	MN	A	42 ft	21
37	Ml-Malone Lake	Mille Lacs	MN	A	42 ft	21
38	Round Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	51 ft	20
39	Washburn Lake	Cass	MN	A	111 ft	21
40	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	105 ft	22
41	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
42	Swan Lake	Itasca	MN	A	65 ft	17
43	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	76 ft	16
44	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	22
45	Sea Gull Lake	Cook	MN	A	40 ft	12
46	Movil Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	50 ft	20
47	Kabekona Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	133 ft	20
48	Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	16
49	Lake Winnibigoshish	Cass	MN	A	69.8 ft	20
50	Tamarack Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	69.8 ft	20

Showing top 50 of 138 lakes with burbot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have burbot?

burbot are found in 138 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 138 in Minnesota and 0 in Wisconsin. 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, Round Lake, Whitefish Lake, Andrusia Lake, Eagles Nest 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 white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, walleye, rock bass. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.