Burbot Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 128 Minnesota lakes · 13 in Michigan

Rough fish like Burbot are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 141 Minnesota lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Burbot is moderately distributed — 128 lakes in Minnesota and 13 in Michigan. 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 letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Burbot documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

128

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Burbot Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented burbot, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Burbot Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
2	Big Lake	St. Louis	A	8.2 ft	22 ft
3	Round Lake	Crow Wing	A	13.5 ft	51 ft
4	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	14.4 ft	138 ft
5	Farm Lake	Lake	A	5.5 ft	56 ft
6	Washburn Lake	Cass	A	14.1 ft	111 ft
7	Garden Lake	Lake	A	5 ft	55 ft
8	Colby Lake	St. Louis	A	3 ft	30 ft
9	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.1 ft	60 ft
10	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	A	11.1 ft	105 ft
11	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
12	Swan Lake	Itasca	A	13.5 ft	65 ft
13	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	A	25 ft	65 ft
14	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	A	12.5 ft	76 ft
15	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	A	14.4 ft	54 ft
16	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	105 ft
17	Wolf Lake	Beltrami	A	9 ft	57 ft
18	Fall Lake	Lake	A	5.5 ft	32 ft
19	Thunder Lake	Cass	A	16.5 ft	95 ft
20	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	A	7 ft	65 ft
21	Tom Lake	Cook	A	9 ft	35 ft
22	Ponto Lake	Cass	A	19 ft	60 ft
23	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	A	16 ft	126 ft
24	Siseebakwet Lake	Itasca	A	19 ft	105 ft
25	Sea Gull Lake	Cook	A	14.3 ft	40 ft
26	Movil Lake	Beltrami	A	14 ft	50 ft
27	Boy Lake	Cass	A	10.5 ft	45 ft
28	Kabekona Lake	Hubbard	A	12.1 ft	133 ft
29	Gunflint Lake	Cook	A	16.5 ft	200 ft
30	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.1 ft	64 ft
31	Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	A	12.5 ft	80 ft
32	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	A	9.8 ft	150 ft
33	Whitewater Lake	St. Louis	A	14 ft	73 ft
34	Ml-Nw Lake	Aitkin	A	9.4 ft	42 ft
35	Ml-Seventeen Lake	Aitkin	A	6.2 ft	42 ft
36	Ml-Vineland Lake	Mille Lacs	A	7.8 ft	42 ft
37	Ml-Malone Lake	Mille Lacs	A	5.7 ft	42 ft
38	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	A	17.2 ft	150 ft
39	Ml-Ne Lake	Aitkin	A	8.6 ft	42 ft
40	Hen Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.1 ft	105 ft
41	Cass Lake Allens Bay	Beltrami	A	16.6 ft	120 ft
42	Mitawan Lake	Lake	A	11.3 ft	24 ft
43	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	A	13.6 ft	95 ft
44	Cass Lake	Beltrami	A	18.5 ft	120 ft
45	August Lake	Lake	A	4.7 ft	19 ft
46	Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	B	15.5 ft	49 ft
47	Snowbank Lake	Lake	B	15.1 ft	150 ft
48	Big Wolf Lake	Hubbard	B	11.5 ft	57 ft
49	Sand Lake	Lake	C	4.1 ft	11 ft
50	Little Pine Lake	Otter Tail	C	9.5 ft	63 ft

Showing top 50 of 128 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have burbot?

Burbot are found in 128 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best burbot lakes in Minnesota?

The best burbot lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Bad Medicine Lake, Big Lake, Round Lake, Whitefish Lake, Farm Lake.

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.