Burbot Lakes in Minnesota, 105 Lakes

Rough fish like Burbot are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 113 Minnesota lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Burbot is moderately distributed — 105 lakes in Minnesota and 8 in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Burbot lake list below against each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Burbot documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

105

Minnesota Lakes

Counties

Burbot Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented burbot.

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Best Burbot Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	25 ft	84 ft
2	Big Lake	St. Louis	8.2 ft	22 ft
3	Round Lake	Crow Wing	13.5 ft	51 ft
4	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	14.4 ft	138 ft
5	Farm Lake	Lake	5.5 ft	56 ft
6	Washburn Lake	Cass	14.1 ft	111 ft
7	Garden Lake	Lake	5 ft	55 ft
8	Colby Lake	St. Louis	3 ft	30 ft
9	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	15.1 ft	60 ft
10	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	11.1 ft	105 ft
11	Gull Lake	Cass	15 ft	80 ft
12	Swan Lake	Itasca	13.5 ft	65 ft
13	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	25 ft	65 ft
14	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	12.5 ft	76 ft
15	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	14.4 ft	54 ft
16	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	18 ft	105 ft
17	Wolf Lake	Beltrami	9 ft	57 ft
18	Fall Lake	Lake	5.5 ft	32 ft
19	Thunder Lake	Cass	16.5 ft	95 ft
20	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	7 ft	65 ft
21	Tom Lake	Cook	9 ft	35 ft
22	Ponto Lake	Cass	19 ft	60 ft
23	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	16 ft	126 ft
24	Siseebakwet Lake	Itasca	19 ft	105 ft
25	Sea Gull Lake	Cook	14.3 ft	40 ft
26	Movil Lake	Beltrami	14 ft	50 ft
27	Boy Lake	Cass	10.5 ft	45 ft
28	Kabekona Lake	Hubbard	12.1 ft	133 ft
29	Gunflint Lake	Cook	16.5 ft	200 ft
30	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	17.1 ft	64 ft
31	Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	12.5 ft	80 ft
32	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	9.8 ft	150 ft
33	Whitewater Lake	St. Louis	14 ft	73 ft
34	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	17.2 ft	150 ft
35	Hen Lake	Crow Wing	17.1 ft	105 ft
36	Mitawan Lake	Lake	11.3 ft	24 ft
37	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	13.6 ft	95 ft
38	Cass Lake	Beltrami	18.5 ft	120 ft
39	August Lake	Lake	4.7 ft	19 ft
40	Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	15.5 ft	49 ft
41	Snowbank Lake	Lake	15.1 ft	150 ft
42	Big Wolf Lake	Hubbard	11.5 ft	57 ft
43	Sand Lake	Lake	4.1 ft	11 ft
44	Little Pine Lake	Otter Tail	9.5 ft	63 ft
45	Irving Lake	Beltrami	5.6 ft	19 ft
46	Island Lake	Itasca	8.9 ft	35 ft
47	Big Pine Lake	Otter Tail	8.7 ft	76 ft
48	Mitchell Lake	Crow Wing	7 ft	78 ft
49	Minnewawa Lake	Aitkin	5 ft	21 ft
50	Big Sandy Lake	Aitkin	4.5 ft	84 ft

Showing top 50 of 105 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have burbot?

Burbot are found in 105 lakes in Minnesota.

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 readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.