Burbot fishing in Canada

Lota lota

Documented at

55,648 waters

Primary species at

0 waters

Ideal water temp

8°C

Active range

2–15°C

Best burbot waters today

Scored for 2026-09-15 from live weather, water temperature and this species’ own thermal range.

1. Alfred Moore Lake (Nelson House 170)Lake74
2. Awasawukaw Lake (Sandy Bay - Wapaskokimaw 202)Lake74
3. Bushell Lake (Sandy Bay - Wapaskokimaw 202)Lake74
4. Butt Lake (Arviat)Lake74
5. Cassells Lake (Nelson House 170)Lake74
6. Albert Taylor Lake (Nelson House 170)Lake73
7. Alexander Watt Lake (Arviat)Lake73
8. Ashton Lake (Nelson House 170)Lake73
9. Bagg Lake (Nelson House 170)Lake73
10. Bowton Lake (Arviat)Lake73

How to fish for burbot

Burbot (also called ling, eelpout, or lawyer) are the only freshwater member of the cod family - a genuinely odd, elongated, cold-water bottom predator that's most actively and famously targeted through the ice in the dead of winter, which is when they move shallow to spawn and feed aggressively at night. That nocturnal winter bite is the key: jigging a bright or glow spoon tipped with a minnow, or a heavy jig, right on bottom after dark, is the classic and most productive approach, since burbot hunt by scent and lateral line in low light. They're strong, snake-like fighters and, despite their homely looks, are widely regarded as excellent eating (the nickname 'poor man's lobster' is earned). In open water they're a deep, cold, hard-to-target fish; the winter spawning period is genuinely the window that makes them accessible. Rocky, hard-bottomed areas and points near deep water concentrate them, and because they're bottom-locked hunters, keeping the bait right on the bottom is essential rather than optional.

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