Burntside Lake

Air

27°F

Wind

5 mph W

Sky

Sunny

Pressure

30.30 inHgRising (+1 hPa in 3 h)

National Weather Service hourly forecast; pressure from station KELO at 6:55 AM CT.

Burntside Lake covers 7,314 acres and is 126 ft at its deepest. These are the sport fish DNR surveys found here, and what each typically does in October in Minnesota lakes.

• WalleyeFall walleye feed heavily on rocky points and breaklines; dusk and after dark are often best.
• Northern pikeFall pike feed heavily along the last green weeds and drop-offs.
• Smallmouth bassFall smallmouth school on deep rocky structure and feed before moving to wintering areas. From mid-September through February, smallmouth are catch-and-release only in most of the state (outside the Northeast Zone).
• CrappieFall crappies school tightly in deeper basins and feed actively.
• BluegillFall bluegill move toward deeper weed edges and feed actively.
• Yellow perchFall perch school on deep flats and feed heavily.
• Lake troutLake trout spawn on rocky reefs in fall. Lake trout season is closed until the winter season opens on January 16.
• BurbotAs the water cools, burbot become more active along the bottom.

Season notes: Minnesota statewide inland seasons from the DNR's 2026–27 fishing regulations. Check current regulations.

Species found in Minnesota DNR fish surveys of Burntside Lake in the last 10 years or its latest survey (July 22, 2024).

• WalleyeSpawns over gravel and rock in the shallows soon after ice-out, peaking in 42–50°F water; in summer it holds deeper and feeds in the shallows at dawn and dusk.
• Northern pikeSpawns in flooded, weedy shallows right after ice-out and keeps feeding in cold water, so it bites from spring through ice season.
• Smallmouth bassNests on gravel and rock in late spring and stays around rocky points, reefs and current through summer.
• Black crappieSpawns in May and June in shallow water in the mid-60s °F; schools roam open water and feed most at night, dawn and dusk.
• BluegillNests in colonies in firm-bottomed shallows from late May through much of summer, in 67–80°F water; bigger fish feed in open water.
• Yellow perchSpawns in early spring, draping egg ribbons over weeds and brush, and bites eagerly on worms all year, including through the ice.
• Rock bassNests over gravel near rocks and logs in late spring and stays close to rocky cover all summer.
• Lake troutLives in deep, cold, clear northern lakes; it comes shallow after ice-out and in late fall and stays deep while the surface is warm.
• BurbotA freshwater cousin of the cod that spawns under the ice in mid to late winter, when anglers catch most of them.

Also found

• Green sunfish
• Hybrid sunfish
• Lake whitefish
• Rainbow smelt
• Shorthead redhorse
• White sucker