Sullivan Lake Burbot Fishing Washington: Ice Season Tactics

A 1,290-acre natural lake in Pend Oreille County sits near 2,600 feet in the Selkirk Mountains, and its cold, oxygen-rich water holds a self-reproducing burbot population alongside kokanee and trout. The best window falls from late January through February, with most fish suspended between 30 and 60 feet after dark and average weights running 2 to 8 pounds. A quiet, cold trip, a low-gear rod, cut bait, and a flasher tuned to light line movement cover the basics.

This walkthrough covers Sullivan Lake’s winter burbot bite, from timing and depth to tackle, bait, and the WDFW rules every ice angler should confirm before heading to Pend Oreille County.

Why Sullivan Lake Stands Out for Burbot in Washington

Most Washington burbot stories revolve around Lake Chelan or the upper Columbia reservoirs. Sullivan Lake, set in the Colville National Forest, deserves a place on that short list because of three specific traits that shape its winter bite.

Cold, Deep, and Oxygen-Rich

Sullivan Lake fills a glacial valley with a maximum depth near 200 feet, a stable coldwater column, and dissolved oxygen levels that hold high beneath the ice. Burbot, the freshwater eelpout (Lota lota), need exactly that combination to spawn and feed through winter. Trout do fine here, but burbot thrive because nothing else competes for the same nocturnal bottom niche.

Surface elevation keeps the lake frozen reliably from late December into early March, which lines up with the burbot spawn under the ice.

Lower Pressure Than Famous Burbot Lakes

Lake Chelan draws crowds, and Banks Lake gets hammered for trout and burbot both. Sullivan Lake stays quieter in winter because the nearest services sit in Metaline Falls, about 30 minutes from the launch. The trade-off is real: you give up a coffee shop at the ramp and gain a basin where most holes have not been drilled that week.

“Drive two hours past Spokane, watch for the Sullivan Lake Road turnoff off Highway 31, and you will find the kind of winter quiet that turns into fish on the ice once the work is done.

A Day Trip From the Inland Northwest

Sullivan Lake sits roughly two hours north of Spokane and a little over an hour from Sandpoint, Idaho. A dawn launch stays doable even with ice gear strapped to the truck. Overnight stays at the Forest Service campground or the No-See-Um Lodge make a multi-day trip comfortable when cold fronts push in.

Burbot Behavior and the Winter Window at Sullivan Lake

Late January through February is the prime window because that is when burbot spawn beneath the ice. Their slow, communal spawning on shallow flats creates the densest concentrations of the year. Spawners bite reluctantly, so most anglers target fish holding just outside the active spawning areas.

Night Feeding in the 30 to 60 Foot Column

Burbot are nocturnal bottom feeders that key in on scent, vibration, and a soft glow in deep water. A 2020 WDFW creel survey on regional burbot lakes showed more than 80 percent of ice catches came between 4 p.m. and midnight, with a sharp peak in the last two hours of daylight. Sounder work on Sullivan Lake in early February typically shows fish suspended anywhere from 30 to 60 feet over deeper mud, holding slightly above the lake bed rather than glued to it.

Cold-Blooded Activity All Winter

Trout slow to a crawl under the ice, but burbot keep feeding. Their metabolism stays active in water temperatures that would lock up a rainbow, which is why Sullivan Lake burbot fishing in Washington is most reliable in February rather than December, when both species are active but burbot are easier to find in one spot.

Season Phase	Approximate Timing	Where Burbot Stage
Early ice	Late December to early January	Suspended over mid-depth structure, 40 to 60 feet
Pre-spawn staging	Mid to late January	Edges of spawning flats, 20 to 35 feet
Active spawn	Late January to mid-February	Shallow mud and gravel shelves, 5 to 20 feet
Post-spawn feed	Late February into March	Drop-offs near the spawning flats, 30 to 50 feet

Locating Fish Across the Lake Bottom and Water Column

Finding burbot on Sullivan Lake comes down to three things: depth, structure, and the willingness to drill more than one hole. The lake basin has a long north-south axis with a deeper trench running down the east side. The shoreline rarely matters in winter, because the most consistent fish relate to the old river channel and the mud flats that border it.

Edges Where Mud Meets the Old Channel

Focus first on the transition zones where shallow mud flats drop into the old channel, because burbot stack along those breaks. Those seams hold baitfish and attract everything else. WDFW stocking reports note that the original rainbow trout plants came from Metolius River stock, which hints at the water quality and the forage base the lake supports.

Drill a Grid, Then Narrow Down

Pick a contour line based on the season, then drill a pattern of holes along it rather than committing to a single spot. A typical grid looks like six to ten holes spaced 30 to 50 yards apart, fished for 15 to 20 minutes each. Mark the hole that produced on a phone GPS app, and the next day you have a starting point instead of a guess.

“Drill the grid before the bite window opens, because once the light fades you want to be jigging, not cutting holes in the dark.

Use a Flasher, Not a Paper Graph

A Vexilar-style flasher is the standard tool for burbot because it shows real-time movement at the depth of your jig. Set the sensitivity high, and you will see the small “wiggle” of a burbot rising a few feet off the bottom to inspect your bait. A standard 2D sonar unit works, but it lags behind enough to miss the soft pickups burbot are known for.

Tackle, Bait, and Rigging for Sullivan Lake Burbot

Rods for burbot here run light by ice standards, and a short triggerstick paired with a flasher does most of the work. You are not horse-fighting lake trout. You are detecting a slow pickup from a fish that mouths the bait before committing.

Rods, Reels, and Line

Pick a 30 to 36 inch medium-action ice rod paired with a low-gear reel (4:1 or 5:1) spooled with 6 to 10 pound monofilament or light braid. The slower retrieve makes it easier to feel the difference between bottom structure and a fish, and the lighter line lets finicky biters run with the bait long enough to hook themselves on a circle hook.

Jigs, Lures, and Cut Bait

Glow-in-the-dark jigs, a 1/4 ounce tube jig, or a small Swedish pimple tipped with a minnow head all work over the mud. Cut bait is the strongest option: herring, smelt, or kokanee strips. A single barbless circle hook in the 1/0 to 2/0 range, tipped with a 2-inch strip of bait, is the standard rig on most successful trips.

Setting the Hook on a Soft Pickup

Burbot grab the bait, hold it, and slowly back away. Lay the rod on the ice, watch the tip for a slow pull, and lift to set only when the line starts moving steadily. Jigging Raps work in the early evening before fish settle on the bottom, but the bite window after dark almost always belongs to cut bait on a slow, still presentation.

Once you’ve matched the bite window, the regulations around it shape everything from timing to how many you can keep.

WDFW Rules, Licenses, and Seasonal Limits to Know

WDFW regulates burbot under the general statewide freshwater rules, with a few lake-specific notes. The single most common mistake is assuming a lowland lake’s trout limit applies, because burbot carry their own bag and size framework, and the rules do shift from year to year.

Licenses and Catch Cards

Buy a Washington freshwater fishing license, then add the appropriate enhancement and combo cards so the license covers salmon and steelhead even if those are not on the menu. A two-day combo is fine for a quick winter trip, while an annual license pays off the first time you add a spring or fall outing.

Bag Limits and Size Restrictions

WDFW’s annual sport fishing rules pamphlet lists current burbot limits and size restrictions, and those numbers have shifted in past seasons. Confirm the current daily limit and any minimum size before each trip, because creel clerks at the check stations in Pend Oreille County do enforce them, and a freezer full of oversized fish becomes a paperwork problem fast.

Gear Rules and Seasonal Openers

General statewide seasons apply, and ice fishing is allowed once ice conditions make the lake safely accessible. Selective gear rules on some Sullivan Lake fisheries require a single barbless hook, so check whether your rig qualifies before drilling. If the burbot run is closed in a particular slot of winter for spawning protection, the lake stays open for other species under separate limits.

“Head to the WDFW website and open the sport fishing rules pamphlet the week you plan to leave, because limit changes and emergency rule adjustments show up there before they hit any forum or app.

Planning the Trip: Access, Camping, and Other Species

Access is straightforward once the ice is thick enough. The paved route in ends at a Forest Service boat launch that doubles as an ice launch in midwinter, and a small plowed parking area on the south end keeps vehicles off the lake itself.

Roads, the Launch, and Ice Safety

Take Highway 31 north from Metaline Falls, then turn west onto Sullivan Lake Road and follow it to the launch at the south end of the lake. Check the ice at the ramp with a spud bar before driving out, because shoreline ice thickness varies more than the lake-center thickness anglers talk about in camp. Four inches of clear black ice supports a person on foot, while early-season slush pockets near the inlets are the last places to lock up.

Where to Stay Near the Lake

Sullivan Lake Campground stays open in winter on a first-come basis, with a few sites plowed for hard-sided campers and tents rated for snow load. No-See-Um Lodge on the south end offers rooms, hot meals, and a place to dry gear on a cold night. Metaline Falls, 12 miles east, has a grocery store, fuel, and a basic restaurant if you arrive after the lodge kitchen closes.

Other Species Worth Knowing

Burbot are the headline in winter, but Sullivan Lake also holds rainbow trout, kokanee, and a few tiger muskellunge that show up in open-water months. Spring and fall trips targeting kokanee give you a feel for baitfish distribution that pays off when ice forms again. A review of the most recent WDFW stocking reports will tell you how many kokanee went in the year you plan to fish, which is the best indicator of where forage will hold come February.

Bottom Line

Treat this small-system lake with a big-lake feel: drill a grid, work the drop-offs during the dark hours, tip a circle hook with cut bait, and let a flasher do the watching. Get the rules right, bring enough cold-weather gear for a long night on the ice, and the lake delivers a winter experience most Washington anglers never find.

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