The lake is owned and managed by the Department and offers excellent fishing, boating, and many hours of wildlife watching. Vesper Island provides additional shoreline and fish habitat. Burke Lake is one of the most heavily used lakes in Virginia. Because of heavy fishing pressure, the lake is fertilized by state fisheries biologists. Fertilization may create green tinted water but does not harm fish.
More natural food is produced for fish and fish populations increase in number.
The lake has a full complement of game fish species. The largemouth bass population at Burke is excellent. Bass over six pounds are common, while the average is three pounds or more. However, heavy fishing pressure and abundant forage make them tougher to catch. The average weight for bream is around a quarter pound, with black crappie slightly heavier.