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Best chinook salmon lakes in Alaska

37 Alaska waters list chinook salmon (official records or labelled estimates), 28 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The king. Deep, cold open water all summer; staged off river mouths in fall. Follows the 42-52°F band.

1. Iliamna Lake — 988 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
2. Nunavaugaluk Lake — 525 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
3. Paxson Lake — 89 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, BurbotWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
4. Kenai River (Middle) — 15 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
5. Silver Bay — 400 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
6. Clunie Lake — 107 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
7. Beach Lake — 31 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic GraylingWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Mirror Lake — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. DeLong Lake — 74 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic GraylingWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Cheney Lake — 57 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
11. Jewel Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
12. Green Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
13. Gwen Lake — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook SalmonWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Taku Lake — 73 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic GraylingWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Hillberg Lake — 59 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Spring Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
17. Hoonah Harbor — 275 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Triangle Lake — 85 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook SalmonWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
19. Ryus Bay — 92 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Halibut Cove Lagoon — 223 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Kasilof River — 10 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
22. Wrangell Harbor — 43 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Crescent Bay — 63 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Dolly VardenWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Kings Lake — 89 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
25. Clam Cove — 38 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 12 more Alaska waters holding chinook salmon.

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When to fish chinook salmon in Alaska

• Spring 5–40 ft — Cold surface water lets kings feed shallow — warm-water pockets near river mouths and the first drop-off hold bait and fish.
• Summer 50–120 ft — Kings ride the 42-52°F band well below the thermocline — deep basins and steep structure where bait schools stack.
• Fall 10–50 ft — Spawning-run fish stage off tributary mouths before running the rivers — the year's best big-fish window.
• Winter 30–90 ft — Immature kings winter deep and scattered; a slow deep troll finds loners.

Also in Alaska: best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best lake trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best arctic char lakes · best pink salmon lakes · best chum salmon lakes · best pacific halibut lakes · best lingcod lakes · best black rockfish lakes

Chinook Salmon elsewhere: Ontario · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · New York · Washington · California · Idaho