Best chum salmon lakes in Alaska
8 Alaska waters hold chum salmon, 8 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. A powerful schooling Pacific salmon that uses coastal channels and bay shorelines while returning to streams and hatchery terminal areas.
- Silver Bay — 400 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Ketchikan Harbor Anchorage Area — 162 ft max · survey depth data · Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific HalibutWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Hoonah Harbor — 275 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Ryus Bay — 92 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Halibut Cove Lagoon — 223 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Wrangell Harbor — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Bald Headed Cove — 44 ft max · survey depth data · Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific HalibutWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Clam Cove — 38 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
Find the closest chum salmon waters to you →
How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Alaska waters with public access data
When to fish chum salmon in Alaska
- Spring 10–70 ft — A low-confidence pre-return search; use current reports and visible forage.
- Summer 4–70 ft — Work current lanes, rock-lined travel structure and freshwater approaches where returning schools are visibly traveling; timing is stock-specific.
- Fall 3–60 ft — Focus on shoreline return corridors beside rock and current, not featureless deep water; handle spawning fish carefully.
- Winter 25–100 ft — Not a dependable winter bay target; rely on current local reporting and a confirmed legal fishery.
Also in Alaska: best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best chinook salmon 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 pacific halibut lakes · best lingcod lakes · best black rockfish lakes
Chum Salmon elsewhere: British Columbia · Washington