Best coho salmon lakes in Alaska
50 Alaska waters list coho salmon (official records or labelled estimates), 37 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. Aggressive schooling salmon that rides warmer, shallower water than kings — a spring nearshore brawler.
- Tustumena Lake — 942 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Skilak Lake — 633 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Nunavaugaluk Lake — 525 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- Hidden Lake — 148 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Kenai River (Middle) — 15 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
- Upper Trail Lake — 146 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- Silver Bay — 400 ft max · real survey depth contours · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Pepper Lake — 42 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Swan Lake — 44 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Arctic Char, Sockeye SalmonWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Engineer Lake — 17 ft max · real survey depth contours · Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Jean Lake — 70 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Sockeye SalmonWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Kelly Lake — 41 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho SalmonWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Clunie Lake — 107 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Watson Lake — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Sockeye SalmonWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Beach Lake — 31 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic GraylingWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Mirror Lake — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- DeLong Lake — 74 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic GraylingWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Cheney Lake — 57 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Jewel Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Green Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Taku Lake — 73 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic GraylingWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Hillberg Lake — 59 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Spring Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Ketchikan Harbor Anchorage Area — 162 ft max · real survey depth contours · Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific HalibutWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Hoonah Harbor — 275 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 25 more Alaska waters holding coho salmon.
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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 coho salmon in Alaska
- Spring 3–25 ft — The famous spring coho bite: schools stack in the warmest nearshore water and mud lines, often in the top 15 feet.
- Summer 30–70 ft — Cohos hold at and just above the thermocline — shallower than kings, and they hit moving baits hard.
- Fall 8–40 ft — Staging and running fish concentrate off river mouths; cohos stay aggressive right up to the spawn.
- Winter 20–60 ft — Mostly offshore and scattered.
Also in Alaska: best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best chinook 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
Coho Salmon elsewhere: Ontario · British Columbia · Michigan · Washington · Idaho