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Best chinook salmon lakes in British Columbia

26 British Columbia waters hold chinook salmon. 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. The king. Deep, cold open water all summer; staged off river mouths in fall. Follows the 42-52°F band.

1. Harrison Lake — 915 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
2. Teslin Lake — 702 ft max · Northern Pike, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish
3. Chilko Lake — 1201 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
4. Owikeno Lake — 1201 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Cutthroat Trout
5. Morice Lake — 775 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
6. Kennedy Lake — 492 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
7. Long Lake — 558 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
8. Nimpkish Lake — 1050 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Kokanee
9. Pitt Lake — 468 ft max · Crappie, Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Chinook Salmon
10. Seton Lake — 494 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
11. Henderson Lake — 820 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
12. Mara Lake — 150 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
13. Alice Lake — 234 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
14. Swan Lake — 210 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
15. Nilkitkwa Lake — 69 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
16. Vernon Lake — 374 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
17. Chismaina Lake — 95 ft max · Northern Pike, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish
18. Alastair Lake — 257 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
19. Sylvia Lake — 295 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
20. Lowe Lake — 177 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
21. Johnston Lake — 262 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
22. Muriel Lake — 148 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Cutthroat Trout
23. Snohoosh Lake — 85 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
24. Glendale Lake — 75 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
25. Laura Lake — 90 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Kokanee

…plus 1 more British Columbia waters holding chinook salmon.

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When to fish chinook salmon in British Columbia

• 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 British Columbia: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

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