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Best chinook salmon lakes in British Columbia

84 British Columbia waters list chinook salmon (official records or labelled estimates), 3 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. Babine Lake — 610 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
2. Shuswap Lake — 530 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
3. Stuart Lake — 317 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, KokaneeWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
4. Harrison Lake — 915 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites, 4 carry-in or shore-oriented
5. Mabel Lake — 658 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, KokaneeWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites, 4 carry-in or shore-oriented
6. Cowichan Lake — 499 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites, 4 carry-in or shore-oriented
7. Great Central Lake — 820 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
8. Kamloops Lake — 495 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
9. Lillooet Lake — 427 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, KokaneeWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
10. Huaskin Lake — 574 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
11. Meziadin Lake — 439 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
12. Nicola Lake — 187 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
13. Lois Lake — 463 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, KokaneeWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
14. Comox Lake — 358 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
15. Kitsumkalum Lake — 459 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
16. Little Shuswap Lake — 195 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
17. Chilliwack Lake — 374 ft max · Crappie, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #17: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
18. Lakelse Lake — 106 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #18: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
19. Indian Lake — 39 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Whitefish, Dolly VardenWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
20. Little Trapper Lake — 75 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Muchalat Lake — 207 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
22. Tatsatua Lake — 39 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Kathleen Lake — 197 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Cutthroat TroutWhy #23: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
24. Snohoosh Lake — 85 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #24: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
25. Till Lake — 68 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #25: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented

…plus 59 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.

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