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Best kokanee lakes in British Columbia

333 British Columbia waters hold kokanee, 7 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. Landlocked sockeye. A plankton-eating school fish glued to its preferred temperature band — find the school, catch a limit.

1. Babine Lake — 610 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
2. Okanagan Lake — 794 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
3. Shuswap Lake — 530 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
4. Lower Arrow Lake — 590 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
5. Stuart Lake — 317 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
6. Eutsuk Lake — 1001 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish, Burbot
7. Francois Lake — 802 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
8. Tezzeron Lake — 142 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
9. Pinchi Lake — 221 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
10. Isaac Lake — 572 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
11. Cunningham Lake — 213 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
12. Duncan Lake — 385 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
13. Natalkuz Lake — 150 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
14. Mabel Lake — 658 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
15. Cowichan Lake — 499 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
16. Tahtsa Lake — 715 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish, Burbot
17. Slocan Lake — 978 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
18. Murtle Lake — 1093 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee
19. Tatla Lake — 126 ft max · Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
20. Great Central Lake — 820 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout, Pumpkinseed
21. Trout Lake — 820 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
22. Canim Lake — 684 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
23. Cheslatta Lake — 374 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
24. Stave Lake — 331 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
25. Tetachuck Lake — 659 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee

…plus 308 more British Columbia waters holding kokanee.

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When to fish kokanee in British Columbia

• Spring 10–30 ft — Schools roam the upper column over open water while it's cool — short leaders, slow trolls.
• Summer 30–70 ft — Kokanee compress into the 50-55°F band at the thermocline over the deepest basins — precise depth is everything.
• Fall 5–40 ft — Spawners turn crimson and gang up off tributary mouths and gravel shorelines; remaining fish scatter with turnover.
• Winter 20–80 ft — Deep suspended schools — an electronics game through the ice.

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 lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

Kokanee elsewhere: Montana · Wyoming · Washington · Utah · Colorado · New Mexico · Idaho