Best chinook salmon lakes in California
5 California waters hold chinook salmon, 1 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. The king. Deep, cold open water all summer; staged off river mouths in fall. Follows the 42-52°F band.
- Folsom Lake — 281 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Klamath River — 12 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
- Sacramento River (Redding) — 15 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead
- American River (Lower) — 12 ft max · Striped Bass, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead
- Trinity River — 10 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Brown Trout
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When to fish chinook salmon in California
- 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 California: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best brown bullhead lakes
Chinook Salmon elsewhere: Ontario · Québec · Michigan · Washington · New York · Alaska