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Best chinook salmon lakes in Michigan

17 Michigan waters hold chinook salmon, 6 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.

1. Lake Michigan — Little Traverse Bay and the Beaver Islands — 581 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
2. Lake Michigan — Michigan Northwest Shore — 690 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
3. Lake Superior — Marquette Shore — 798 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake Trout
4. Lake Michigan — Michigan South Shore — 278 ft max · Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
5. Lake Michigan — Michigan Central Shore — 485 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake Trout
6. Lake Charlevoix — 122 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
7. Charlevoix, Lake — 122 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
8. Lake Michigan — Grand Traverse Bays — 603 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead
9. Grand River — 14 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
10. Muskegon Lake — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
11. White Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel Catfish
12. Portage Lake (Onekama) — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch
13. Pere Marquette Lake — 44 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
14. Rifle River — 7 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
15. Pere Marquette River — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
16. St. Joseph River (MI) — 13 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
17. Muskegon River (Croton Tailwater) — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike

When to fish chinook salmon in Michigan

• 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 Michigan: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best rock bass lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

Chinook Salmon elsewhere: Washington · Alaska · New York