Best coho salmon lakes in Ontario
9 Ontario waters hold coho salmon, 8 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. Aggressive schooling salmon that rides warmer, shallower water than kings — a spring nearshore brawler.
- Lake Superior — Batchawana Bay — 275 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Lake Ontario — Toronto Waterfront — 361 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Chinook SalmonWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 10 public access sites, 9 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Grand River section — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Kaministiquia River — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Blackstone Harbour — 62 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Woods Bay — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Whitefish River — 23 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Moon River Bay — 23 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Root River — 3 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Ontario waters with public access data
When to fish coho salmon in Ontario
- Spring 3–25 ft — The famous spring coho bite: schools stack in the warmest nearshore water and mud lines, often in the top 15 feet.
- Summer 30–70 ft — Cohos hold at and just above the thermocline — shallower than kings, and they hit moving baits hard.
- Fall 8–40 ft — Staging and running fish concentrate off river mouths; cohos stay aggressive right up to the spawn.
- Winter 20–60 ft — Mostly offshore and scattered.
Also in Ontario: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best sauger 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 freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes · best lake sturgeon lakes
Coho Salmon elsewhere: British Columbia · Michigan · Washington · Alaska · Idaho