Best chinook salmon lakes in Washington
7 Washington 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.
- Lake Chelan — 1400 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout
- Willapa Bay — 94 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
- Grays Harbor — 116 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
- Dungeness Bay — 162 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
- Liberty Bay — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
- Sequim Bay — 126 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
- Cowlitz River — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
When to fish chinook salmon in Washington
- 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 Washington: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes