Best coho salmon lakes in Washington
11 Washington 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.
- Willapa Bay — 94 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat TroutWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
- Grays Harbor — 116 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat TroutWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
- Lake Washington — 214 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Yellow PerchWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Columbia River — Reach 1 of 5 — 117 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Riffe Lake — 360 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Sammamish — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow TroutWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 11 public access sites
- Dungeness Bay — 162 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat TroutWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Sequim Bay — 126 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat TroutWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Willapa River — 49 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Liberty Bay — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat TroutWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
- Cowlitz River — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, SteelheadWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
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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 Washington waters with public access data
When to fish coho salmon in Washington
- 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 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 chinook salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes
Coho Salmon elsewhere: Ontario · British Columbia · Michigan · Alaska · Idaho