Best pacific chinook salmon lakes in Washington
12 Washington waters hold pacific chinook salmon, 12 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. A migratory Pacific salmon that follows herring, sand lance and other forage through current lanes; every trip requires a current local marine-area opening check.
- Quartermaster Harbor — 153 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Surfperch, Pink Salmon, Chum SalmonWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Budd Inlet — 114 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook Salmon, Pacific Coho SalmonWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Inner Elliott Bay — 551 ft max · survey depth data · Pacific Chinook Salmon, Pacific Coho Salmon, English Sole, LingcodWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Dyes Inlet — 134 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook SalmonWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Sinclair Inlet — 68 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook Salmon, Pacific Coho SalmonWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Poverty Bay — 509 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook SalmonWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Port Gamble Bay — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook SalmonWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Eagle Harbor — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook Salmon, Pacific Coho SalmonWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Gig Harbor — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook SalmonWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Blakely Harbor — 167 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook SalmonWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Shilshole Bay — 146 ft max · survey depth data · Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook Salmon, Pacific Coho SalmonWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Browns Bay — 322 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pacific Chinook SalmonWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
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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 pacific chinook salmon in Washington
- Spring 30–120 ft — Search only during a current legal opening; use visible bait, birds or sonar to choose a measured current edge and do not infer an open season from this profile.
- Summer 20–150 ft — Match confirmed herring or sand lance along measured breaks, while checking the current local marine-area and emergency rules before targeting or retaining Chinook.
- Fall 10–100 ft — Freshwater influence and current lanes are broad search context only; protect staging fish and verify every closure, terminal-area rule and retention condition.
- Winter 50–180 ft — Winter opportunity is regulation- and weather-sensitive; require current reports, bait or sonar and a confirmed open fishery.
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 coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best pink salmon lakes · best chum salmon lakes · best pacific coho salmon lakes · best english sole lakes · best lingcod lakes
Pacific Chinook Salmon elsewhere: British Columbia