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Rating depth structure for chinook salmon.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
465-acre lake in British Columbia. The lake tops out around 262 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Drawn out, this is 464 acres of water rimmed by 5.3 miles of bank. Index 1.8 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. About 1% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 2 mi end to end and 0.7 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Lower Lake, 8 mi south of here.
These fish are listed in an exact-water agency record as forage or ecological context. They are not target-species profiles and do not affect DepthScout's Prime, Good, or Fair spot ratings.
Official exact-water fish record. The listing documents source-recorded presence, not present abundance or guaranteed catchability.
Start shallow in spring: chinook salmon sit in 5 to 40 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 50 to 120 ft; cold water stacks them in 30 to 90 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 118 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (118 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | open water | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Spring puts coho salmon in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 30 to 70 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 60 ft. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | open water | Small spoon, slow troll |
Start shallow in spring: chum salmon sit in 10 to 70 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 70 ft covers summer, 25 to 100 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 66 ft of water that rates prime for chum salmon in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a chartreuse or pink hoochie or a bright spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Chrome spoon, Compact baitfish jig |
| Summer | 4 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Chartreuse or pink hoochie, Bright spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Bright spinner, Pink or chartreuse jig |
| Winter | 25 to 100 ft | midday | Break off the point (118 ft) | Compact vertical jig |
Early season dolly varden use the shallows, holding in 1 to 30 ft. Summer is a 2 to 40 ft game here, winter an 8 to 45 ft one. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small chrome spoon or a baitfish streamer and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | open water | Small silver spoon, Inline spinner |
| Summer | 2 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small chrome spoon, Baitfish streamer |
| Fall | 1 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small spinner, Egg or fry pattern |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | open water | Small slow spoon, Weighted baitfish fly |
Spring pink salmon on Johnston Lake hold shallow, usually 8 to 60 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 70 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 90 ft. The chart's best answer is Main-lake point — point, 66 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a pink or orange casting spoon or a small hoochie.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Small chrome spoon, Compact herring-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Pink or orange casting spoon, Small hoochie |
| Fall | 2 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Small bright spoon, Pink jig |
| Winter | 20 to 90 ft | midday | Break off the point (118 ft) | Small vertical jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: sockeye salmon in 5 to 70 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 80 ft before dropping to 25 to 110 ft for winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 66 ft of water that rates prime for sockeye salmon in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small red or pink fly behind a flasher or a compact squid or hoochie gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small red or pink hoochie, Compact plankton-profile fly |
| Summer | 3 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Small red or pink fly behind a flasher, Compact squid or hoochie |
| Fall | 2 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (66 ft) | Small bright fly, Compact spinner where legal |
| Winter | 25 to 110 ft | midday | Break off the point (118 ft) |
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 223 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for British Columbia waters are set by the BC freshwater fishing synopsis — and special regulations can apply to Johnston Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Johnston Lake is about 262 ft (80 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target chinook salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, dolly varden, pink salmon, sockeye salmon on Johnston Lake.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 118 ft of water that rates prime for chinook salmon in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For chinook salmon, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Johnston Lake is regulated by the BC freshwater fishing synopsis. Check the official British Columbia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lower Lake 8 mi · Ecstall Lake 9 mi · Gavel Lake 13 mi · Hayward Lake 15 mi · Alvin Lake 16 mi · Madeline Lake 17 mi · Kumealon Lake 17 mi · Khtada Lake 18 mi · Alty Lake 19 mi · Alastair Lake 20 mi · Davis Lake 20 mi · Lowe Lake 20 mi
See how Johnston Lake stacks up: best chinook salmon lakes in British Columbia · best coho salmon lakes in British Columbia · best pink salmon lakes in British Columbia · best chum salmon lakes in British Columbia
More water nearby: Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District fishing maps (46 charts). Browse all British Columbia fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.