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Rating depth structure for pacific chinook salmon.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
341-acre Maple Bay fishing map with contributor-qualified CHS NONNA survey contours (99.08% measured and assessed), four measured source-traceable spots, regional DFO salmon and herring evidence, a municipal public launch and wharf, and whole-page RCA method guidance. The water tops out around 222 ft. The depth chart comes from CHS bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The drawn water covers 340 acres wrapped in 6.2 miles of bank, broken up by 2 islands. A development index of 2.4 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 25% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 2.1 mi long by 0.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. Quamichan Lake sits 3 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, pacific chinook salmon slide up into 30 to 120 ft. By summer they slide out to 20 to 150 ft, and by winter most fish are in 50 to 180 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Maple mid-bay depth lane: a channel edge around 117 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a herring or sand-lance spoon or a baitfish hoochie behind a flasher rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 30 to 120 ft | dawn | Maple mid-bay depth lane (117 ft) | Herring-pattern spoon, Three-to-four-inch baitfish swimbait |
| Summer | 20 to 150 ft | dawn & dusk | Maple mid-bay depth lane (117 ft) | Herring or sand-lance spoon, Baitfish hoochie behind a flasher |
| Fall | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | Maple mid-bay depth lane (117 ft) | Compact spoon, Baitfish spinner where legal |
| Winter | 50 to 180 ft | midday | Maple north basin shoulder (141 ft) | Slow-trolled spoon, Deep baitfish plug |
When the water first warms, pacific coho salmon slide up into 10 to 70 ft. Summer is a 10 to 100 ft game here, winter a 30 to 100 ft one. Start at Maple mid-bay depth lane. It's a channel edge holding about 117 ft of water and rates good come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small hoochie behind a flasher or a slim spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (28 ft) | Small silver spoon, Slim baitfish fly |
| Summer | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | Maple mid-bay depth lane (117 ft) | Small hoochie behind a flasher, Slim spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (28 ft) | Small spinner where legal, Compact spoon |
| Winter | 30 to 100 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (87 ft) | Slow small spoon, Compact trolling fly |
Maple Bay carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Maple surveyed central basin, about 216 ft down.
Access data: Municipality of North Cowichan — Maple Bay Beach Park. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
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 Maple Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Maple Bay is about 222 ft (68 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from CHS bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.
Anglers target pacific chinook salmon, pacific coho salmon on Maple Bay.
Maple mid-bay depth lane is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 117 ft of water that rates prime for pacific chinook salmon in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For pacific 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 Maple Bay 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.
Quamichan Lake 3 mi · Lake Maxwell 3 mi · Roberts Lake 4 mi · Somenos Lake 5 mi · Blackburn Lake 6 mi · Ford Lake 6 mi · Dougan Lake 6 mi · Cusheon Lake 6 mi · Bullocks Lake 6 mi · St. Mary Lake 7 mi · Lake Stowell 7 mi · Lake Weston 8 mi
See how Maple Bay stacks up: best pacific chinook salmon lakes in British Columbia · best pacific coho salmon lakes in British Columbia
Browse all British Columbia fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: CHS NONNA 10 (CHS Chart Datum (CD); 99% measured, 0% source-interpolated). 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.