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Rating depth structure for pacific chinook salmon.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
189-acre Secret Cove fishing map with contributor-qualified CHS NONNA survey contours (81.21% measured, 97.32% assessed), four measured spots, regional DFO salmon, herring and dogfish evidence, operator-confirmed transient moorage, and current Area 16, CSSP and adjacent-RCA guidance. The water tops out around 62 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.
Secret Cove maps at 188 acres behind 8.6 miles of shoreline, with 5 islands in the mix. An index of 4.5 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 68% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 1.9 mi end to end and 0.7 mi across at its widest. Its nearest charted neighbour, Trout Lake, is 4 mi to the southeast.
Spring pacific chinook salmon on Secret Cove hold shallow, usually 16 to 62 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 8 to 62 ft in summer, 17 to 62 ft once it turns cold. Put Turnagain entrance basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 54 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a herring or sand-lance spoon or a baitfish hoochie behind a flasher.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 16 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 120 ft | dawn | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Herring-pattern spoon, Three-to-four-inch baitfish swimbait |
| Summer | 8 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 150 ft | dawn & dusk | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Herring or sand-lance spoon, Baitfish hoochie behind a flasher |
| Fall | 6 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Compact spoon, Baitfish spinner where legal |
| Winter | 17 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 180 ft | midday | Turnagain entrance basin (54 ft) | Slow-trolled spoon, Deep baitfish plug |
Early season pacific coho salmon use the shallows, holding in 9 to 62 ft. Even in summer they hold at 6 to 62 ft; winter keeps them in 19 to 62 ft. Put Turnagain entrance basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 54 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small hoochie behind a flasher or a slim spoon and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 9 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Small silver spoon, Slim baitfish fly |
| Summer | 6 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Small hoochie behind a flasher, Slim spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Small spinner where legal, Compact spoon |
| Winter | 19 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 100 ft | midday | Turnagain entrance basin (54 ft) | Slow small spoon, Compact trolling fly |
Come spring, look for lingcod tight to the bank in 11 to 62 ft. Through summer count on 7 to 62 ft; the winter hold is 16 to 62 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Secret Cove central channel shoulder: a channel edge around 50 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is midday and early morning. A heavy swimbait or a metal jig is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 11 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 140 ft | dawn | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Summer | 7 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 180 ft | midday & dawn | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Fall | 9 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 200 ft | midday | Secret Cove central channel shoulder (50 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large swimbait |
| Winter | 16 to 62 ft chart-limited; documented 60 to 240 ft | midday | Turnagain entrance basin (54 ft) | Heavy slow-pitch jig |
Early season surfperch use the shallows, holding in 2 to 18 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 6 to 35 ft. Put Secret Cove inner transition first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 10 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a 1–2 inch grub or a small paddletail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 18 ft | dawn | Secret Cove inner transition (10 ft) | Small grub on a light jig, Sand-crab imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Secret Cove inner transition (10 ft) | 1-2 inch grub, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 30 ft | dawn | Secret Cove inner transition (10 ft) | Small jig and grub, Compact spoon |
| Winter | 6 to 35 ft | midday | Secret Cove inner transition (10 ft) | Slow small grub, Light bottom jig |
Structure-wise the chart holds 8 features, led in depth by Turnagain entrance basin at roughly 54 ft.
Access data: Secret Cove Marina - About & Map. 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 DFO Pacific Region recreational-fishing rules — and special regulations can apply to Secret Cove specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Secret Cove is about 62 ft (19 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, lingcod, surfperch on Secret Cove. The list combines the water's survey records with habitat-filtered species from broader official evidence; those additions are plausible occurrences, not exact-water abundance or guaranteed catches.
Turnagain entrance basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 54 ft of water that rates prime for pacific chinook salmon in winter. The interactive chart above rates every 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 Secret Cove is regulated by the DFO Pacific Region recreational-fishing rules. 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.
Trout Lake 4 mi · Crowston Lake 6 mi · Lily Lake 6 mi · Garden Bay Lake 8 mi · Hotel Lake 8 mi · Katherine Lake 9 mi · Mixal Lake 9 mi · Richardson Lake 10 mi · Sakinaw Lake 11 mi · Ruby Lake 13 mi · Klein Lake 14 mi · Ambrose Lake 14 mi
See how Secret Cove stacks up: best surfperch lakes in British Columbia · best pacific chinook salmon lakes in British Columbia · best pacific coho salmon lakes in British Columbia · best lingcod lakes in British Columbia
Browse all British Columbia fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: CHS NONNA 10 (CHS Chart Datum (CD); 81% measured, 16% 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.