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Rating depth structure for coho salmon.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
5,278-acre lake in British Columbia. The lake tops out around 787 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Whalen Lake draws 5,266 acres inside 34.5 miles of shoreline. An index of 3.4 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 0% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 12.6 mi, about 3.4 mi across. The water lies in Kitimat-Stikine Regional District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Anchor Lake, 13 mi southeast of here.
Start shallow in spring: coho salmon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline until the fish tell you otherwise.
| 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 |
When the water first warms, cutthroat trout slide up into 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 35 ft game here, winter a 10 to 40 ft one. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | open water | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Spring puts kokanee in skinny water — 10 to 30 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 30 to 70 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 80 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, an offshore hump at roughly 91 ft, rated good for winter kokanee. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | open water | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | open water | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | open water | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (91 ft) | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, dolly varden slide up into 1 to 30 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 45 ft. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small chrome spoon or a baitfish streamer rigged through the warm months.
| 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 |
The chart marks 13 structure features on Whalen Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 669 ft.
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 Whalen Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Whalen Lake is about 787 ft (240 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 coho salmon, cutthroat trout, kokanee, dolly varden on Whalen Lake.
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 91 ft of water that rates good for kokanee in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For coho 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 Whalen 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.
Anchor Lake 13 mi · Triumph Lake 17 mi · Lower Lake 21 mi · Caponero Lake 29 mi · Tuwartz Lake 29 mi · Bardon Lake 30 mi · Alty Lake 33 mi · Sylvia Lake 36 mi · Lowe Lake 36 mi · Devon Lake 38 mi · Salter Lake 39 mi · Gavel Lake 40 mi
See how Whalen Lake stacks up: best coho salmon lakes in British Columbia · best kokanee lakes in British Columbia · best cutthroat trout lakes in British Columbia
More water nearby: Kitimat-Stikine Regional District fishing maps (97 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.