OLYMPIA -- Fair weather across most of the state and hungry trout provided
lots of family fun Saturday at the opening of the lowland land trout season.
Anglers at many lakes caught close to their limits of five trout. Many pan-sized
fish were released as anglers remained on the water hoping for a lunker.
Large trout were caught in a number of lakes. For example, fishers at Stevens
County's Loon Lake caught mackinaws up to 20 pounds and a two-pound rainbow.
Deer Lake in Stevens County provided mackinaws up to 8.5 pounds and rainbows to 16
inches.
Fish Lake in Spokane County provided brook and brown trout to three pounds.
On the west side, anglers at some lakes in King, Snohomish, Whatcom and
Skagit counties caught rainbow trout planted last year by the Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife. Those fish were in the 14 to 16 inch range.
A fisher at Pacific County's Black Lake caught a 24-inch rainbow weighing 5.7
pounds. Aberdeen Lake in Grays Harbor County provided a 3.5-pound rainbow trout
that won the local fishing derby. Almost half of the trout caught in Stump Lake, also in
Grays Harbor County, were rainbow trout averaging 16.6 inches. The largest was 19
inches and weighed more than three pounds.
Mason County's Prices Lake yielded a 21-inch rainbow and an angler at
Jefferson County's Anderson Lake took home a 20-inch rainbow.
In the southwestern portion of Washington, Battleground Lake yielded 22
rainbows ranging from 18.5 to 29 inches in length.
Many other anglers caught and released trout in the 10-inch range. For example,
a fisher using a float tube at Elma ponds in Grays Harbor caught and released almost
50 trout.
But lots of happy anglers took home close to their full five-trout limits.
Here are the average catches from some of the state's hottest fishing lakes
Saturday:
- Region 1 (Eastern Washington):Cedar (4.9) Badger (4.8); Fishtrap (4.7) and
Marshall (4.2)
- Region 2 (East-central Washington):Pearrygin (4.7); Wapato (4.6); Park (4.0);
Long (3.7) and Fish (3.6)
- Region 3 (Central Washington): Lakes are open all year
- Region 4 (Northern Puget Sound): Heart (4.9); Ki (4.4); Silver (4.3); Padden
and Toad (4.4)
- Region 5 (Southwestern Washington): Horsethief (4.2); Icehouse (3.7);
Northwestern Reservoir (3.6) and Carlisle (3.2)
- Region 6 (Olympic Peninsula): Failor (3.5); Loomis (2.4) and Aberdeen (2.0)
- Region 7 (Southern Puget Sound): Benson (4.3); Summit (4.3); Anderson
(4.2); Deep (4.0) and Bay (3.9)
Bern Shanks, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, noted
the department planted three million trout in state lakes this year to provide enjoyable
fishing and tasty dinners.
"There are lots of trout remaining to be caught. Fishing is fun for everyone, but
especially for families. I urge all parents to take their children to a lake for a picnic and
day of fishing. It is one of the best experiences a family can have."
Children through age 14 can fish for trout and other game fish for free. Resident
fishers from 15 through 69 must buy a $17 licenses. Senior citizens age 70 and older
need a $3 license.
