Season opener provides trout and fun

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.