Wet, cold, and windy weather across much of Washington over the April 28 fishing opener weekend kept more anglers off the water than usual.
But Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials say that just means good fishing will extend longer through the five to six-month long season.
Many of those that braved the elements for traditional participation in the state's biggest fishing event found the catching at least as good as last year's opener. Northcentral Washington's Columbia Basin, which had the mildest weather over the weekend, was again a hot spot of activity and catch rates with half of the top ten producing lakes.
The top ten lakes, based on a catch rate of at least 4.9 trout per angler, were: Dry Falls in Grant County, Horseshoe in Jefferson County, Clear and Lilly in Chelan County, Perch in Grant County, Tiger in Mason County, Conconully in Okanogan County, Ward in Thurston County, Devereaux in Mason County, and Heart in Skagit County.
WDFW officials made the following creel checks across the state:
| County | Lake | Fish/
Angler | Size | Comments |
|---|
| Benton | Columbia Pk. Pd. | 0.5 |
|---|
| Chelan | Beehive | | | Still frozen |
|---|
| Clear | 5.0 | 10" | | Lilly | 5.0 | 10" to 21" | | Wapato | 4.8 | 10" to 14" | 14% triploids, 14" | | Clark | Battleground | 2.7 |
|---|
| Klineline | 1.4 | | Cowlitz | Horseshoe | 2.7 |
|---|
| Douglas | Jameson | 3.8 | 11" to 16" |
|---|
| Ferry | Ellen | 2.1 | 10" to 16" |
|---|
| Franklin | Railroad Pd. | 0.5 | | Low effort |
|---|
| Grant | Blue | 4.0 | 8" to 20" | BT 16" 8% of catch |
|---|
| Deep | 3.4 | 8" to 17" | Triploids same size as yearlings | | Dry Falls | 9.0 | 13" to 22" | Wind kept anglers off water | | Park | 4.1 | 11" to 15" | Good numbers of anglers | | Perch | 5.0 | 12" to 14" | | Vic Meyers | 2.8 | 15" | | Warden | 4.7 | 8" to 20" | BT 16", 8% of catch. | | Grays Harbor | Aberdeen | 1.7 | 30" | steelhead, largest fish. |
|---|
| Failor | 2.5 | 16" | RB, largest fish | | Elma Pds /Vance Cr. | 3.7 | 30" | steelhead, largest fish | | Sylvia | 1.0 | 15" | largest fish | | Island | Deer | 4.0 |
|---|
| Goss | 2.9 | | Jefferson | Horseshoe | 7.0 | | Lots of catch & release, 20"ct |
|---|
| Ludlow | 3.2 | | Sandy Shore | 3.1 | | RB to 17" | | Tarboo | 3.1 | | All catchables | | King | Cottage | 3.5 | | Light pressure |
|---|
| Geneva | 3.4 | | Langlois | 3.4 | | Pressure down | | Margaret | 4.0 | | North | 2.0 | | Pine | 2.0 | | Lots of limits early, lots of fish released. | | Steel | 2.1 | | Kitsap | Buck | 3.1 | 17.75" | RB largest fish |
|---|
| Kittitas | Fio Rito, N. | 1.6 | | Slow, rain chased fm off lake. |
|---|
| Mattoon | 2.1 | | Klickitat | Horsethief | 0.8 |
|---|
| Rowland | 3.5 | | Spearfish | 2.1 | | Lewis | Carlisle | 2.3 |
|---|
| Mineral | 2.5 | | Mason | Benson | 3.1 | | Many carry overs |
|---|
| Devereaux | 4.9 | 18" | RB largest fish | | Nahwatzel | 2.3 | 18" | RB largest fish | | Phillips | 3.7 | | Stump | 3.3 | 18" | RB largest fish | | Tiger | 5.0 | | All limits, RB to 19" | | Okanogan | Alta | 3.0 | 10" to 19" | Effort down due to weather. |
|---|
| Aeneas | 2.0 | 11" to 22" | Too windy, whitecaps! | | Big Twin | 3.0 | 16" | Carry over | | Blue | 0.8 | | Low water level. | | Conconully Res. | | | Limits in an hour | | Conconully | 5.0 | 10" to 18" | 11.5% age 3+ (18") | | Fish | 4.0 | 11" to 15" | 9% age 2+ (15") | | Leader | 4.8 | 12" to 18" | 35% age 2+ (18") | | Patterson | 1.4 | 11" to 14" | 65% age 2+ (14") | | Pearrygin | 4.6 | 10" to 14" | Two hours for a limit. | | Round | 1.3 | 11" to 15" | 40% age 2+ (15") | | Spectacle | 1.4 | 10" to 14" | March 1 opener | | Pend Oreille | Diamond | 2.3 | 9" to 11" |
|---|
| Marshall | 3.0 | | 8" ct | | Pierce | Bay | 1.4 | | Fish to 16.5" |
|---|
| Clear | 3.5 | 14" to 17" | carry over and triploids. | | Ohop | 3.8 | 14" to 17" | carry over and triploids. | | Rapjohn | 1.4 | | Fish to 25" | | Silver | 3.0 | | Spanaway | 1.8 | 7" to 10" | | Tanwax | 2.3 | | Fish to 16.5" | | Skagit | Erie | 4.5 | | Heavy rain in the morning |
|---|
| Heart | 4.9 | | Heavy rain in the morning | | McMurray | 3.2 | | Heavy rain in the morning | | Sixteen | 3.8 | | Heavy rain in the morning | | Skamania | Icehouse | 3.3 |
|---|
| Kidney | 2.5 | | Little Ash | 2.5 | | Swift | 2.0 | | Snohomish | Armstrong | 4.2 |
|---|
| Bosworth | 2.5 | | Many fish released, 25% of catch were triploid trout. | | Howard | 4.8 | | Ki | 4.4 | | Martha (AM) | 3.3 | | Riley | 4.6 | | Storm | 3.8 | | Lots of 16"+ fish (triploids). | | Spokane | Amber | 4.8 | 8" to 18" | Mostly catch and release. |
|---|
| Badger | 4.2 | 9" | Cutthroat 11.5" average. | | Clear | 2.9 | 11" to 21" | Rb to 21" and BT to 20" | | Fish | 3.6 | 10" to 17" | Yearlings, 10.5" average. | | Fishtrap | 3.6 | 8" to 16.5" | | Liberty | 2.8 | 8" to 18" | | Newman | 0.9 | 12" to 16" | Year-round. 73% triploid | | West Medical | 1.6 | 8" to 23" | Triploids 14" to 16" | | Williams | 2.6 | 10" to 26" | | Stevens | Cedar | 0.9 | 12" to 18" | Carry overs 15" to 18" |
|---|
| Deep | 3.8 | 9" to 12" | | Rocky | 2.2 | 8" to 14" | Carry overs 13" to 14" | | Starvation | 3.3 | 9.5" to 15" | Carry overs 14.2" ave. | | Waitts | 2.9 | 9" to 24" | Triploids to 24" | | Thurston | Clear | 3.8 | | Effort down, 4.5 lb brown |
|---|
| Deep | 2.7 | 14" to 17" | carry overs | | Hicks | 2.8 | | Fish to 21" | | Long | 3.6 | | McIntosh | 3.4 | | Many triploids | | Munn | 3.3 | | 11.6" ave | | St. Clair | 0.7 | | Low pressure, year-round. | | Summit | 3.3 | | 29 kokanee checked (12%) | | Ward | 5.0 | | Many fish released. | | Pattison | 3.2 | 17" | triploids and carry overs | | Whatcom | Cain | 4.2 |
|---|
| Padden | 4.8 | | Silver | 4.0 | | Toad | 4.9 | | Yakima | Mud | 2.3 | | All triploids |
|---|
| Myron | 1.3 | | Mostly triploids | |
