OLYMPIA – With tens of thousands of trout destined for Washington lakes before November, anglers should have plenty of places to enjoy great fishing this fall and through the holiday season.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will stock at least 35 Washington lakes with catchable-size trout this fall. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of smaller fry and fingerling trout will have grown to catchable size since the department stocked them this past spring.
“Fishing at lakes throughout the state should be phenomenal over the next few months,” said Larry Phillips, WDFW’s inland fish program manager. “Most trout are 13 to 15 inches long, with a few larger ones in the mix,” he said.
Some of the lakes recently stocked include Battle Ground Lake and Vancouver’s Klineline Pond. Dozens of additional lakes will be stocked throughout the state in October and November providing fishing opportunities into the new year.
The complete list of lakes to be stocked, and the department’s recently updated stocking plan are available for viewing at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/fall-into-fishing/
The fall fish plants are in response to anglers’ requests to increase fall and winter trout fishing opportunities, said Phillips.
The effort also includes stocking lakes across the state for the Nov. 25 Black Friday opener, which offers anglers the opportunity to skip the shopping malls, get outside and enjoy fishing on the day after Thanksgiving.
For up-to-date stocking information this fall, anglers should follow the department on Twitter or Facebook, accessible from http://wdfw.wa.gov, or see the department’s weekly catchable trout stocking report at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/weekly/
Anglers must have a current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31, 2017, to participate.
Licenses can be purchased by telephone at 1-866-246-9453; or at hundreds of license vendors across the state. For details on license vendor locations, visit the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/
