Snohomish County’s top trout lakes

Published 1:08 pm Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Washington state’s trout opener is usually the only day I can guarantee that I won’t be fishing.

I used to go when it meant that it really was an opener, but these days so many lakes open early that I’m not so excited to get out and fish that I’m willing to do combat fishing with all the folks who go out only once or twice a year, starting with opening day.

This year, the opener is Saturday, and as mentioned in my last post, I’ll be busy.

You may want to stay off the lakes that day as well if you’re crowd averse.

But I suggest you do check out The Herald’s picks for the best lakes on opening day. These lakes are usually very good after opening day as well.

Most get a number of hatchery fish put in and they usually have some of catchable size for quite a while.

To check things out Click here

You’ll go to a cool map by Herald artist Judy Stanley that you can scan to get information about the lakes.

I’ve always liked Lake Erie in Skagit County and Lake Howard in Snohomish County for fly fishing.

For about 25 years, I lived on Lake Martha south of Stanwood, which is in walking distance of Howard. Both Martha and Howard are good lakes. Martha has a lot of perch, bass and other fish in it, so the state stopped poisoning it and restocking it with rainbows.

It puts in some rainbows, but if mostly stocks it with brown trout, who like to eat perch and small bass.

Martha should get 275 triploids this year. Those are sterile rainbows that usually grow more quickly.

My brother caught one of the larger trout he’s had at Martha on one opening day. It was around seven pounds.

I wish everyone a good opener, whether you’re fishing or not.

But I would certainly check out some of these “opener lakes” a couple weeks from now when the pressure eases up.