State stocking Snohomish County lakes with trout for Black Friday

By The Chronicle Staff

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is stocking 24 lakes statewide with over 65,000 rainbow trout for Black Friday fishing, creating a holiday weekend opportunity for anglers around Washington.

In Snohomish County, Fish and Wildlife is stocking fish in Lake Ballinger, Gissburg Ponds, Silver Lake and Lake Tye

“WDFW has offered Black Friday fishing for more than a decade, and it’s been a big hit for anglers statewide,” said Steve Caromile, WDFW inland trout manager. “If you’ve never participated before, this is a great year to start a new tradition spending time outside with friends and family the day after Thanksgiving.”

Included in the more than 65,000 rainbow trout are thousands of “holiday special” jumbo trout, weighing up to 3 pounds and measuring 16-17 inches, WDFW stated in a news release.

This year, the lakes and ponds that will be stocked by Nov. 29 include:

Adams and Lincoln counties: Fourth of July Lake

Chelan County: Roses Lake

Clark County: Battle Ground Lake and Klineline Pond

Cowlitz County: Kress Lake

Island County: Cranberry Lake

King County: Beaver Lake and Green Lake

Klickitat County: Rowland Lake

Lewis County: Fort Borst Park Pond and South Lewis County Park Pond

Pacific County: Cases Pond

Pierce County: American Lake and Tanwax Lake

Snohomish County: Lake Ballinger, Gissburg Ponds, Silver Lake and Lake Tye

Spokane County: Hog Canyon Lake

Stevens County: Hatch Lake

Thurston County: Black Lake, Long Lake, and Offutt Lake

Yakima County: Elton Pond North

WDFW has also stocked trout in other Western Washington lakes this fall, including Bonney Lake and Harts Lake in Pierce County and Munn Lake, St. Clair Lake and Ward Lake in Thurston County.

Visit WDFW’s lowland lakes page for more information on these and hundreds of other lakes throughout the state.

Anglers can find basic trout fishing tips on the WDFW Black Friday fishing blog post. For up-to-date stocking information, anglers should visit the catchable trout stocking report on the WDFW website.

Anglers 15 years and older must have a current Washington freshwater fishing license, valid through March 31, 2025, to participate. Licenses can be purchased online or at any of the hundreds of license vendors across the state.