Several hundred lowland lakes open Saturday morning around the state for the traditional general trout fishing season, and hundreds of thousands of anglers are expected to participate. Those who choose certain lakes in which to soak their Power Bait or troll their Dick Nite spoons have something new to watch for — a rainbow equipped with a bright orange “spaghetti” tag near the dorsal fin.
Those who land one of the special trout can call the phone number on the tag, give the state Department of Fish and Wildlife the code number on the tag and collect a prize.
The lakes in Snohomish County planted with at least one tagged rainbow (and perhaps up to a dozen) include Bosworth, Echo, Ki, Martha (Alderwood Manor), Riley and Storm. In Skagit County, tagged fish were planted in Heart, Sixteen and McMurray.
This summer-long “trout derby,” which ends on Labor Day, is an experiment by the state to spark interest in trout fishing and, of course, to sell licenses. The prizes are all donated by tackle shops, marinas and other license vendors and, according to the state’s inland fish program manager, Larry Phillips, they include rod and reel combos and other tackle, fishing trips, and gift cards worth up to $100. The derby is open to anyone with a valid 2016 annual freshwater or combination fishing license (young people 14 and under need no license).
Biologist Justin Spinelli, at the state’s Mill Creek office, said the planting schedule for hatchery-raised trout is similar to last year’s, and that the size of the fish is also about the same. The majority are “catchables” going 10 or 11 inches, but a number of lakes have received plants of larger trout running a pound or two in weight.
And where are these larger fish? Here’s a list: Lake Bosworth, 410 of the larger rainbows; Gissberg Ponds, 148; Lake Howard, 154; Martha Lake in Alderwood Manor, 451; Lake Erie, 530; Heart Lake, 370; Lake Roesiger, 328; Silver Lake, 287; Lake Stickney, 123; Storm Lake, 451; and Lake Tye, 123.
Additionally, four lakes in Skagit County — McMurray, Sixteen, Heart and Erie — were stocked with “jumbo” rainbows averaging 14 or 15 inches and a pound or better in weight.
Spinelli, with his back against the wall, said his favorites for Opening Day probably would include Lake Padden, on the south side of Bellingham, always a great lake for beginners and kids, with easy access and lots of trout; Lake Erie, which along with Heart Lake makes an unbeatable duo south of Anacortes; Lake Sixteen, a small water east of Conway; Martha Lake (Alderwood Manor), one of the best in the area on the 2015 opener; and Bosworth, just a half-step behind Martha Lake on last year’s Opening Day.
The following is a quick rundown of the best lakes in Island, Skagit and Snohomish counties based on creel checks during the 2015 opener and this year’s plants. Remember that a number of year-around lakes offer fishing as good or better than these:
Goss Lake on Whidbey Island, the creel champ last year with an average of trout kept and/or released of 8.8 per person, gets a plant of 4,000 rainbows; Martha Lake in Alderwood Manor, 8.7 per person last year, planted this year with 7,200 rainbows; Lake Armstrong, 8.6 per person, planted with 4,000 rainbows; Lake Bosworth, 8.6 per person, a plant of 10,000; Lake Stickney, 5.4 per person, a plant of 3,000; Lake Howard, 4.9 per person, a plant of 3,500; Lake McMurray, 4.0 per person, a plant of 13,000; Lake Serene, 3.9 per person, a plant of 4,200; Lake Sixteen, 3.8 per person, a plant of 6,000; Lake Ki, 3.7 per person, a plant of 12,000; Storm Lake, 3.5 per person, a plant of 9,000; Heart Lake, 3.3 per person, a plant of 9,000; Lake Riley, 3.2 per person, a plant of 3,500; and Lake Erie, 2.6 per person, a plant of 13,000.
My favorites? Year in and year out it’s hard to beat McMurray, Sixteen, Heart, Erie and Ki.
A number of very popular kids’ fish-in days also are held this time of year, and here’s the list:
— April 23-24, kids’ trout pond at the Evergreen State Spring Carnival, fairgrounds in Monroe; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., no gear needed.
— April 24, Lake Tye, Monroe; see Pick of the Week.
— May 7, Jennings Park, Marysville, food donations accepted for local food bank, Marysville Parks and Recreation, 8-11 a.m., ages 5 to 12, bring your own tackle or borrow it at the event.
— May 14, Silver Lake, Everett Parks and Recreation, must call to register for a time slot (425-257-8300, extension 2); ages 4 to 14, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., bring your own tackle or borrow at the event.
— May 21, Twin Lakes County Park, north Gissberg Pond, west side of I-5 at Smokey Point, Snohomish County Parks, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 5 to 14, bring your own tackle or borrow at the event. The usual trout provider quit the business, so no fish this year over 3 or 4 pounds. This is the Jim Brauch memorial event, put on by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club.
Everyone 15 to 69 needs a fishing license good through March 31, 2017. Seniors 70 and older get a cut rate, and kids under 15 fish for free. Licenses can be purchased online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov, by telephone at 1-866-246-9453, or at vendors around the state.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife offers a good online fishing feature called “Fish Washington” at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington. It’s a map-based presentation that covers saltwater areas and activities; salmon, clams, oysters and others; lowland lakes by county and by species; high lakes, getting started, stocking plans, geographic location; fishing 101, methods, knots, tackle, cleaning and preparing; and fishing how-to videos. Very cool stuff.
Anglers parking at Department of Fish and Wildlife water access sites must display a Vehicle Access Pass, issued free with the purchase of an annual fishing license. Those who use state parks or Department of Natural Resources areas need a Discover Pass. Information on the pass is available at http://discoverpass.wa.gov.
Access fishing regulations on the state’s web page at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations.
For more outdoor news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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