Gavin Boggs with the new Washington record lake whitefish. The 6.25-pound state record was caught here in 2003. Sturgeon are easily the largest lake-dwelling fish in North America and have few natural predators, which contributes to their massive size and longevity. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Where is the best fishing in Washington State? Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Brent grew up spending his summers out on the water, exploring the many rivers, streams, and lakes of the region. Lakes scheduled to be stocked this year include: Battle Ground Lake and Klineline Pond in Clark County Kress Lake in Cowlitz County Cranberry Lake in Island County Leland Lake in. With a year-round open fishing season, this mixed species fishery has a reputation of providing an excellent fishery for Rainbow and Brown Trout. Theres often some great fishing in deep water north shore Silcox Island. 14 different lakes. This site is equipped with a boating / swimming dock. We want people to enjoy it, we want people to connect with nature.. The lake gets its name from the naturally occurring foam that gives its water a soapy appearance, and because the lakes mineral-rich waters have a slick, soapy feel. He added that Wagner Lake outside of Monroe and Howard Lake past Index both fished particularly well to start the season. We calculated the density of stocked fish per acre based amount of fish stocked in the last 12 months, divided by the acreage of the lake. Cold season bites often come at around 40 to 50 feet over 200 feet of water. Saturday marked the beginning of trout angling season across the state and the fish are chomping at the bait. Given the size of this lake and the need to cover water, trolling is the usual ticket to success. Users of the data should be aware that it takes aminimum of 2 yearsfor fish to grow to harvestable size post stocking. The fishing slows down in the fall as the weather gets colder and the largest class of fish prepares to spawn. Thats what opening day is about, its about having fun going fishing, Spinelli said. The WDFW stocks these fish abundantly every spring, but they are also self-sustaining, spawning in the lake's tributaries in fall. Its common to find kokanee bunching up around creek mouths as summer turns to fall. While its not stocked with hatchery-reared trout , Lake Washington supports a huge population of resident coastal cutthroat trout, some of which also move in and out of the Cedar River, a tributary stream on the south end known for excellent fly fishing. Start at about 0.6 mph and slowly speed up your trolling until you start getting bites. Prior to the existence of a state wildlife management agency, the U.S. Forest Service stocked mountain lakes with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) , cutthroat trout (Oncohynchus clarki) and eastern brook trout . This month alone, tens of thousands of rainbow trout were supplied to Snohomish County. Also, in a few select waters, Lahontan cutthroat trout that are native to inland areas of Nevada and California (notably Pyramid Lake in Nevada) are stocked in a handful of Washington waters that fit their unique needs. Lake Roosevelt is home to many of Washingtons favorite gamefish, including chunky triploid rainbow trout, big walleye, numerous smallmouth bass and tasty burbot, among plenty of others. Seumas Petrie is the world record holder, with a 44-pound, 5-inch brown trout that measured 38.58 inches long with a 34-inch girth. More than 16 million trout and kokanee were added to lakes and streams during the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlifes year-round stocking. Armed with this advice choose wisely which waters you intend to fish. Everyone age 15 and older needs a fishing license. Chelan County. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Also, there are several brood. In fact, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has also stocked channel cats in dozens of lakes. Rufus Woods represents about half of the southern boundary of the Colville Indian Reservation and separates the Reservation from Douglas County to the south. In Snohomish County, the lakes with tagged trout are Lake Ballinger, Bosworth Lake, Lake Ki, Martha Lake, Riley Lake, Silver Lake and Storm Lake. Are Trout Bottom Feeders? If youre out after 18-inch brutes but dont mind slower days, wait until August and plan to fish deeper. This is the most common species of trout caught in Washington, in large part because rainbow trout is the most common species of troutstockedin Washington. The four or five-mile stretch of the lake just above the dam is where youll often find the best concentrations of kokanee. Find lakes targeting a species that's excellent for this month. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The official world record for a sport-caught lake trout is 72 pounds, but even larger lakers have been recorded. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The only real rival to Lenore when it comes to Lahontans is Omak Lake on the Colville Indian Reservation in Okanogan County (southeast of the city of Omak). 18-inch kokes are possible in both lakes. However, these triploids will run their course unless more are stocked. Are steelhead and rainbow trout the same? Rainbow trout Geeks from across Snohomish County are in the tractor beam for the states big comic and pop culture convention in Seattle. Bull trout are also present in both lakes, but must be released immediately if caught. South Central Washingtons Best: Yakima River The Yakima is without a doubt considered by most veteran anglers to be the best trout fly fishing river in Washington, and its one of the only trout streams in the state that fly fishermen from Oregon and Idaho will travel to Washington to fish. Steelhead smolts are released by state, tribal, federal and regional enhancement groupseach year. Heading roughly south down the Interstate 5 corridor, here are some of the top options we recommend, in part because theyre loaded with catchable rainbow trout: In Central Washington, check out the following hot spots: In Eastern Washington, these are some lakes that tend to be heavily planted with rainbows: If youd rather fling flies at rainbow trout, we suggest you check out: These lakes arent stocked as heavily and most of the lakes weve already mentioned, but their fly fishing rules and conservation-minded regulations keep them full of big, feisty trout. The difficulty for anglers is that goldens are typically found only in lakes that are very difficult to access. Triploid rainbow trout are hatchery-created with an extra set of genes, which makes them both sterile and able to grow faster than the typical trout. Honestly, there are hundreds if not thousands of high lakes and streams with brook trout in them. The state record, a 9-pounder, was caught at Wobbly Lake, a high-country hike-in spot between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams. The rivers temperature can vary from temperate in the shallows to near-freezing in open water. Get a Head Lamp with White and Red Light. For a list of lakes with prize fish and information on how to claim a prize, visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/trout-derby. Lake Tapps. Of course, as with many lakes, the kokanee fishing can be frustratingly cyclical. This article briefly highlights some of Washingtons very best trout fishing for a variety of trout species found across the state. Try tolling at about 1.4 to 1.6 mph, and dial it down if the fish seem to prefer a slower presentation. Residents and non-residents alike must have a license to fish or shellfish in Washington waters Everyone age 15 and older needs a fishing license. The Herald brings our community together in sometimes surprising ways. Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 2003. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site! Another lake with established lake trout populations is Cle Elum Lake in Kittitas County, where WDFW truly wants you to catch and keep as many mackinaw as possible because they eat the baby sockeye salmon that biologists are trying to restore. For the sake of comparison, the IGFAs overall world record for golden trout stands at 11 pounds That fish was caught by Chas Reed at Cooks Lake, Wyoming, in 1948. The big lake whitefish is Washington State's first record catch of 2023. Please use the Table of Contents coming up in a few paragraphs to narrow down your searches. Their preference for deep open waters means you typically need a boat to have a good shot at reliably catching them. Kokanee typically measure 10 to 14 inches and weigh about a pound. Yellow perch The best kokanee fishing on Lake Chelan is typically from mid-April through the end of June, but some of the biggest fish tend to be caught a bit later in the summer. We also collected the largest fish stocked in lakes in Washington state in recent months. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Look for any structure in the lake and try various depths. Lakes scheduled to be stocked this year include: Additionally, the following lakes on the eastside have been stocked with fry plants in recent years and promise great fishing for Black Friday: Hatch and Williams lakes in Stevens County; Fourth of July Lake in Lincoln and Adams counties; and Hog Canyon Lake in Spokane County. Soap Lake is a meromictic soda lake in the town of Soap Lake, Washington formed by the Missoula Floods at the foot of the Grand Coulee. However, the populations in most coastal streams are wild. Banks Lake is perhaps best known for walleye fishing, and for its abundant population of lake whitefish, among other game fish. View Fishing Details. In Eastern Washington, Westslope cutthroat trout also are found in both native and stocked populations, especially on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains and across the mountains of northeastern Washington. The lake gets its name from the naturally occurring foam that gives its water a soapy appearance, and because the lakes mineral-rich waters have a slick, soapy feel. Additional east-side lakes with some mackinaw reported are Bonaparte Lake in Okanogan County and Horseshoe Lake in Pend Oreille County. FISHING A state record largemouth bass weighing 12.53 pounds was caught on Monday, Aug. 8, in Lake Bosworth south of Cedar Falls, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed today. Many of those fish have been slated to land in lakes and ponds in southwest Washington, including in and around Lewis County. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Monofilament recovery and recycling program. Private: What Lakes Have Been Stocked In Washington? Trout season lakes open April 23; thousands of fish planted in Grays Harbor/Pacific counties April 20, 2022 7:09AM PDT The Washington trout season begins on Saturday, April 23, and hundreds of lakes will have catchable trout stocked. Search for stocked lakes near you by entering your zip code or address. Theyre most likely to come closer to the surface in spring and fall. Lake Merwin is a little larger at over 3,800 acres, and has been heavily stocked with kokanee by WDFW. 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