Yellow perch Typical kokanee here run around 12 inches, with some well into the teens. Several school districts delayed classes after 1 or 2 inches fell in most areas. It measures 183.8 acres, and is largely undeveloped. Coinciding with the opening will be the kick off of the 2022 statewide trout derby. Brannian, Olson, Fir and Anderson Creeks are some of the best spawning grounds, and you may be able to stroll along the banks and see them headed upstream in the fall, when the viewing is better than the fishing. Horsethief Lake stocked a total of 27 10lb rainbow, last on January 3rd, 2023. Albright and Blue lakes in Okanogan County have also been stocked at times. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The lake has been stocked with several species of fish including: largemouth bass, walleye, saugeye, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and crappie. This would be our top choice for trips.. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Fish Lake is one of the regions most popular fishing spots, catch your quota of brook trout, rainbow trout and tiger trout. If youre looking for easy-to-catch trout limits, a good bet is to simply see where the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stocking trucks go. American Lake near Tacoma is the largest lake in Pierce County. Fish Lake, Leavenworth, WA. 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. . By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Rock Lake. Many of those fish have been slated to land in lakes and ponds in southwest Washington, including in and around Lewis County. Banks Lake is another expansive impoundment in the Columbia Rivers massive hydroelectric and irrigation project, located just south of Grand Coulee Dam. Monofilament recovery and recycling program, Statewide hatchery trout and kokanee stocking plan, Winter and summer steelhead smolt stocking. At 1,486 feet, lake Chelan is the third-deepest lake in America, even deeper than the great lakes. How Deep do Rainbow trout live. Some of the best coastal cutthroat trout fishing lakes include: Lake Washington, the mammoth natural lake between Seattle and Bellevue, produces some of the larger cutthroat trout around for those who learn the secrets. Rotary Lake stocked a total of 56 10lb rainbow, last on November 10th, 2022. Multiple public boat ramps are available at both lakes. With "spring break" fast approaching, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is stocking dozens of lakes in Western Washington with more than 250,000 . Summer is the best time to be on Banks Lake chasing kokanee. Make Short Casts. Another hot spot closer to home for many is near the fish hatchery at Minter Creek, located near the end of Carr Inlet less than 20 minutes from Gig Harbor. Lake Sammamish often can out-fish its larger neighbor for numbers, although at times the average trout here will be a bit smaller. Juanita Point is well-known as one of the top spots on Lake Washington for trophy trout. Kokanee Honestly, there are hundreds if not thousands of high lakes and streams with brook trout in them. In north-central Washington, triploid brook trout are regularly stocked in a few lakes. Another eastern U.S. native, Eastern brook trout are widely dispersed around Washington. The states heaviest gator on record was taken in 1989, weighing 1,043 pounds. Luckily for us anglers, they are also stocked in a few high mountain lakes here in Washington. Its about an hour from Seattle and 30 minutes from Olympia, making it a convenient day trip for many anglers. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) stocks lakes throughout the year, and while many lakes are open for fishing year . For a list of lakes with prize fish and information on how to claim a prize, visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/trout-derby. Adult rainbow trout and steelhead range in size. Deputies said a confrontation with a homeowner led to the shooting. 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 . Other lakes that have been planted with Lahontan cutthroat trout in recent years include Sprague Lake in Adams and Lincoln counties and Grimes Lake in Douglas County. The 6.25-pound state record was caught here in 2003. Rainbow trout caught in Lone Lake. The four or five-mile stretch of the lake just above the dam is where youll often find the best concentrations of kokanee. 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. Each price quoted above includes a limit of fish permitted to be taken per person. On good years, 16- to 18-inch kokanee are average. Rufus Woods Lake has been jointly managed by Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. This is the largest natural lake in eastern Washington. Visit in May or June if youre looking to fill your cooler with pan-sized kokanee. Many arent publicized much, but one place to start your search isWDFWs brook trout page, which lists selected fisheries by county. I-82 Pond 4 stocked a total of 30 10lb rainbow, last on December 2nd, 2022. 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. Rather, Lahontans come from the Great Basin area that stretches from western Nevada into northwestern California and southeastern Oregon, where they have adapted to high-alkaline waters that most other trout cant tolerate. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Chelan County. Anglers who catch orange-tagged trout in lakes across Washington can win one of the more than 1,000 prizes, from 70 participating businesses with a total value of more than $38,000. June is the prime month here, and kokanee tend to be 30 or 40 feet down, sometimes shallower early in the day. Lake Roosevelt has earned a reputation for kicking out big kokes. Potholes Reservoir. View Fishing Details, For March: Overall, American Lake follows a typical pattern when it comes to the size of the fish and the best season. https://www.fishingduo.com/5-overlooked-lakes-for-big-trout-in-washington-state/, https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/sports/wdfw-to-stock-more-than-147000-trout-in-washington-lakes/, https://stepoutside.org/article/5-best-fishing-spots-in-washington-state/. Another was once rumored to be swimming around Lake Washington in 2005. This comes on top of 915,000 planted . Met me at the Yakima River, anyone? (6) It is unlawful to possess or use live aquatic animals as bait in fresh water except: (a) Live aquatic animals (other than fish) collected from the water being fished may be possessed or used as bait. Wild populations of coastal cutthroat trout are found scattered around the streams and lakes of Western Washington, and a fair number of lakes in this region are stocked with hatchery-reared cutthroat. High lakes fish stocking This stocking information is intended to give the user ideas where different species and quantities of fish have been stocked by WDFW and volunteers into high lakes across Washington. In addition, the lake has developed a fairly good . Bigger isnt always better, but for Washingtons longest river, it is. STEVENS COUNTY, Wash., In what the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is calling a massive catch, a 24-pound tiger trout was pulled from Loon Lake by angler Caylun Peterson on June 26, shattering a state record. Kokanee feed primarily on plankton. Some of the lakes recently stocked include Island Lake in Kitsap County; Island, Lost, Nahwatzel, and Spencer lakes in Mason County; Lake Sylvia in Grays Harbor County; and Gibbs, Teal and Leland lakes in Jefferson County. Stocking: May 13, 2022 Rainbow 2500 @ 0.54lbs. Trout marked with orange tags have been stocked in Washington lakes, offering prizes valued at $38,000. 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. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking all anglers to fish responsibly in the pandemic by practicing social distancing, wearing masks and having a backup plan if their preferred fishing hole is too crowded. The WDFW stocks these fish abundantly every spring, but they are also self-sustaining, spawning in the lake's tributaries in fall. Its probably the most likely place in Washington to catch kokanee salmon that cross the elusive 20-inch mark. This fish stocking information is from the year 2000 to present. The deepest water in Loon Lake is in the southeastern end of the lake, and this is generally the best area to troll for kokanee. But, they do feed predominantly near or just off the bottom. For several years, radar speed signs have been the dominant answer. Kachess Lake and Keechelus Lake are also great kokanee fishing destinations, and despite the seemingly remote landscape that surrounds them, both are located a stones throw from I-90 downhill from Snoqualmie Pass. Rowland Lake stocked a total of 60 10lb rainbow, last on December 13th, 2022. Lake Sammamish, just outside Seattle, was historically one of the areas go-to kokanee lakes, but kokanee fishing here has been closed in recent years following a major population collapse. 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. With a year-round open fishing season, this mixed species fishery has a reputation of providing an excellent fishery for Rainbow and Brown Trout. Anglers willing to brave the cold often catch them 100 feet down over 400 feet of water in the dead of winter. There are three primary species of cutthroat trout found in Washington. Get notified by email right after a lake near you has been stocked! 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). You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. After that, at the bottom of this article, check out additional kokanee lakes that might be close to home and at times can offer good fishing for these tasty and spirited game fish. We want people to enjoy it, we want people to connect with nature.. Lake Riley. Overall, the two lakes present similar fishing conditions, and tactics that work on one lake will generally work on the other. Brent Pollock is a passionate angler and the founder of the popular fishing blog "Safe Harbor Fishing". Its a partnership between folks who sell fishing licenses and the state to get more people out fishing and give them excuses to visit some of these sporting goods stores, Spinelli said. It took years of mental health treatment for the case to proceed against Alan Dean in the killing of Melissa Lee. There are several picnic shelters, yard lights, fire rings, boat ramp and a vault toilet. Trout marked with orange tags have been stocked in Washington lakes, offering prizes valued at $38,000. The trout are big, too, with some of them reaching lengths of 15 or 16 inches. Depending on data and requests, that could change. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Pierce County. Fishing for kokanee salmon has exploded in popularity. Largemouth bass, Bluegill and Crappie are also available from this lake. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Or try our advanced Washington fishing lake finder - search for any species of fish, filter by stocked lakes only, lake amenities and more. She settled with the city this month. 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. Klineline Pond stocked a total of 26 10lb rainbow, last on December 28th, 2022. For starters, Fort Borst Park Pond and South Lewis Park Pond are both . That puts it a little off the radar, but the public can fish Omak Lake with a tribal permit. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 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. 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.