Thousands of anglers enjoy good fishing during lowland lakes opener
OLYMPIA
- Washington's lowland lakes fishing season opener last Saturday
provided anglers a slightly better-than-average catch rate of trout.
Based on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff and volunteer creel checks of 4,305 anglers with 10,372 trout at 111 lakes statewide, the average catch rate was 2.4 trout per angler, with many more trout caught and released during the day.
In the past five years, similar numbers of opening day anglers checked at similar numbers of lakes averaged closer to 2.2 trout per angler, said Jim Uehara, Inland Fish Program manager for WDFW.
"As usual, spring weather varied across the state and even across counties throughout the day," Uehara said. "Wind or rain may have cut some fishing trips short, but for the most part, weather didn't keep anglers away and didn't keep fish from biting."
It was mostly warm, sunny and calm at Warden Lake, in northcentral Washington's Grant County, where the highest catch-per-angler average - 4.7 - was recorded on opening day. Based on the five-trout daily catch limit, there were lots of limits caught at Warden, said WDFW District Fish Biologist Chad Jackson. Not only was fishing "phenomenal," he said, but so was fish size, with yearling rainbow trout averaging 14 inches and others up to 17 inches.
Long Lake in Thurston County yielded lots of quick and early limits. But the official creel check, from 8 a.m. to noon, showed an average of 3.63 trout per angler. The catch rate measured at Mineral Lake in Lewis County was less than two trout per angler, but many were large fish, including a 26-incher.
Other lakes with the highest catch-per-angler averages were: Riley Lake (4.64) in Snohomish County; Aldrich (4.60) and Maggie (4.37) lakes in Mason County; Fishtrap Lake (4.32) in Lincoln County; Toad Lake (4.27) in Whatcom County; Deep Lake (4.17) in Thurston County; Cottage (4.10) and Walker (3.89) lakes in King County; Wannacut Lake (3.83) in Okanogan County; Blue Lake (3.80) in Grant County; and Starvation Lake (3.78) in Stevens County.
The following is the entire opening day creel report:
County
Lake
Anglers
Fish kept
Fish/angler
Chelan
Wapato
39
92
2.36
Douglas
Jameson
53
100
1.89
Ferry
Ellen
29
31
1.07
Grant
Blue
17
65
3.8
Park
89
196
2.2
Deep
57
108
1.9
Perch
20
49
2.5
Warden
44
208
4.7
Grays Harbor
Aberdeen
88
187
2.13
Failor
60
127
2.12
Stump
35
37
1.06
Sylvia
27
37
1.37
Vance Cr.Pd.#1
33
27
0.82
Vance Cr.Pd.#2
35
53
1.51
Island
Deer
6
10
1.67
Jefferson
Anderson
64
103
1.61
Horseshoe
22
7
0.32
Ludlow
32
3
0.09
Sandy Shore
89
298
3.35
Tarboo
38
83
2.18
King
Cottage
41
168
4.1
Geneva
9
32
3.56
Langlois
37
107
2.89
Margaret
39
103
2.64
North
33
62
1.88
Pine
82
213
2.6
Steel
27
88
3.26
Walker
19
74
3.89
Wilderness
26
60
2.31
Kitsap
Buck
20
43
2.15
Horseshoe
39
111
2.85
Mission
43
152
3.53
Panther
31
111
3.58
Wildcat
78
210
2.69
Wye
37
127
3.43
Klickitat
Horsethief
35
48
1.37
Rowland
79
162
2.05
Spearfish
9
12
1.33
Lewis
Carlisle
63
102
1.62
Ft.Borst Pk.Pd.
71
86
1.21
Mineral
54
98
1.81
Plummer
21
76
3.62
Lincoln
Fishtrap
38
164
4.32
Mason
Aldrich
5
23
4.6
Benson
49
112
2.29
Clara (Don)
13
36
2.77
Devereaux
45
109
2.42
Haven
26
93
3.58
Jiggs
4
5
1.25
Maggie
19
83
4.37
Phillips
53
166
3.13
Robbins
15
45
3
Tiger
82
269
3.28
Wood
10
14
1.4
Wooten
58
143
2.47
Okanogan
Alta
131
266
2.03
Fish
45
156
3.47
Pearrygin
43
76
1.77
Wannacut
12
46
3.83
Pacific
Black
42
0
0
Pend Oreille
Diamond
25
20
0.8
Big Meadow
0
0
0
Pierce
Carney
16
37
2.31
Clear
99
194
1.96
Crescent
30
71
2.37
Ohop
48
72
1.5
Rapjohn
88
140
1.59
Silver
55
94
1.71
Jackson
6
4
0.67
Tanwax
62
151
2.44
San Juan
Egg
1
0
0
Hummel
0
0
0
Skagit
Erie
58
198
3.41
Heart
22
75
3.41
McMurray
44
70
1.59
Sixteen
50
55
1.1
Skamania
Kidney
9
23
2.56
Northwestern
38
21
0.55
Swift
42
149
3.55
Snohomish
Armstrong
56
20
0.36
Bosworth
24
72
3
Crabapple
3
5
1.67
Howard
38
82
2.16
Ki
57
179
3.14
Martha
42
107
2.55
Riley
11
51
4.64
Serene
19
3
0.16
Stickney
14
2
0.14
Storm
32
96
3
Spokane
Badger
40
100
2.5
Clear
28
42
1.5
Fish
40
88
2.2
West Medical
80
176
2.2
Williams
56
196
3.5
Stevens
Cedar
21
76
3.62
Deep
3
7
2.33
Starvation
46
174
3.78
Rocky
11
40
3.64
Waitts
44
123
2.8
Thurston
Clear
62
197
3.18
Deep
36
150
4.17
Hicks
42
143
3.4
Long
38
138
3.63
McIntosh
77
236
3.06
Pattison
48
40
0.83
Summit
64
214
3.34
Ward
62
99
1.6
Whatcom
Cain
32
88
2.75
Padden
40
124
3.1
Silver
161
462
2.87
Toad
52
222
4.27
Based on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff and volunteer creel checks of 4,305 anglers with 10,372 trout at 111 lakes statewide, the average catch rate was 2.4 trout per angler, with many more trout caught and released during the day.
In the past five years, similar numbers of opening day anglers checked at similar numbers of lakes averaged closer to 2.2 trout per angler, said Jim Uehara, Inland Fish Program manager for WDFW.
"As usual, spring weather varied across the state and even across counties throughout the day," Uehara said. "Wind or rain may have cut some fishing trips short, but for the most part, weather didn't keep anglers away and didn't keep fish from biting."
It was mostly warm, sunny and calm at Warden Lake, in northcentral Washington's Grant County, where the highest catch-per-angler average - 4.7 - was recorded on opening day. Based on the five-trout daily catch limit, there were lots of limits caught at Warden, said WDFW District Fish Biologist Chad Jackson. Not only was fishing "phenomenal," he said, but so was fish size, with yearling rainbow trout averaging 14 inches and others up to 17 inches.
Long Lake in Thurston County yielded lots of quick and early limits. But the official creel check, from 8 a.m. to noon, showed an average of 3.63 trout per angler. The catch rate measured at Mineral Lake in Lewis County was less than two trout per angler, but many were large fish, including a 26-incher.
Other lakes with the highest catch-per-angler averages were: Riley Lake (4.64) in Snohomish County; Aldrich (4.60) and Maggie (4.37) lakes in Mason County; Fishtrap Lake (4.32) in Lincoln County; Toad Lake (4.27) in Whatcom County; Deep Lake (4.17) in Thurston County; Cottage (4.10) and Walker (3.89) lakes in King County; Wannacut Lake (3.83) in Okanogan County; Blue Lake (3.80) in Grant County; and Starvation Lake (3.78) in Stevens County.
The following is the entire opening day creel report:
County
Lake
Anglers
Fish kept
Fish/angler
Chelan
Wapato
39
92
2.36
Douglas
Jameson
53
100
1.89
Ferry
Ellen
29
31
1.07
Grant
Blue
17
65
3.8
Park
89
196
2.2
Deep
57
108
1.9
Perch
20
49
2.5
Warden
44
208
4.7
Grays Harbor
Aberdeen
88
187
2.13
Failor
60
127
2.12
Stump
35
37
1.06
Sylvia
27
37
1.37
Vance Cr.Pd.#1
33
27
0.82
Vance Cr.Pd.#2
35
53
1.51
Island
Deer
6
10
1.67
Jefferson
Anderson
64
103
1.61
Horseshoe
22
7
0.32
Ludlow
32
3
0.09
Sandy Shore
89
298
3.35
Tarboo
38
83
2.18
King
Cottage
41
168
4.1
Geneva
9
32
3.56
Langlois
37
107
2.89
Margaret
39
103
2.64
North
33
62
1.88
Pine
82
213
2.6
Steel
27
88
3.26
Walker
19
74
3.89
Wilderness
26
60
2.31
Kitsap
Buck
20
43
2.15
Horseshoe
39
111
2.85
Mission
43
152
3.53
Panther
31
111
3.58
Wildcat
78
210
2.69
Wye
37
127
3.43
Klickitat
Horsethief
35
48
1.37
Rowland
79
162
2.05
Spearfish
9
12
1.33
Lewis
Carlisle
63
102
1.62
Ft.Borst Pk.Pd.
71
86
1.21
Mineral
54
98
1.81
Plummer
21
76
3.62
Lincoln
Fishtrap
38
164
4.32
Mason
Aldrich
5
23
4.6
Benson
49
112
2.29
Clara (Don)
13
36
2.77
Devereaux
45
109
2.42
Haven
26
93
3.58
Jiggs
4
5
1.25
Maggie
19
83
4.37
Phillips
53
166
3.13
Robbins
15
45
3
Tiger
82
269
3.28
Wood
10
14
1.4
Wooten
58
143
2.47
Okanogan
Alta
131
266
2.03
Fish
45
156
3.47
Pearrygin
43
76
1.77
Wannacut
12
46
3.83
Pacific
Black
42
0
0
Pend Oreille
Diamond
25
20
0.8
Big Meadow
0
0
0
Pierce
Carney
16
37
2.31
Clear
99
194
1.96
Crescent
30
71
2.37
Ohop
48
72
1.5
Rapjohn
88
140
1.59
Silver
55
94
1.71
Jackson
6
4
0.67
Tanwax
62
151
2.44
San Juan
Egg
1
0
0
Hummel
0
0
0
Skagit
Erie
58
198
3.41
Heart
22
75
3.41
McMurray
44
70
1.59
Sixteen
50
55
1.1
Skamania
Kidney
9
23
2.56
Northwestern
38
21
0.55
Swift
42
149
3.55
Snohomish
Armstrong
56
20
0.36
Bosworth
24
72
3
Crabapple
3
5
1.67
Howard
38
82
2.16
Ki
57
179
3.14
Martha
42
107
2.55
Riley
11
51
4.64
Serene
19
3
0.16
Stickney
14
2
0.14
Storm
32
96
3
Spokane
Badger
40
100
2.5
Clear
28
42
1.5
Fish
40
88
2.2
West Medical
80
176
2.2
Williams
56
196
3.5
Stevens
Cedar
21
76
3.62
Deep
3
7
2.33
Starvation
46
174
3.78
Rocky
11
40
3.64
Waitts
44
123
2.8
Thurston
Clear
62
197
3.18
Deep
36
150
4.17
Hicks
42
143
3.4
Long
38
138
3.63
McIntosh
77
236
3.06
Pattison
48
40
0.83
Summit
64
214
3.34
Ward
62
99
1.6
Whatcom
Cain
32
88
2.75
Padden
40
124
3.1
Silver
161
462
2.87
Toad
52
222
4.27











