Bigger Trout Await Father's Day Anglers

OLYMPIA - Fish hatchery crews with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will be stocking 10,000 large rainbow trout in 20 lakes just before Father's Day weekend, June 20 and 21.

This is the fourth straight year the department has stocked these one-and-a-half pound trout before Father's Day weekend, said Chris Donley, WDFW inland fish program manager.

"These fish will provide anglers with some great opportunities to spend time with friends and family," said Donley. "A fishing license also is a great Father's Day gift and catching these big fish will make for some wonderful memories," he adds.

Fishing licenses can be purchased online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov; by telephone at 1-866-246-9453; or at hundreds of license dealers across the state. For details on license vendor locations, visit WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/ .

All of the lakes that will be stocked with those larger-15-to-17 inch-fish before Father's Day have good shore and boat access. More details on fishing locations are available at the Fish Washington website: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/ .

The lakes by region and county, and the number of fish that will be stocked, are as follows:

North Puget Sound Region:

King County: Green Lake, 1,500

Snohomish County: Blackmans Lake, 250; Gissburg Ponds 1 and 2 (aka Twin Lakes), 250

Skagit County: Campbell Lake, 250

Whatcom County: Padden Lake, 350

Coastal/Olympic Peninsula Region:

Grays Harbor County: Vance Creek (Elma) Pond #2, 100

Jefferson County: Sandy Shore Lake, 350

Pierce County: American Lake, 1,500

Thurston County: Clear Lake, 350; Hicks Lake, 350

Southwest Region:

Clark County: Horseshoe Lake, 250

Southcentral Region:

Kittitas County: Cooper Lake, 250

Yakima County: Clear Lake, 500

Northcentral Region:

Grant County: Park Lake, 400

Okanogan County: Alta Lake, 350; Conconully Reservoir, 750

Eastern Region:

Spokane County: West Medical Lake, 1,250; Williams Lake, 400

Pend Oreille County: Diamond Lake, 600

Hundreds of other Washington lakes have been stocked with trout over the past year. Fish stocking details, by county and lake, are available in the annual stocking plan on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/statewide/ .