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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

State crews stocking lakes with millions of trout

Trout are added to West Medical Lake west of Spokane in this file photo. Trout-stocking crews are planting fish throughout Washington state in preparation for the April 22 opening of fishing season. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

OLYMPIA – Trout-stocking crews are planting fish throughout Washington state in preparation for the April 22 opening of fishing season.

Although many lakes are open year-round, the fourth Saturday in April marks the traditional start of the lowland lakes fishing season.

Crews from the Department of Fish and Wildlife have been stocking more than 16 million trout and kokanee in lakes statewide.

Those fish include 2.3 million catchable trout, nearly 150,000 larger trout averaging about 1 pound each and millions of smaller trout that were stocked last year and have grown to catchable size.

Fish program manager Steve Thiesfeld says they’re about halfway through their stocking efforts and plan to have it done by opening weekend.