Lakes Load Up For Trout Season

Hatchery trucks, loaded with young trout and some broodstock trout, are planting Eastern Washington lakes that will be swarming with anglers on opening weekend, April 27 and 28.

The plants are only a fraction of the number of trout released each year during when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s much-admired rehabilitation program was at its peak.

At one time, millions of trout fry were released into fishing waters that were free or virtually free of competing species. Those were the “good, old days” for the region’s anglers.

A fisherman didn’t have to go far to catch trout that averaged 10 to 12 inches long. Trout at many lakes, including Silver, West Medical and Clear, sometimes averaged 12 to 13 inches long on opening days.

A look at today’s planting figures indicates how times have changed. For example, the department plants fewer trout fry in all the lakes throughout the Spokane region than it released into three or four lakes 20 years ago.

There are several reasons why the department no longer produces millions of trout fry each year. The rehabilitation program has been drastically curtailed, some Olympia officials no longer believe in the program, several lakes are now full of species that are hard to kill with rotenone, rotenone prices have skyrocketed and the department’s income hasn’t kept up with costs.

Because many trout lakes that once were free of competing species are now full of bass, sunfish, perch and goldfish, the department now plants them with yearling trout, most of which can escape the predators. Among the best known in the Spokane region are Silver, Clear and Liberty. Inasmuch as the cost of holding trout in the hatcheries for a year is high, possibly as much as 50 cents a fish, the department can raise only a limited number. That means only a few thousand for each lake.

Even though the department plants far fewer trout than it did several years ago, fishing will be fair to good throughout the Spokane region this spring. Anglers who chose the right spots will catch their fivefish limits in an hour or two.

For example, fishing should be good at Badger, Williams, Fishtrap, Amber and West Medical.

Most of the rainbows that anglers will catch at Badger and Williams will be yearlings. The two lakes were treated with rotenone last year and are being planted with trout for the opener. The department is releasing 35,000 rainbow yearlings and 800 broodstock rainbows into Badger and 40,000 rainbow yearlings and 800 broodstock trout into Williams.

About 10,000 rainbow fry were released into Amber last May. No fish are scheduled to be planted this spring in the selective fishery lake. However, the fry that were planted last year should be about 10 inches long on the opener. In addition, the lake presumably has a good carryover of 2- and 3-year-old rainbows and cutthroat.

Most of the 120,000 rainbow fry, 45,000 rainbow yearling and 690 rainbow broodstock that were released last May into West Medical either have been caught or didn’t survive. The department released 5,000 rainbow fingerlings in the lake last fall. About 20,000 rainbow yearlings are now being released.

Biologist Bob Peck has released a smorgasbord of rainbows and browns into Silver, Clear and Liberty lakes during the last year.

Last fall 27,000 rainbow fry and 40,000 brown trout fingerlings were planted in Silver. About 35,000 rainbow yearlings and 5,000 brown trout yearlings are being planted for the opener.

Clear Lake received 27,000 rainbow fingerlings, 40,000 brown trout fingerlings and 700 brown trout broodstock last fall. Now being released are 40,000 brown trout yearlings.

Liberty, once the state’s top trout producer, is now full of everything from perch to walleyes. The department is releasing 25,000 rainbow yearlings, 5,000 brown trout yearlings and 100 walleyes.

About 20,000 rainbow yearlings are being released into Deer Lake. The lake was sweetened last fall with 15,000 rainbow fingerlings. Loon is getting 15,000 rainbow yearlings and 3,000 brook trout yearlings. Last fall 10,000 mackinaw trout fry were released into Loon.

Waitts should provide fair fishing for rainbows and browns this spring. The department last fall released 15,000 rainbow fingerlings, 40,000 brown trout fingerlings and 700 brown trout broodstock into the lake. This spring the lake is getting 500 rainbow broodstock, 25,000 rainbow yearlings and 5,000 brown trout yearlings.

Nearby Jump-Off Joe Lake is being planted with 12,000 brook trout yearlings and 2,000 brown trout yearlings.

, DataTimes MEMO: You can contact Fenton Roskelley by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 3814.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review