No, put that deck of cards away! It’s time to dust-off your lures, bait, rods and reels, hooks, poles, and other tackle. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) just announced that it will open several hundred lowland lakes stocked with millions of fish tomorrow, Saturday, April 27.
The director of WDFW, Phil Anderson, said the start of the lowland lakes’ 6-month season is the biggest fishing day of the year.
You’ll need a valid Washington freshwater fishing license. If you don’t have one, they can be purchased online, over the phone at 1-866-246-9453, or at hundreds of license dealers across the state.
Freshwater fishing licenses costs:
- 16 to 69 years old: $29.50
- 70 years old and older: $7.50
- 15 years old: $10.25, younger kids don’t need a license.
As an added benefit you get a free Discover Pass with every annual fishing license you buy.
Now, saying “millions of fish” is not a figure of speech, it’s a fact. WDFW fish hatchery crews have been stocking 17 million trout and kokanee in lakes on both sides of the Cascades, including 2.3 million catchable trout, 160,000 jumbo trout weighing up to 11 pounds apiece, and 52,000 triploid trout averaging 1½ pounds apiece. Additionally, there are millions of smaller trout that were stocked last year and are now of catching size. Get all the stocking details by county and lake in the annual stocking plan.
So get ready and plan your trip by checking out the water access locations, the lakes overview maps, and the state’s fishing regulations.
Happy fishing!