The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is gearing up for the lowland trout lakes program. They will be planting hatchery trout from now through spring in many local lakes, and the season kicks off with the Black Friday trout opener.
For over a decade the popular program has aimed to get families and friends out together for a day of fighting fish, instead of fighting the holiday shopping crowds.
State-wide there will be 24 lakes stocked with “jumbo” rainbow trout before Nov. 29, ranging up to 17 inches in length, with some of tipping the scales at three pounds. 65,000 trout will be stocked out, mostly in the western part of the state.
Stacie Kelsey of the WDFW Inland Fishes Program reports that the same lakes will soon be stocked in Region 5 as in recent years. Each of them will receive 2,000 of the jumbo-sized trout.
“Those are the best lakes for the area, and they seem to produce well,” Kelsey said.
She said the program seems to get more popular every year.
“We do get a lot of good feedback about it,” she added.
Two lakes in Clark County will be stocked for the event: Klineline Pond, in Vancouver’s Salmon Creek Park, and Battle Ground Lake, in Battle Ground Lake State Park.
Kress Lake in Cowlitz County will also receive 2,000 jumbo rainbow trout.
Two Lewis County lakes will also be stocked, the Fort Borst Park Pond, and the South Lewis County Park Pond.
In Klickitat County Rowland Lake will be stocked.
In addition to the Black Friday stockings, many lowland trout lakes will also be planted with “catchable” rainbow trout. These fish run from 10 to 12 inches.
In the months to come, plenty of trophy sized brood trout will also be stocked out, providing anglers a shot at trout from five to 10 pounds.
In Clark County, Klineline Pond has already been stocked with 2,000 catchable trout.
Kelsey reports that in both Battle Ground Lake, and Klineline Pond, the trout seem to prefer bait to artificial lures. And, while Berkley Power Bait has always been the most popular offering, the trout already stocked in Klineline Pond are showing a preference for a different bait right now.
“For some reason the bite on Power Bait has been kind of slacking off there,” she said. “Now it’s the Berkley Trout Nuggets that are catching fish.”
She added that some anglers have been fishing with a combination of a worm tipped with a salmon egg.
Klineline Pond has excellent bank access, while Battle Ground is a good lake for small boats, and there is a fishing pier there as well.
The two lakes in Lewis County that get the Black Friday stockings tend to fish very well, too, according to Kelsey.
“Fort Borst Park is very popular with families and kids,” she said. “It’s got pretty good shore access all the way around it.”
The South Lewis County Park Pond also has very good shore access, and there is a boat launch and a fishing pier.
In the Columbia River Gorge, Rowland Lake is very popular on Black Friday, and it is a larger lake with a boat launch and good bank access. Lures and bait both work well here, and Kelsey reports that these fish are very aggressive.
“Rowland is really popular, and every year it’s just such a good lake for the Black Friday fishery,” she said.
The trout at Rowland seem to take just about every kind of offering, including trolling small plugs in 2 or 2.5 inches, casting or trolling spinners and spoons, or fishing bait below a bobber, or on the bottom.
A few other local lakes have already been stocked with catchable trout, including Lacamas Lake near Camas, which has already received 4,000 catchable rainbow trout.
Also, Icehouse Lake near the Washington end of The Bridge of the Gods near Stevenson received 2,000 catchable rainbow trout on Nov. 13. Icehouse Lake has been fishing very well with spinners recently, but over time the trout will switch to preferring bait.
Kelsey also mentioned that just ahead of Christmas, Sacajawea Lake in Longview will once again receive a strong stocking of jumbo trout that will rival the big rainbows stocked out for Black Friday. This fishery has also become very popular in recent years.
The enthusiasm around the Black Friday stocking program is another reason that trout fishing is the most popular kind of fishing in Washington state.
“I think it’s going to be another great year,” said Kelsey, “and we just encourage people to get out and have fun with their families. It’s a great time to take a kid fishing, or a parent fishing.”
Buzz Ramsey’s winter trout tips
Few people get more excited about this fishery than local fishing legend Buzz Ramsey, who was one of the original promoters of the program. Listed here are some of his tips for getting the most out of this event.
1. Sleep in and enjoy the late-day bite.
“A guy can start early, but it seems like the best bite starts about 9 or 10 o’clock,” Ramsey said. “The water is cold, just a slight rise in temperatures as the day progresses, even a fraction of a degree, seems to turn those fish on. I’ve seen it time and time again.”
He reports that the best fishing seems to be mid-day.
2. Smaller baits work better in the cold water.
“The fish are not real aggressive in the cold water,” he said. “Powerbait is the overall favorite, but the trout will take a smaller bait better. For the best success, try using a small enough hook and just big enough bait that it floats off the bottom, so the cruising trout can find it. Too big a hook and it will sink to the bottom. It can get bit that way, but it’s not as effective.”
He suggests a size 18 treble hook, and just enough bait to float it off the bottom. Using a free-sliding sinker and some slack in the line will also help. The fish can grab the bait and swim and off taking the bait deeper while not feeling that weight on the line.
“Set the hook,” said Ramsey. “Don’t forget that.”
3. Troll with small plugs, spinners, or spoons.
“I have caught them on everything, a 2.5 flatfish, a little Maglip, or the Spinfish in the 2.0 or 2.5 size,” he said. “I stuff the Spinfish with tuna and troll them behind a small lake troll flasher. I have also caught them trolling Rooster Tails, and the Thomas Minnow.
He reminds anglers that using some scent on your bait can increase the bites, and tipping your spinner with a small bit of Berkley Trout Worm, or some other attractant can increase your success.
4. When it is warm and windy, fish the windward shore.
“If you get some afternoon sun, those fish will come into the shallows, not real shallow, but they will move into that warm water,” Ramsey said. “Also, if you get a west wind on a sunny day, it blows that warm water onto the east end of the lake. It can be good to fish the windy end of the lake when that happens. It can be really good then.”
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For more information: Check the WDFW trout stocking report at: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants
