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Spring Trout Hot Spots 2004
by John Kruse, April 01, 2004
Where to Catch Trout Now
By John Kruse for Washingtonlakes.com
Are you one of the estimated 300,000 anglers that will be fishing during Washington’s April 24 trout opener? If so, I hope you come home with a stringer of nice trout and some good memories. However, the question for many anglers heading into May is, “What now?”
Many anglers believe the place they went on opening day is pretty well “fished out” by the end of the week due to angler pressure and other factors. Warmer May temperatures and emerging weeds can prove frustrating for fishermen who try to use the same April tactics for trout.
When it comes to finding fish, you may want to go to one of the lakes that were especially well stocked with trout this year. Here’s a rundown on some of the most heavily stocked lakes in Washington; lakes that should provide good trout fishing long after April opener.
SW Washington:
Mineral Lake, Mayfield Reservoir, Swift Reservoir Rowland Lake and Horsethief Lake should all be good bets for anglers. Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife biologist Stacie Kelsey points out that Battleground Lake has plenty of trout to catch, due to light pressure at the state park there where visitors must pay a day use fee. She also suggests Lacamas Lake for either Rainbows or Browns, both of which are plentiful. If you are fishing near Vancouver, don’t forget Klineline Pond, which received a good plant of catchable and trophy size trout.
Central Washington:
In Yakima County, Clear Lake near White Pass will be worth a visit thanks to a plant of 26,000 trout. In Chelan County, Wapato Lake near Chelan will likely be a great producer again this year. Okanogan County has lots of trout lakes worth fishing. Alta, Fish and Wannacutt Lakes are a few of the many worth trying in April and May. In Grant County, families have a chance to soak up the sunshine while fishing Park or Blue Lakes, both of which are heavily planted with rainbow trout.
Puget Sound Area:
Seattle area anglers have fished King County’s Pine Lake for years during the opener with good reason. Rattlesnake, Meridian and Green Lake are other King County destinations that should not be overlooked. In Snohomish County, Ki and Goodwin Lake both receive good plants of hatchery fish. Moving south, Thurston County’s Summit Lake receives a heavy plant of 40,000 trout while Long Lake and Lawrence Lake each receive plants of over 25,000 fish. Finally, Pierce County’s American Lake receives a whopping plant of 80,000 trout for anglers to catch.
Eastern Washington:
There’s plenty of fishing opportunity for Spokane area anglers too. Fishtrap and Clear Lakes both received plants of 25,000 catchable trout and over 1500 trophy size fish. Williams Lake received even more, making it a great destination. Don’t overlook Deer and Loon Lake in Stevens County. They also received healthy plants of fish this year.
Now that you have an idea of where to go, how do you go about catching these trout? The tactics used during the April opener may or may not work during the month of May. Fishermen who troll for their trout will notice that trout tend to stay near the surface for the first couple of weeks after they are planted in a lake. As they become acclimated, and as the water warms, these fish will head deeper. Try trolling pop gear or a Mack’s Lure Hot Wings troller. Follow this up with a worm tipped wedding ring spinner for success. How much (if any) weight you use will depend on the factors mentioned above.
Lots of bank anglers cast spinners and spoons. These techniques will continue to have success, and fly fishermen can do well too. Experiment with your lures and the speed of your retrieve to find out how deep the fish are hanging.
The most popular method for bank anglers is to use Powerbait. Fishermen use these floating baits in various colors, usually suspended off the bottom 18 to 24 inches. However, as weeds emerge off the bottom, it’s important to extend the leader length so that the bait floats above the weeds.
There are clearly a lot of places to fish for trout in our great state, and plenty of ways to catch them well beyond opening day. I hope you’ll get the chance to do so in the coming weeks!
Russell Johnston and Lisa Roberts caught this nice stringer of trout during Washington’s March Basin Opener.