05-01-2009, 11:11 AM
OLYMPIA - An improved average catch rate and some bigger fish made cool, windy weather tolerable for thousands of anglers during the April 25 Washington lowland lake fishing season opener.
"The blustery weather kept some people hunkered down, so the boat ramps were not as busy for this opener," said Jon Anderson, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish biologist, who compiled results from creel checks across the state. "But there were some pretty good catch rates and nice-sized fish caught."<br />
WDFW staff and volunteers reported checking 5,410 anglers with 12,497 trout from 121 lakes statewide. Anglers checked statewide averaged 2.3 trout per fisherman at lakes with a five-trout daily catch limit.<br />
The top ten lakes for angler success were: Spokane County's Williams and Badger lakes; Horseshoe and Island lakes in Kitsap County; Okanogan County's Pearrygin Lake; Skagit County's Erie Lake; Steel Lake in King County; Snohomish County's Howard Lake; Silver Lake in Whatcom County; and Cedar Lake in Stevens County.<br />
In a few areas, persistent wintery conditions kept WDFW fish hatchery crews from stocking some lakes before the opener. However, hatchery stocking will continue, Anderson said. "With the season on most opening-day waters running through September or October, there will be plenty of fish to catch," he said.<br />
WDFW biologists provided the following information from opening day creel checks:<br />
County Water Anglers<br />
Checked No.<br />
Trout Average Trout<br />
Kept/Angler<br />
Chelan Clear Lake 105 305 2.90<br />
Wapato Lake 49 125 2.55<br />
Douglas Jameson Lake 50 27 0.54<br />
Ferry Ellen Lake 41 59 1.44<br />
Grant Blue Lake 93 283 3.04<br />
Deep Lake 30 89 2.97<br />
Park Lake 131 376 2.87<br />
Perch Lake 27 81 3.00<br />
Warden Lake 40 118 2.95<br />
Grays Harbor Aberdeen Lake 141 180 1.28<br />
Failor Lake 56 75 1.30<br />
Sylvia Lake 35 7 0.20<br />
Vance Creek Pond #1 27 47 1.74<br />
Vance Creek Pond #2 29 53 1.83<br />
Island Deer Lake 21 60 2.86<br />
Jefferson Gibbs Lake 3 8 2.67<br />
Leland Lake 48 7 0.15<br />
Ludlow Lake 24 40 1.67<br />
Sandy Shore Lake 91 112 1.23<br />
King Cottage Lake 55 66 1.20<br />
Geneva Lake 35 70 2.00<br />
Langlois Lake 49 129 2.63<br />
Margaret Lake 74 208 2.81<br />
North Lake 31 108 3.48<br />
Pine Lake 98 269 2.74<br />
Rattlesnake Lake 48 103 2.15<br />
Steel Lake 31 140 4.52<br />
Walker Lake 36 103 2.86<br />
Wilderness Lake 121 339 2.80<br />
Kitsap Buck Lake 21 19 0.90<br />
Horseshoe Lake 24 117 4.88<br />
Island Lake 10 45 4.50<br />
Kitsap Lake 9 3 0.33<br />
Mission Lake 39 138 3.54<br />
Panther Lake 42 99 2.36<br />
Wildcat Lake 36 126 3.50<br />
Wye Lake 35 51 1.46<br />
Klickitat Rowland Lake 43 135 3.14<br />
Spearfish Lake 62 107 1.73<br />
Lewis Carlisle Lake 66 63 0.95<br />
Fort Borst Park Pond 41 92 2.24<br />
Mineral Lake 81 137 1.69<br />
Plummer Lake 3 9 3.00<br />
Lincoln Fishtrap Lake 30 47 1.57<br />
Mason Aldrich Lake 8 16 2.00<br />
Benson Lake 90 186 2.07<br />
Clara (Don) Lake 17 56 3.29<br />
Devereaux Lake 48 20 0.42<br />
Haven Lake 46 110 2.39<br />
Howell Lake 17 18 1.06<br />
Lost Lake 19 36 1.89<br />
Maggie Lake 51 87 1.71<br />
Nahwatzel Lake 35 5 0.14<br />
Phillips Lake 65 58 0.89<br />
Robbins Lake 22 50 2.27<br />
Stump Lake 42 137 3.26<br />
Tee Lake 4 5 1.25<br />
Tiger Lake 104 123 1.18<br />
Twins Lake 2 0 0.00<br />
Wildberry Lake 1 3 3.00<br />
Wood Lake 13 40 3.08<br />
Wooten Lake 61 114 1.87<br />
Okanogan Alta Lake 102 156 1.53<br />
Big Twin Lake 4 0 0.00<br />
Blue Lake (Sinlahekin) 15 2 0.13<br />
Conconully Lake 100 376 3.76<br />
Conconully Res. 48 83 1.73<br />
Fish Lake 70 112 1.60<br />
Leader Lake 20 70 3.50<br />
Pearrygin Lake 44 214 4.86<br />
Pacific Black Lake 27 3 0.11<br />
Pend Oreille Diamond Lake 21 44 2.10<br />
Pierce Bay Lake 71 210 2.96<br />
Clear Lake 89 206 2.31<br />
Ohop Lake 84 182 2.17<br />
Rapjohn Lake 33 106 3.21<br />
Silver Lake 75 58 0.77<br />
Spanaway Lake 31 34 1.10<br />
Tanwax Lake 54 92 1.70<br />
San Juan Cascade Lake 23 72 3.13<br />
Skagit Erie Lake 60 287 4.78<br />
Heart Lake 52 192 3.69<br />
McMurray Lake 56 179 3.20<br />
Sixteen Lake 57 101 1.77<br />
Skamania Northwestern Reservoir 13 27 2.08<br />
Swift Reservoir 45 137 3.04<br />
Snohomish Armstrong Lake 61 185 3.03<br />
Bosworth Lake 39 104 2.67<br />
Howard Lake 59 250 4.24<br />
Ki Lake 61 160 2.62<br />
Martha Lake (AM) 48 113 2.35<br />
Riley Lake 17 54 3.18<br />
Serene Lake 19 59 3.11<br />
Stickney Lake 19 4 0.21<br />
Storm Lake 24 41 1.71<br />
Wagner Lake 13 11 0.85<br />
Spokane Badger Lake 44 173 3.93<br />
Clear Lake 25 63 2.52<br />
Fish Lake 48 172 3.58<br />
West Medical Lake 81 36 0.44<br />
Williams Lake 60 476 5.00<br />
Stevens Cedar Lake 20 79 3.95<br />
Deep Lake 7 26 3.71<br />
Rocky Lake 42 114 2.71<br />
Waitts Lake 43 74 1.72<br />
Thurston Clear Lake 61 61 1.00<br />
Deep Lake 27 47 1.74<br />
Hicks Lake 53 84 1.58<br />
Long Lake 41 82 2.00<br />
McIntosh Lake 113 101 0.89<br />
Munn Lake 25 78 3.12<br />
Pattison Lake 27 47 1.74<br />
Summit Lake 80 159 1.99<br />
Ward Lake 47 118 2.5<br />
Whatcom Cain Lake 14 51 3.64<br />
Padden Lake 35 122 3.49<br />
Silver Lake 136 550 4.04<br />
Toad Lake 28 90 3.21
"The blustery weather kept some people hunkered down, so the boat ramps were not as busy for this opener," said Jon Anderson, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish biologist, who compiled results from creel checks across the state. "But there were some pretty good catch rates and nice-sized fish caught."<br />
WDFW staff and volunteers reported checking 5,410 anglers with 12,497 trout from 121 lakes statewide. Anglers checked statewide averaged 2.3 trout per fisherman at lakes with a five-trout daily catch limit.<br />
The top ten lakes for angler success were: Spokane County's Williams and Badger lakes; Horseshoe and Island lakes in Kitsap County; Okanogan County's Pearrygin Lake; Skagit County's Erie Lake; Steel Lake in King County; Snohomish County's Howard Lake; Silver Lake in Whatcom County; and Cedar Lake in Stevens County.<br />
In a few areas, persistent wintery conditions kept WDFW fish hatchery crews from stocking some lakes before the opener. However, hatchery stocking will continue, Anderson said. "With the season on most opening-day waters running through September or October, there will be plenty of fish to catch," he said.<br />
WDFW biologists provided the following information from opening day creel checks:<br />
County Water Anglers<br />
Checked No.<br />
Trout Average Trout<br />
Kept/Angler<br />
Chelan Clear Lake 105 305 2.90<br />
Wapato Lake 49 125 2.55<br />
Douglas Jameson Lake 50 27 0.54<br />
Ferry Ellen Lake 41 59 1.44<br />
Grant Blue Lake 93 283 3.04<br />
Deep Lake 30 89 2.97<br />
Park Lake 131 376 2.87<br />
Perch Lake 27 81 3.00<br />
Warden Lake 40 118 2.95<br />
Grays Harbor Aberdeen Lake 141 180 1.28<br />
Failor Lake 56 75 1.30<br />
Sylvia Lake 35 7 0.20<br />
Vance Creek Pond #1 27 47 1.74<br />
Vance Creek Pond #2 29 53 1.83<br />
Island Deer Lake 21 60 2.86<br />
Jefferson Gibbs Lake 3 8 2.67<br />
Leland Lake 48 7 0.15<br />
Ludlow Lake 24 40 1.67<br />
Sandy Shore Lake 91 112 1.23<br />
King Cottage Lake 55 66 1.20<br />
Geneva Lake 35 70 2.00<br />
Langlois Lake 49 129 2.63<br />
Margaret Lake 74 208 2.81<br />
North Lake 31 108 3.48<br />
Pine Lake 98 269 2.74<br />
Rattlesnake Lake 48 103 2.15<br />
Steel Lake 31 140 4.52<br />
Walker Lake 36 103 2.86<br />
Wilderness Lake 121 339 2.80<br />
Kitsap Buck Lake 21 19 0.90<br />
Horseshoe Lake 24 117 4.88<br />
Island Lake 10 45 4.50<br />
Kitsap Lake 9 3 0.33<br />
Mission Lake 39 138 3.54<br />
Panther Lake 42 99 2.36<br />
Wildcat Lake 36 126 3.50<br />
Wye Lake 35 51 1.46<br />
Klickitat Rowland Lake 43 135 3.14<br />
Spearfish Lake 62 107 1.73<br />
Lewis Carlisle Lake 66 63 0.95<br />
Fort Borst Park Pond 41 92 2.24<br />
Mineral Lake 81 137 1.69<br />
Plummer Lake 3 9 3.00<br />
Lincoln Fishtrap Lake 30 47 1.57<br />
Mason Aldrich Lake 8 16 2.00<br />
Benson Lake 90 186 2.07<br />
Clara (Don) Lake 17 56 3.29<br />
Devereaux Lake 48 20 0.42<br />
Haven Lake 46 110 2.39<br />
Howell Lake 17 18 1.06<br />
Lost Lake 19 36 1.89<br />
Maggie Lake 51 87 1.71<br />
Nahwatzel Lake 35 5 0.14<br />
Phillips Lake 65 58 0.89<br />
Robbins Lake 22 50 2.27<br />
Stump Lake 42 137 3.26<br />
Tee Lake 4 5 1.25<br />
Tiger Lake 104 123 1.18<br />
Twins Lake 2 0 0.00<br />
Wildberry Lake 1 3 3.00<br />
Wood Lake 13 40 3.08<br />
Wooten Lake 61 114 1.87<br />
Okanogan Alta Lake 102 156 1.53<br />
Big Twin Lake 4 0 0.00<br />
Blue Lake (Sinlahekin) 15 2 0.13<br />
Conconully Lake 100 376 3.76<br />
Conconully Res. 48 83 1.73<br />
Fish Lake 70 112 1.60<br />
Leader Lake 20 70 3.50<br />
Pearrygin Lake 44 214 4.86<br />
Pacific Black Lake 27 3 0.11<br />
Pend Oreille Diamond Lake 21 44 2.10<br />
Pierce Bay Lake 71 210 2.96<br />
Clear Lake 89 206 2.31<br />
Ohop Lake 84 182 2.17<br />
Rapjohn Lake 33 106 3.21<br />
Silver Lake 75 58 0.77<br />
Spanaway Lake 31 34 1.10<br />
Tanwax Lake 54 92 1.70<br />
San Juan Cascade Lake 23 72 3.13<br />
Skagit Erie Lake 60 287 4.78<br />
Heart Lake 52 192 3.69<br />
McMurray Lake 56 179 3.20<br />
Sixteen Lake 57 101 1.77<br />
Skamania Northwestern Reservoir 13 27 2.08<br />
Swift Reservoir 45 137 3.04<br />
Snohomish Armstrong Lake 61 185 3.03<br />
Bosworth Lake 39 104 2.67<br />
Howard Lake 59 250 4.24<br />
Ki Lake 61 160 2.62<br />
Martha Lake (AM) 48 113 2.35<br />
Riley Lake 17 54 3.18<br />
Serene Lake 19 59 3.11<br />
Stickney Lake 19 4 0.21<br />
Storm Lake 24 41 1.71<br />
Wagner Lake 13 11 0.85<br />
Spokane Badger Lake 44 173 3.93<br />
Clear Lake 25 63 2.52<br />
Fish Lake 48 172 3.58<br />
West Medical Lake 81 36 0.44<br />
Williams Lake 60 476 5.00<br />
Stevens Cedar Lake 20 79 3.95<br />
Deep Lake 7 26 3.71<br />
Rocky Lake 42 114 2.71<br />
Waitts Lake 43 74 1.72<br />
Thurston Clear Lake 61 61 1.00<br />
Deep Lake 27 47 1.74<br />
Hicks Lake 53 84 1.58<br />
Long Lake 41 82 2.00<br />
McIntosh Lake 113 101 0.89<br />
Munn Lake 25 78 3.12<br />
Pattison Lake 27 47 1.74<br />
Summit Lake 80 159 1.99<br />
Ward Lake 47 118 2.5<br />
Whatcom Cain Lake 14 51 3.64<br />
Padden Lake 35 122 3.49<br />
Silver Lake 136 550 4.04<br />
Toad Lake 28 90 3.21