05-04-2011, 11:10 AM
OLYMPIA - Washington's lowland lakes fishing season opener last Saturday provided anglers a slightly better-than-average catch rate of trout.
Based on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff and volunteer creel checks of 4,305 anglers with 10,372 trout at 111 lakes statewide, the average catch rate was 2.4 trout per angler, with many more trout caught and released during the day.<br />
In the past five years, similar numbers of opening day anglers checked at similar numbers of lakes averaged closer to 2.2 trout per angler, said Jim Uehara, Inland Fish Program manager for WDFW.<br />
"As usual, spring weather varied across the state and even across counties throughout the day," Uehara said. "Wind or rain may have cut some fishing trips short, but for the most part, weather didn't keep anglers away and didn't keep fish from biting."<br />
It was mostly warm, sunny and calm at Warden Lake, in northcentral Washington's Grant County, where the highest catch-per-angler average - 4.7 - was recorded on opening day. Based on the five-trout daily catch limit, there were lots of limits caught at Warden, said WDFW District Fish Biologist Chad Jackson. Not only was fishing "phenomenal," he said, but so was fish size, with yearling rainbow trout averaging 14 inches and others up to 17 inches.<br />
Long Lake in Thurston County yielded lots of quick and early limits. But the official creel check, from 8 a.m. to noon, showed an average of 3.63 trout per angler. The catch rate measured at Mineral Lake in Lewis County was less than two trout per angler, but many were large fish, including a 26-incher.<br />
Other lakes with the highest catch-per-angler averages were: Riley Lake (4.64) in Snohomish County; Aldrich (4.60) and Maggie (4.37) lakes in Mason County; Fishtrap Lake (4.32) in Lincoln County; Toad Lake (4.27) in Whatcom County; Deep Lake (4.17) in Thurston County; Cottage (4.10) and Walker (3.89) lakes in King County; Wannacut Lake (3.83) in Okanogan County; Blue Lake (3.80) in Grant County; and Starvation Lake (3.78) in Stevens County.<br />
The following is the entire opening day creel report:<br />
2011 Lake Fishing Opening Day Creel Data<br />
County Lake Anglers Fish kept Fish/angler<br />
Chelan Wapato 39 92 2.36
Douglas Jameson 53 100 1.89
Ferry Ellen 29 31 1.07
Grant Blue 17 65 3.8<br />
Park 89 196 2.2<br />
Deep 57 108 1.9<br />
Perch 20 49 2.5<br />
Warden 44 208 4.7
Grays Harbor Aberdeen 88 187 2.13<br />
Failor 60 127 2.12<br />
Stump 35 37 1.06<br />
Sylvia 27 37 1.37<br />
Vance Cr.Pd.#1 33 27 0.82<br />
Vance Cr.Pd.#2 35 53 1.51
Island Deer 6 10 1.67
Jefferson Anderson 64 103 1.61<br />
Horseshoe 22 7 0.32<br />
Ludlow 32 3 0.09<br />
Sandy Shore 89 298 3.35<br />
Tarboo 38 83 2.18
King Cottage 41 168 4.1<br />
Geneva 9 32 3.56<br />
Langlois 37 107 2.89<br />
Margaret 39 103 2.64<br />
North 33 62 1.88<br />
Pine 82 213 2.6<br />
Steel 27 88 3.26<br />
Walker 19 74 3.89<br />
Wilderness 26 60 2.31
Kitsap Buck 20 43 2.15<br />
Horseshoe 39 111 2.85<br />
Mission 43 152 3.53<br />
Panther 31 111 3.58<br />
Wildcat 78 210 2.69<br />
Wye 37 127 3.43
Klickitat Horsethief 35 48 1.37<br />
Rowland 79 162 2.05<br />
Spearfish 9 12 1.33
Lewis Carlisle 63 102 1.62<br />
Ft.Borst Pk.Pd. 71 86 1.21<br />
Mineral 54 98 1.81<br />
Plummer 21 76 3.62
Lincoln Fishtrap 38 164 4.32
Mason Aldrich 5 23 4.6<br />
Benson 49 112 2.29<br />
Clara (Don) 13 36 2.77<br />
Devereaux 45 109 2.42<br />
Haven 26 93 3.58<br />
Jiggs 4 5 1.25<br />
Maggie 19 83 4.37<br />
Phillips 53 166 3.13<br />
Robbins 15 45 3<br />
Tiger 82 269 3.28<br />
Wood 10 14 1.4<br />
Wooten 58 143 2.47
Okanogan Alta 131 266 2.03<br />
Fish 45 156 3.47<br />
Pearrygin 43 76 1.77<br />
Wannacut 12 46 3.83
Pacific Black 42 0 0
Pend Oreille Diamond 25 20 0.8<br />
Big Meadow 0 0 0
Pierce Carney 16 37 2.31<br />
Clear 99 194 1.96<br />
Crescent 30 71 2.37<br />
Ohop 48 72 1.5<br />
Rapjohn 88 140 1.59<br />
Silver 55 94 1.71<br />
Jackson 6 4 0.67<br />
Tanwax 62 151 2.44
San Juan Egg 1 0 0<br />
Hummel 0 0 0
Skagit Erie 58 198 3.41<br />
Heart 22 75 3.41<br />
McMurray 44 70 1.59<br />
Sixteen 50 55 1.1
Skamania Kidney 9 23 2.56<br />
Northwestern 38 21 0.55<br />
Swift 42 149 3.55
Snohomish Armstrong 56 20 0.36<br />
Bosworth 24 72 3<br />
Crabapple 3 5 1.67<br />
Howard 38 82 2.16<br />
Ki 57 179 3.14<br />
Martha 42 107 2.55<br />
Riley 11 51 4.64<br />
Serene 19 3 0.16<br />
Stickney 14 2 0.14<br />
Storm 32 96 3
Spokane Badger 40 100 2.5<br />
Clear 28 42 1.5<br />
Fish 40 88 2.2<br />
West Medical 80 176 2.2<br />
Williams 56 196 3.5
Stevens Cedar 21 76 3.62<br />
Deep 3 7 2.33<br />
Starvation 46 174 3.78<br />
Rocky 11 40 3.64<br />
Waitts 44 123 2.8
Thurston Clear 62 197 3.18<br />
Deep 36 150 4.17<br />
Hicks 42 143 3.4<br />
Long 38 138 3.63<br />
McIntosh 77 236 3.06<br />
Pattison 48 40 0.83<br />
Summit 64 214 3.34<br />
Ward 62 99 1.6
Whatcom Cain 32 88 2.75<br />
Padden 40 124 3.1<br />
Silver 161 462 2.87<br />
Toad 52 222 4.27
Based on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff and volunteer creel checks of 4,305 anglers with 10,372 trout at 111 lakes statewide, the average catch rate was 2.4 trout per angler, with many more trout caught and released during the day.<br />
In the past five years, similar numbers of opening day anglers checked at similar numbers of lakes averaged closer to 2.2 trout per angler, said Jim Uehara, Inland Fish Program manager for WDFW.<br />
"As usual, spring weather varied across the state and even across counties throughout the day," Uehara said. "Wind or rain may have cut some fishing trips short, but for the most part, weather didn't keep anglers away and didn't keep fish from biting."<br />
It was mostly warm, sunny and calm at Warden Lake, in northcentral Washington's Grant County, where the highest catch-per-angler average - 4.7 - was recorded on opening day. Based on the five-trout daily catch limit, there were lots of limits caught at Warden, said WDFW District Fish Biologist Chad Jackson. Not only was fishing "phenomenal," he said, but so was fish size, with yearling rainbow trout averaging 14 inches and others up to 17 inches.<br />
Long Lake in Thurston County yielded lots of quick and early limits. But the official creel check, from 8 a.m. to noon, showed an average of 3.63 trout per angler. The catch rate measured at Mineral Lake in Lewis County was less than two trout per angler, but many were large fish, including a 26-incher.<br />
Other lakes with the highest catch-per-angler averages were: Riley Lake (4.64) in Snohomish County; Aldrich (4.60) and Maggie (4.37) lakes in Mason County; Fishtrap Lake (4.32) in Lincoln County; Toad Lake (4.27) in Whatcom County; Deep Lake (4.17) in Thurston County; Cottage (4.10) and Walker (3.89) lakes in King County; Wannacut Lake (3.83) in Okanogan County; Blue Lake (3.80) in Grant County; and Starvation Lake (3.78) in Stevens County.<br />
The following is the entire opening day creel report:<br />
2011 Lake Fishing Opening Day Creel Data<br />
County Lake Anglers Fish kept Fish/angler<br />
Chelan Wapato 39 92 2.36
Douglas Jameson 53 100 1.89
Ferry Ellen 29 31 1.07
Grant Blue 17 65 3.8<br />
Park 89 196 2.2<br />
Deep 57 108 1.9<br />
Perch 20 49 2.5<br />
Warden 44 208 4.7
Grays Harbor Aberdeen 88 187 2.13<br />
Failor 60 127 2.12<br />
Stump 35 37 1.06<br />
Sylvia 27 37 1.37<br />
Vance Cr.Pd.#1 33 27 0.82<br />
Vance Cr.Pd.#2 35 53 1.51
Island Deer 6 10 1.67
Jefferson Anderson 64 103 1.61<br />
Horseshoe 22 7 0.32<br />
Ludlow 32 3 0.09<br />
Sandy Shore 89 298 3.35<br />
Tarboo 38 83 2.18
King Cottage 41 168 4.1<br />
Geneva 9 32 3.56<br />
Langlois 37 107 2.89<br />
Margaret 39 103 2.64<br />
North 33 62 1.88<br />
Pine 82 213 2.6<br />
Steel 27 88 3.26<br />
Walker 19 74 3.89<br />
Wilderness 26 60 2.31
Kitsap Buck 20 43 2.15<br />
Horseshoe 39 111 2.85<br />
Mission 43 152 3.53<br />
Panther 31 111 3.58<br />
Wildcat 78 210 2.69<br />
Wye 37 127 3.43
Klickitat Horsethief 35 48 1.37<br />
Rowland 79 162 2.05<br />
Spearfish 9 12 1.33
Lewis Carlisle 63 102 1.62<br />
Ft.Borst Pk.Pd. 71 86 1.21<br />
Mineral 54 98 1.81<br />
Plummer 21 76 3.62
Lincoln Fishtrap 38 164 4.32
Mason Aldrich 5 23 4.6<br />
Benson 49 112 2.29<br />
Clara (Don) 13 36 2.77<br />
Devereaux 45 109 2.42<br />
Haven 26 93 3.58<br />
Jiggs 4 5 1.25<br />
Maggie 19 83 4.37<br />
Phillips 53 166 3.13<br />
Robbins 15 45 3<br />
Tiger 82 269 3.28<br />
Wood 10 14 1.4<br />
Wooten 58 143 2.47
Okanogan Alta 131 266 2.03<br />
Fish 45 156 3.47<br />
Pearrygin 43 76 1.77<br />
Wannacut 12 46 3.83
Pacific Black 42 0 0
Pend Oreille Diamond 25 20 0.8<br />
Big Meadow 0 0 0
Pierce Carney 16 37 2.31<br />
Clear 99 194 1.96<br />
Crescent 30 71 2.37<br />
Ohop 48 72 1.5<br />
Rapjohn 88 140 1.59<br />
Silver 55 94 1.71<br />
Jackson 6 4 0.67<br />
Tanwax 62 151 2.44
San Juan Egg 1 0 0<br />
Hummel 0 0 0
Skagit Erie 58 198 3.41<br />
Heart 22 75 3.41<br />
McMurray 44 70 1.59<br />
Sixteen 50 55 1.1
Skamania Kidney 9 23 2.56<br />
Northwestern 38 21 0.55<br />
Swift 42 149 3.55
Snohomish Armstrong 56 20 0.36<br />
Bosworth 24 72 3<br />
Crabapple 3 5 1.67<br />
Howard 38 82 2.16<br />
Ki 57 179 3.14<br />
Martha 42 107 2.55<br />
Riley 11 51 4.64<br />
Serene 19 3 0.16<br />
Stickney 14 2 0.14<br />
Storm 32 96 3
Spokane Badger 40 100 2.5<br />
Clear 28 42 1.5<br />
Fish 40 88 2.2<br />
West Medical 80 176 2.2<br />
Williams 56 196 3.5
Stevens Cedar 21 76 3.62<br />
Deep 3 7 2.33<br />
Starvation 46 174 3.78<br />
Rocky 11 40 3.64<br />
Waitts 44 123 2.8
Thurston Clear 62 197 3.18<br />
Deep 36 150 4.17<br />
Hicks 42 143 3.4<br />
Long 38 138 3.63<br />
McIntosh 77 236 3.06<br />
Pattison 48 40 0.83<br />
Summit 64 214 3.34<br />
Ward 62 99 1.6
Whatcom Cain 32 88 2.75<br />
Padden 40 124 3.1<br />
Silver 161 462 2.87<br />
Toad 52 222 4.27