FISHING
The last Saturday in April is a special day in Washington. Generations of families will dangle worms off of docks, plunk PowerBait from many thousands of miles of trout-patrolled shorelines, and troll and cast all manner of lures and other baits in pursuit of five-fish limits (at most lakes) of rainbow, cutthroat, brown, brook and tiger trout – even some lake trout. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
REG1ON OF TROUT
Far Eastern Washington offers so many great lakes for anglers to get out on in late spring. By Jeff Holmes
W
ashington’s official state fish is a steelhead, and with all the noise us steelheaders make at times you might think we’re the majority angling group. Nope. Not close. Washington is a trout-powered state when it comes to recreational angling, and most of that fishing is done in lakes by people buying licenses to catch trout. Steelhead
– which is obviously also a trout, just the seagoing kind – as well as salmon, bass and walleye tend to get the headlines, but they don’t sell the licenses or power the state’s economy the way trout and particularly the opening day of trout season does. Trout fishing is excellent year-round in the Evergreen State, but without a doubt late April’s opener is prime time for a huge percentage of the anglers who buy licenses in the state. Opening Day continues to be the
state’s biggest all-ages playday. While there aren’t as many lakes opening on the traditional opener this year due to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offering more opportunities over the years by way of year-round angling and staggered openers and fish stockings, some of the very best trout lakes will open again to fishing at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 23. That’s especially true in far Eastern Washington’s Region 1, home to famous openingnwsportsmanmag.com | APRIL 2022
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