Spring isn't just in the air now. It's also in the water—at least in eastern Washington, where more than 50 lakes planted with trout open to fishing March 1.
And they're ready for anglers, thanks to a mild winter and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) plants of more than 300,000 hatchery rainbows.
Another 130,000 or more hatchery trout also have been stocked in other eastside waters that are open all year to fishing.
Seven of the March-opening waters are Columbia County's Tucannon lakes — Beaver, Big Four, Blue, Deer, Rainbow, Spring and Watson—which are stocked with catchable size (10 to 12-inch) rainbows. Many also will receive some rainbows up to two pounds.
Coffeepot Lake in Lincoln County also opens March 1 and should produce catches from the rainbows planted last year. It also will be stocked with more catchable rainbows later this spring. Coffeepot has a special two-trout daily catch limit (instead of the statewide standard of five), selective gear rules (single barbless hook, no bait) although motor boats are allowed, and a daily limit of two bass of 14 inches or less and ten crappie.
The rest of the March 1 opening waters are in central Washington's Columbia Basin, mostly in Grant County. They're stocked with a variety of spring and fall catchable and fingerling rainbows. The best bets in the Basin are Upper, Lower and West Caliche lakes where 13 to 16-inch rainbows should be caught. Warden and South Warden lakes also should produce well, with limits of 10-inch rainbows expected.
Other Basin lakes to check out include Pillar, Widgeon, Martha, Quincy, Burke, Dusty, Lenice, Merry, and Nunnally and Upper and Lower Hampton. Lake Lenore, which is known for its big Lahontan cutthroat trout, is catch-and-release March through May and is usually a little slow until waters warm in April.
All March 1 opening lakes are listed under "Special Rules - Eastside Lakes" in the 1998 Fishing in Washington regulation pamphlet, which is in effect through April 30, 1999. (Other lakes open to fishing the last Saturday of April or remain open all year.)
Year-round waters recently stocked or producing well now include Golf Course, West Evans, and Silcott ponds in Asotin County; Dalton Pond in Franklin County; and the "seep lakes" south of O'Sullivan Dam on Potholes Reservoir in Grant County. Lyons Park and Jefferson Park ponds, juvenile- only, year-round fishing waters in Walla Walla County also were stocked recently.
Fishers taking advantage of any of these early spring fishing opportunities, must have a 1999 fishing license. This year, as WDFW shifts from a calendar to April-to-April licensing year, there's a special $6 combination fishing-hunting license available that covers Jan. 1 - March 31. By April 1 anglers will need to purchase one of the new fishing license options; for these eastern Washington fisheries, they'll need the freshwater option — the $20 license covers trout, steelhead, bass, and any other fish caught in freshwater (without paying additional enhancement fees, as in the past). Anglers can purchase both fishing licenses (the one through March 31 and the one starting April 1) at any license dealer or WDFW office.
Westside Fishing:
- Sturgeon:
Anglers on the Columbia River from Washougal downstream are averaging about one legal size (42-inch minimum, 60-inch maximum) sturgeon for every two to four boats. Historically the upper portion of the river is better during late winter-early spring. The lower portion gets better in spring but is heavily dependent on a good smelt run. Bank angling near Longview also can be good during the smelt run. The estuary (from Astoria, Oregon, to Chinook, Washington) gets better as spring runs into summer when boat anglers have a good opportunity to catch the daily limit of one fish per person.
- Steelhead:
Klineline Pond, near Vancouver, recently was stocked with 175 hatchery steelhead weighing about 8 pounds each. This is a new program started last year to help wild fish by removing hatchery fish just before they spawn in the rivers. In addition, fish spawned at the hatcheries also are used for this program. "Unlike salmon, these hatchery steelhead actually can brighten up again after being taken out of rivers prior to spawning," said Joe Hymer, WDFW biologist in Vancouver. Even the meat turns pink again after the steelhead get used to the clean, cold, fresh water. Unlike salmon, steelhead are able to spawn more than once, which accounts for their ability to recover. Battleground Lake also had 175 hatchery steelhead planted. Horseshoe Lake near Woodland and Kress Lake near Kalama also have received steelhead plants.
- Trout:
More than 800 sea-run cutthroat weighing about 1 pound each were released into Icehouse Lake Feb. 10. Icehouse Lake is located near Bridge of the Gods and is less than three acres in size. There also were catchable-size trout and 24 8-pound steelhead released into this small lake.
Swans and Geese and Ducks Galore
Spring migration is under way and almost anywhere there's lots of water in Washington you have a good chance of seeing big birds — tundra swans and Canada geese as well as ducks of many kinds. Some of these waterfowl species have spent the winter in Washington (especially on the westside), and the areas where they've hunkered down for the season are good spots to see their migrating cousins joining them now. Waterfowl wintering areas make excellent feeding and resting stopovers for birds winging their way to breeding grounds further north.
The westside is naturally abundant with wetlands and major waterways, so these waterfowl are spread out in smaller groups that are not as noticeable nor spectacular (with the exception of huge wintering flocks of swans and geese in major drainages like the Skagit River.)
On the dry eastside, however, the concentrations of hundreds of these big birds is a sight to behold. Here are some spots to consider spending a few hours with binoculars and cameras:
- Wilson Creek:
Stratford area along Highway 28 in Grant County (northeast of Ephrata), including the wetlands of Crab Creek, Brook Lake, and Billy Clapp Lake on the Stratford Wildlife Area
- Columbia National Wildlife Refuge:
Potholes Reservoir area (south of Moses Lake); contact headquarters, just northwest of Othello, at 509-488-2668, for more detailed information about this 23,000 acre refuge, Or take a detour from Interstate 90, westbounders drop south on Highway 17 to Highway 262 and follow west along O'Sullivan Dam and south of the Frenchman Hills - Winchester Wasteway (a good bird viewing spot in and of itself), then west on Highway 26 to the Columbia River at Vantage and back to I-90.
- Sprague to St. John
area of Whitman County, along Highway 23 through Rock Creek - Cottonwood Creek drainages, south of Rock Lake
- Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
, near Cheney (southwest of Spokane), where a few rare trumpeter swans are known to mix with the more common tundra swans by early March
- McNary National Wildlife Refuge
, near Burbank off Highway 395 (east of the Tri-Cities); sloughs off McNary Dam on the Columbia River provide excellent stopover areas for migrating waterfowl
Blackbirds and Bluebirds and Robins, Too!
Some of the earliest birds of spring migration are nowhere near as big and spectacular as the waterfowl concentrations, but they are worth watching in backyards and lots of other places at this time. The creaky sound of red-winged blackbirds probably signals the coming spring more than anything else. Chirping American robins already have been reported in great numbers across the state. And western bluebirds have been spotted checking out tree cavities and nest boxes. Many other songbirds are starting to move through Washington for more northern breeding areas, so watch and listen closely — they offer a glimpse one day and they'll be gone the next.
