OLYMPIA - With more than 14 million fish – some trophy size – waiting in the water, the opening of lake season April 29 is one of spring's biggest sporting event.

And if recent trout stocking in hundreds of lowland lakes and reservoirs isn't reason enough to turn out, early spring weather adds incentive – trout fishing is best early in the season when temperatures are low. Since hatchery-stocked trout tend to remain in the top three to five feet of water for up to a week after stocking, opening-day anglers can land a catch with bait or small lures.

State waters have been stocked with fish from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) hatcheries including over 11 million trout fry planted last spring; 2.7 million catchable-size trout eight-inches and larger, and 44,000 trophy-size rainbow trout up to three pounds apiece.

Another 570,000 warmwater fish such as walleye and bass also have been planted in state lakes.

Elsewhere outdoors, recreational crab fishing is underway in Marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 (Puget Sound on both sides of Whidbey Island), a razor clam dig is scheduled April 20 at Twin Harbors Beach, bird watching is good in many areas of the state, and spring turkey hunting is on through May 15.

Here are details on current recreational opportunities in each region:

Northern Puget Sound:

• Some of the best bets for lake fishing are larger waters which received recent stocks of catchable trout, says Chuck Phillips, regional fish program manager. In King County those include Pine, Steel, Wilderness, Cottage and Rattlesnake lakes; in Island County, Deer and Goss lakes; in Snohomish County, Bosworth, Ki and Storm lakes as well as Martha Lake at Alderwood Manor; in Skagit County Erie, Heart and McMurray lakes, and in Whatcom County Cain, Padden and Silver Lakes. The big news for shellfish enthusiasts is the opening of recreational crabbing last Sunday in Marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 (the portions of Puget Sound that extend east and west from Whidbey Island to the mainland). Although Marine Area 7 (waters surrounding the San Juan Islands and extending to the Canadian border) closed to crab pots April 15, it remains open for ring gear, star traps and dive and wade fishers.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• The last razor clam dig of the spring season has been set for Thursday, April 20 at Twin Harbors Beach, which includes the North Cove, Grayland and Westport areas. Digging will be allowed in the morning (a.m.) hours only. No other beaches will be open until next fall. Diggers are reminded that they must have their 2000-01 licenses with them and must keep the first 15 razor clams harvested. Anglers preparing for the April 29 opener for lake fishing might want to consider the following lakes, which have been stocked with extra-large trout weighing up to three pounds a piece: Rapjohn Lake in Pierce County; Clear Lake, Hicks Lake, McIntosh Lake and Ward Lake in Thurston County; Benson Lake and Wooten Lake in Mason County; and Failor Lake in Grays Harbor County. A complete list of the agency's lake-stocking plans can be found on the WDFW website.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing for hatchery spring chinook is in full swing in the Bonneville Pool Tributaries, with boat anglers landing an average of one fish for every five rods in the water at Wind River and Drano Lake, reports Joe Hymer, a WDFW fish biologist. Those chinook are averaging 12 to 15 pounds apiece. Bank anglers also were enjoying good results, bringing in one fish for every four rods. Spring chinook also are being caught in the Cowlitz, Kalama and Lewis rivers, and the Kalama also is producing hatchery summer steelhead. Meanwhile kokanee fishing is improving at Merwin Reservoir, with fishers bringing in an average of two fish per rod, Hymer said.

Eastern Washington:

• Hot spots for fishers in the April 29 opener include Spokane County's Badger, Williams, West Medical, Liberty, Clear, and Fish lakes, Lincoln County's Fishtrap Lake, Stevens County's Waitts Lake, and Walla Walla County's Bennington Lake. Meanwhile, Earth Day festivities on April 22 in Spokane's Riverfront Park will include a "Procession of the Species," a parade with participants costumed as lynx, quail, swan, bat, cougar, salmon, dragonfly and many other creatures which starts at 1 p.m. Spokane's Highbridge Park Peregrine falcon pair is back nesting under the bridge over Latah Creek and feeding on the area's swifts and swallows And for hunters, spring turkey results are picking up with better weather in the northeast and southeast districts. Birds are abundant. A non-fatal turkey hunting accident in Stevens County over the opening weekend is a reminder that the sport requires particular attention to safety; be sure of your target, don't try to stalk, and be careful when calling.

North Central Washington:

• For fishers, the best bets for catching limits of 11- to 16-inch or better rainbow trout on the opener include Blue and Park lakes, Deep, Perch, and Vic Meyers lakes in Sun Lakes State Park, and Dry Falls Lake, all in Grant County. Wildlife viewers can check out the bird life at Grant County's Sun Lakes Wildlife Area, one of several in the Columbia Basin used by millions of waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, and others for resting and feeding on their annual migrations along the Pacific Flyway. You'll see Canada geese, mallards, redheads, canvasbacks, ringnecks, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, blue and greenwing teal, shovelers, pintails, goldeneyes, and wood ducks. Shorebirds, terns, pelicans, sandhill cranes, swans, gulls, Brewer's, red-winged, and yellow-headed blackbirds, killdeer, meadowlarks, prairie falcons, red-tailed and Swainson's hawks, golden eagles, and colonies of burrowing owls may also be found. Hunters can continue to enjoy turkey hunting through May 15.

South Central Washington:

• Fishers should note that although most lakes in this region are open year-round, hatchery stocks of catchable trout are planted in some lakes right before the lowland lake opener, Those waters include Yakima County's Myron, Mud, and Rotary lakes and I-82 ponds #4 and #6; Kittitas County's Fio Rito and Mattoon lakes; Franklin County's Dalton Lake and Railroad Pond, and Benton County's Columbia Park Pond. Wildlife viewers can watch for nesting bald eagles near Tieton Dam and the Peninsula Campground on Rimrock Lake in the Snoqualmie National Forest, east of White Pass off Highway 12. Osprey, waterfowl, and other wildlife also are seen there.