Millions of trout have now been stocked in hundreds of lakes across Washington in preparation for the biggest fishing party of the year - the April 30 lowland lakes season opener.

Up to 300,000 anglers are expected to cast a line somewhere in Washington during the opening weekend. No other single fishing season attracts as many fishers.

Improving spring weather, enough daylight for a dawn-to-dusk angler to get in 14 hours of fishing, and hungry rainbow, cutthroat, brown and brook trout ready to bite in cool water temperatures promise an enjoyable opener event.

Fish biologists with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have been testing the waters, literally, to see how fish have grown and what anglers can expect to catch on opening day. Their suggestions for opening day and the months of fishing that follow are in the regional reports below.

For a county-by-county, lake-by-lake rundown of expected fishing conditions, check out WDFW's 2005 Fishing Prospects publication, which is available online and in printed form at WDFW regional offices. Weekly catchable trout plant reports and the department's hatchery trout stocking plan are also available on-line and at department offices.

With low water levels in many areas due to low snowpack and precipitation this year, anglers should be even more careful about launching boats at ramps that are higher and drier than usual, and casting from shorelines now below ordinary high water marks.

There are many other opportunities available for outdoor enthusiasts in addition to the lowland lakes fishing opener. All five razor-clam beaches in Washington will be open for digging on morning tides April 23, 24 and 25. Digging will be restricted to the hours between midnight and noon each day. See the South Sound / Olympic Peninsula report below for details.

Halibut fishing is under way from the Port Angeles area to southern Puget Sound (except Hood Canal), and opens on the coast in early May. The lingcod season is up and running on the coast and fishing for these tasty, hard-fighting fish opens May 1 in many Puget Sound areas.

The spring turkey season began its month-long run April 15. Look for details in WDFW's turkey pamphlet, available at regional offices, hunting license dealers, or on the WDFW website. The department is seeking public input on its draft statewide turkey management plan, available at WDFW headquarters in Olympia and online.

Wildlife watchers also have plenty of options to choose from this time of year. Gray whales are making their annual migration north toward summer feeding grounds and have been seen off Washington's coast, around Whidbey Island and in Hood Canal as well. A small pod of transient orcas has also been in the canal for several weeks.

There are other fishing, wildlife viewing, and even spring hunting opportunities under way, and you'll find specific ideas in the following regional reports.

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: Opening day of lowland lakes fishing season is set for April 30. Lakes across the region have been stocked with thousands of catchable-sized trout, plus fast-growing triploid trout. "These hatchery fish will stay in the top three, four or five feet of the water column for the first couple of weeks after they're planted in a lake," said Curt Kraemer, WDFW regional fish program manager. Anglers have a variety of gear and techniques at their disposal for enticing trout, including trolling flies, thin blade spoons, various small plugs, fishing bait under a bobber or other methods designed to cover the upper layer of a lake. "Often a key to success is covering a fair amount of water to find groups of fish, or those fish that are willing to bite," Kraemer said. Save fishing with bait off the bottom for later in the season after water temperatures have climbed a bit and the fish have distributed throughout the lake. The daily limit is five trout, and there is no minimum size. Anglers using bait must stop fishing after catching five trout - whether all five fish were retained or not. See http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg4/index.htm on the Internet for the latest information on WDFW's regional trout-stocking activities. Kraemer said fishing for warm water species - such as bass, perch and catfish - should also improve as water temperatures climb. "For bass, the pre-spawning period in April and May is an optimum time to pick up big fish," Kraemer said. One opportunity to nail a few big bass is the Borderline Bassin' Contenders' bass-fishing tournament, April 30 at Lake Whatcom, the big lake near Bellingham with some of the best bass water in western Washington. The tournament is open to all. More information is available by calling Brandon Thomas, (360) 734-3896. Blackmouth fishing has ended for the season, but new saltwater fishing opportunities are available. Halibut season began April 14 throughout the region - three weeks earlier than in previous years. "Anglers told us that halibut fishing on the east side of Puget Sound is better early in spring, before the fish start migrating out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca," said Michele Culver, WDFW marine habitat coordinator. Fishing is open five days a week, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There is no minimum size for halibut. All areas have a one-fish daily limit. Lingcod hook-and-line season runs May 1-June 15 throughout the region. Lings must be between 26 and 40 inches to retain and there is a one-fish daily limit. Rockfish season opens May 1. There is no minimum size, and the daily limit is the first legal rockfish caught. No yelloweye or canary rockfish may be retained. Fishing for rockfish in marine areas 8-1, 8-2 and 10 is allowed only during lingcod or salmon seasons. Cabezon fishing also begins May 1 throughout the region, with a daily two-fish limit and no minimum size. May 7 is the opening day of Puget Sound recreational shrimp fishing. Details are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crabreg/ on the Internet. Shellfish harvesters can also check emergency regulations by calling 1-866-880-5431.

• Wildlife viewing: Warming temperatures, increased daylight and an influx of seasonal species have made for excellent birding opportunities across the region. Cliff, violet-green and tree swallows are showing up in strong numbers. These sleek and acrobatic birds have voracious appetites for winged insects, although some species will occasionally eat berries or seeds. A rock sandpiper was spotted recently by birders at Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, according to a posting on the Tweeters birding webpage. Most rock sandpiper reports in Washington come from the outer coast. The bird was seen with several dozen black turnstones. Rock sandpipers nest in the open tundra of northwestern Alaska and winter along the Pacific coast as far south as northern California. They eat mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms and some vegetable matter. About 50 brant geese, another long-distance migrant, were tallied off Discovery Park in Seattle. The same birder who reported the brant sighting also saw two Bonaparte's gulls, 100 mew gulls and "a couple hundred" western grebes. Birders taking a rainy weekend trip to Juanita Park in Kirkland were rewarded with sightings of a colorful wood duck, a small flock of golden-crowned sparrows and green-winged and cinnamon teal. While black-crowned night heron nest on every continent except Antarctica, a recent sighting at Dugualla Bay on Whidbey Island is still considered something of a rarity. That's because the birds are more typically found in the lower Columbia River Basin rather than rainy western Washington. These aptly named birds are more active at night, typically roosting in the day in trees or marshes. And, true to their name, adult black-crowned night herons have a white plume cap to go with their pale gray belly and wings, with a black back and white face. One of the state's most-colorful birds, a western tanager, was spotted in the Kent valley. Adult male tanagers are bright yellow and black with orange-red heads, while females have duller markings. The birds are fairly common visitors to both sides of the Cascade Range. They winter in Mexico and Central America. Gray whales continue to inhabit waters off Whidbey Island, particularly from Penn Cove to Saratoga Passage.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound

• Fishing: As the countdown continues to the start of the lowland lakes season April 30, WDFW hatchery crews have been busy stocking lakes with trout throughout the region. With two weeks to go, thousands of legal-sized rainbow trout were planted in Mission Lake (Kitsap County); Phillips Lake, Lost Lake and Benson Lake (Mason County); and Long Lake, McIntosh Lake and Pattison Lake (Thurston County); and other waters. Complete information on stocking schedules for rainbow, cutthroat and triploid trout is available on the WDFW website. Young anglers, ages 14 and younger, can get a jump on the regular season during a special "Fishing Kids" event April 23 in Lacey at Long's Pond, which will be closed for stocking the previous day. Those interested should contact the Lacey Parks and Recreation at (360) 491-0857 to pre-register. Then again, plenty of other fishing opportunities await youngsters and their families in the days ahead. All five razor-clam beaches in Washington will be open for digging on morning tides April 23, 24 and 25. Digging will be restricted to the hours between midnight and noon each day. Low morning tides those days are as follows: April 23 (Saturday), 6:41 a.m., -0.1 feet; April 24 (Sunday), 7:21 a.m., -0.7 feet; and April 25 (Monday), 8:02 a.m., -1.1 feet. WDFW confirmed plans to proceed with the scheduled three-day dig after marine toxin tests showed that the clams on all five beaches are safe to eat. Another dig - possibly the last of the spring season - is tentatively scheduled May 7-8 on those beaches, pending the results of future marine toxin tests. Halibut fishing in Puget Sound got off to a productive - and unexpectedly calm - start April 14. Although the weather forecast called for heavy winds, conditions actually proved favorable on opening day in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Off Port Angeles, about 162 anglers reeled in 53 halibut during the first four days of the fishery and at least one halibut over 60 pounds passed through the John Wayne Marina in Sequim. The fishery is open five days per week (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays) in marine areas 6-11 and 13, but is closed for the season in Hood Canal due to low dissolved-oxygen levels. Marine areas 1 (Ilwaco) and 2 (Westport) will open May 1, followed by areas 3 and 4 (La Push and Neah Bay) on May 10. Marine Area 5, west of Low Point in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, opens May 26. For more information on season regulations, call the WDFW Fishing Hotline at (360) 902-2267. Lingcod have been keeping anglers busy for weeks in marine areas 1-3, and the pace should pick up even more now with Marine Area 4 open for fishing as of April 16. "The waters off Neah Bay are historically the best spot to catch lings," said Greg Bargmann, WDFW marine fish manager. "If the weather cooperates, we should see some excellent fishing out there again this year." That is not, however, the case for spot shrimp fishing this year in the Port Townsend Shrimp District. Following extremely low catches in its pre-season test fishery, WDFW announced that the shrimp district will remain closed to fishing for spot shrimp when other areas in Puget Sound open May 7. Shrimpers can, however, catch other species of shrimp in the southern portion of the Port Townsend Shrimp District, south of a line between Walen Point to Kala Point. Steelhead fishing ends April 30 on the Bogachiel, Calawah, Dickey and several other north coast rivers, but will remain open May 1-30 for marked hatchery fish only on the Quillayute and Sol Duc rivers. Anglers fishing those two rivers can also keep up to two adult hatchery salmon, but must release any unmarked chinook or coho they encounter. Some spring chinook salmon have already begun to arrive at the Sol Duc Hatchery, said Mike Gross, WDFW fish biologist.See the WDFW Fishing in Washington pamphlet for additional rules on the spring chinook fishery on the Quillayute and Sol Duc rivers.

• Hunting: Washington's month-long spring wild turkey hunting season opened April 15, following a special shoot for young hunters April 9-10. While less numerous than other varieties found elsewhere in the state, the Eastern turkeys in this region have been spotted in Thurston, Lewis and Grays Harbor counties. "The primary harvest around here comes from the Skookumchuck Valley, although we also see some turkeys taken in the Capitol Forest, the Willapa Valley and the Kennedy Creek area," said Jack Smith, WDFW regional wildlife manager. Hunters can take one gobbler per day and a total of three per year, with restrictions on where those birds can be harvested. See the 2005 Spring Turkey Pamphlet for details.

• Wildlife viewing: The hunt is on for 20 or more monk parrots, a non-native bird that has created something of a flutter in Kitsap County. The Port Orchard City Council has ruled that a company can replace a cell phone tower with one twice as tall - but only on the condition that the lime-green birds nesting on it are safely placed in captivity. That was the recommendation of Jeff Davis, a WDFW biologist who advised the council that the neotropical birds, native to South America, can mean trouble. "Parrots have been known to spread diseases and can have a longterm ecological impact to native wildlife," he told the council. They can, however, make fine pets, as long as they're confined, said Kate Clark of the nonprofit Angel Wings Exotic Bird Rescue and Rehab in Kitsap County, which has volunteered to care for the birds until they can be relocated. Meanwhile, the Tahoma Audubon Society is planning an event to benefit birds native to this area. The annual Birdathon, set to begin April 23, features 10 organized birding trips - ranging from Ocean Shores to Moses Lake - through May 24. Participants will collect pledges based on the number of birds or species they see on their trips. Proceeds go to the chapter's education and conservation programs. For more information, call (253) 565-9278. Several gray whales have been spotted in Hood Canal, and one found its way into Dyes Inlet before departing. Biologists believe they are associated with a group of whales that returns to Whidbey Island each year during their spring migration from Mexico to Alaska. But the best place to spot the behemoths right now is at La Push, where calves and their mothers often swim close to the shoreline. Back in Hood Canal, a pod of a half-dozen transient killer whales is also still attracting attention. Dubbed "The Slippery Six," the orcas have been seen around the canal since Jan. 24. Gov. Gregoire recently approved legislation designating the orca the official state marine mammal.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: The year's biggest freshwater fishing event is coming up April 30 with the official opening of lowland lakes, and waters in the region have been receiving thousands of trout in preparation for the big day. Recent plants of catchable-size trout for Clark County include Vancouver's Klineline Pond (10,000 fish), Battleground Lake (2,000 rainbows), Lacamas Lake near Washougal (3,000 rainbows and 6,000 brown trout) and Horseshoe Lake near Woodland (4,000 rainbow trout). Cowlitz County stocking included Merwin Lake (45,000 kokanee) and Silver Lake (10,000 rainbows). In Klickitat County, Maryhill Pond received 600 rainbows. Lewis County stocking included South Lewis County Park Pond (3,000 rainbows), Swofford Pond (10,000 rainbows), Carlisle Lake (6,000 brown trout), Mayfield Lake (11,000 rainbows) and Mineral Lake (6,500 brown trout). There also are plenty of recently planted large triploid trout in the water. Klineline Pond recently received 997 of the big trout; Horseshoe Lake got 1,209 triploids, and Kress Lake received 698 fish. In Klickitat County, North Rowland Lake was planted with 1,844 triploids and Northwestern Reservoir got 498 of the big trout. In Lewis County, Carlisle Lake received 500 triploids; Fort Borst Pond got 576 triploids; Mineral Lake received 1,052 of the big trout; and South Lewis County Park Pond was planted with 900 triploids. Skamania County's Kidney Lake received 856 triploids. As many anglers already have heard, fishing for all salmon, steelhead and shad closes at the end of the day Wednesday, April 20, on the mainstem Columbia River from the river mouth upstream to McNary Dam. The closure also affects waters with concurrent rules, such as Wahkiakum County's Deep River downstream of the Highway 4 Bridge. The closure was prompted by continued low springer counts. State fish managers will continue to monitor dam counts and could re-open angling if chinook numbers improve sufficiently. Meanwhile, spring chinook fishing remains open on Columbia River tributaries including the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind and Klickitat rivers, as well as Drano Lake. "The chinook are just beginning to head into the tributaries," reports Pat Frazier, deputy regional fisheries manager. Tributary catches should improve as rivers drop back into shape following recent heavy rains, Frazier adds. By mid-April, 167 spring chinook and 174 steelhead had returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Meanwhile, Lake Scanewa anglers can keep an eye out for 124 hatchery spring chinook and 57 hatchery steelhead recently transferred there. Mid-April checks on the Cowlitz River show 81 bank anglers with three adult chinook and 21 boat anglers who kept six chinook. On the Kalama River, six boat anglers were checked with two adult chinook, and on the Lewis River, 11 boat anglers kept one chinook. Upriver, 20 bank anglers kept two hatchery chinook in The Dalles Pool, and one Bonneville Pool fisher kept one hatchery chinook. Meanwhile, sturgeon catches continue to be slow, and effort has been light. Sturgeon retention closes in the Columbia River estuary from May 1-13. Retention reopens there May 14, with a 45- to 60-inch size limit. The brief retention closure allows angling to continue through July 4, Frazier notes. Mid-April angler checks at The Dalles Pool showed 66 bank fishers with two legal-size sturgeon, and 28 boat anglers keeping six legal-size fish, and releasing one legal-size and one over-size fish. Walleye fishing continues to be strong in The Dalles Pool, where 54 boat anglers kept 48 walleye, and in John Day Pool, where nine boat fishers kept two walleye. Bass fishers are doing even better-71 boat fishers released 71 bass in Bonneville Pool; two boat anglers released four bass in The Dalles Pool, and three boat fishers released nine bass in John Day Pool.

• Hunting: Spring turkey hunting continues through May 15. Game Management Unit 588 (Grayback), including the Klickitat Wildlife Area, was among the units open for the April 9-10 youth spring turkey hunt, which drew a high number of young hunters. A couple of birds were reported taken and many others were seen and heard by the participants.

• Wildlife viewing: Spring offers a variety of wildlife-viewing opportunities in the region, including the chance to see nesting birds of prey. WDFW District Wildlife Biologist Eric Holman recently spotted ospreys establishing a nest, a great horned owl incubating eggs and another great horned owl nest with two juvenile owls, all at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Northward migrating waterfowl continue to provide plenty of viewing opportunities as well, Holman notes. He recently spotted a pair of Eurasian wigeon on Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Meanwhile, songbirds are returning to west Lewis County, with noted recent arrivals including orange-crowned warblers and black-throated grey warblers. A barred owl was recently seen there also. A Tweeters website correspondent reports spotting 116 bird species on an April 19 birding trip from Woodland to Washougal. House wrens were seen in Woodland, along with large numbers of cackling geese. On Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge's autotour route, snipes were winnowing overhead, soras were calling, yellow-headed blackbirds were displaying and Vaux's swifts were visible overhead. On the shore of Rest Lake several shorebirds were visible, including a lesser yellowlegs. White-breasted nuthatches are widespread on the refuge, though vastly outnumbered by swaths of yellow-rumped warblers. An adult snow goose and a greater white-fronted goose were seen amid the thousands of cackling geese. At Vancouver Lake, two pairs of displaying Clark's grebes were on view. On the dike at the southern border of Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge, several purple martins were perched around the boxes, and a western kingbird was seen flycatching from a barbed wire fence just beyond the two barns. Another Tweeters correspondent reports sightings from a recent outing up the Columbia Gorge, including three horned grebes in breeding plumage at the mouth of the Little White Salmon River and two greater white-fronted geese at Rock Creek Park in Stevenson were seen. In Klickitat County, seven turkey vultures were spotted kettling over Balch Road, a Pacific-slope flycatcher and a Nashville warbler were seen at Major Creek and near Balch Lake, and a Hammond's flycatcher and two chipping sparrows were seen at the Balch Road Cemetery.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW Fish Biologist Chris Donley of Spokane says this could be one of the best lowland lake fishing seasons in a long time in the central district of the region. "Our fisheries in many of these lakes are in the best shape they've been for awhile," he said. "The fish I'm seeing in my pre-opener testing are nice and fat. The biggest problem may be deciding where to go." Best bets for the April 30 opener are Spokane County's Badger, Clear, Fishtrap, Williams and West Medical lakes. The cutthroat trout in Williams Lake are 10 to13 inches and the rainbow trout are 12 to15 inches, Donley reports, "plus there's a good number of winter carryovers that are even bigger and some triploids near two pounds." Badger Lake has similar opportunities with 10-13-inch cutthroats and 10-15-inch rainbows, plus carryovers and triploids. West Medical's rainbows are running 12 to 14 inches with carryovers up to 20 inches. Donley notes there are also some nice brown trout and tiger trout (sterile crosses between brown and eastern brook trout) in West Medical. Fishtrap Lake on the Spokane-Lincoln county line has 12- to 14-inch rainbows and lots of carryovers up to 20 inches. Clear Lake has a variety of sizes of rainbows and browns, plus some nice largemouth bass. Amber Lake, which shifts to a catch-and-keep season April 30 from the catch-and-release fishing that's been under way since March 1, has many fat rainbows near 20 inches; anglers need to remember that Amber has a minimum size of 14 inches and a two-fish daily catch limit on trout, and all rainbows marked with a missing adipose fin must be released. Fish Lake is good for eastern brook trout and tiger trout. Downs Lake is well stocked with rainbows but it also has bass, perch and crappie; crappie at Downs have a nine-inch minimum size and 10-fish daily catch limit. Liberty Lake in the east Spokane Valley is a good choice for rainbows, browns and both largemouth and smallmouth bass. The north end of the region also has some good fisheries opening on April 30 that usually aren't as crowded as those closer to Spokane. WDFW fish biologist Curt Vail of Colville says Cedar, Starvation and Waitts lakes in Stevens County are good picks. "Starvation will produce lots of limits of rainbows in the first week of the season," Vail said. "Cedar Lake will also produce well and has some rainbows in the 18-inch range. Waitts may be the best overall since it has net-pen-reared rainbows in addition to the ones we put in directly from the hatchery. Those fish do really well there, running up to 16 inches by summer. Waitts also has brown trout that grow large on all the sunfish and small perch there." Pend Oreille County's top lakes will be Marshall and Yocum, both stocked annually with cutthroat fry that grow well to produce nice catches. Curlew Lake will be the best bet in Ferry County, although it's actually on a year-round season. "Between our annual rainbow fry stocking and the rainbow net pens on Curlew now," Vail said, "it produces lots of catches in the spring and summer." Browns, Mystic, Noname, Muskegon, Pettit and Yocum lakes in Pend Oreille County are also good choices for cutthroat. Vail reminds anglers that Browns is fly- fishing-only. He notes that illegal introductions of burbot could play havoc with the native cutthroat so burbot-trapping plans are under way. Bayley Lake is another fly-fishing-only water on the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge, but it's suffering from below-normal water levels. Vail warned anglers who traditionally like to fish for cutthroats in the Little Pend Oreille chain of small lakes east of Colville that most of those aren't doing well because of infestations of sunfish, perch and bass. He said management changes, like stocking with larger trout in the fall instead of spring and introducing tiger trout, hopefully will turn things around in a couple of years. Ellen Lake in Ferry County and Rocky Lake in Stevens County were both treated last year to get rid of trout-competing species. Although both were re-stocked with some catchable-size and even a few surplus broodstock rainbows, neither lake will be in its best shape until next year. Southern Stevens County's Jumpoff Joe Lake is usually a good bet for brown, rainbow, and brook trout, plus perch and bass. In the south end of the region many fishing waters are year-round or opened last month, but continue to receive hatchery trout plants. Columbia County's Curl Lake is on the April 30 opening schedule, but this year it may not be available then due to repair work underway on its dam. One of eight man-made impoundments on the Tucannon River, Curl's three acres of water are used for salmon smolt acclimation earlier in the year, so it opens later than the others. WDFW district fish biologist Glen Mendel of Dayton explained that for safety reasons the dam at Curl Lake must be repaired this year. The work requires draining the lake, which could not be done while smolts were there, and the entire job will take two to four weeks. Local anglers anxious to fish Curl can check conditions, Mendel said, since it could open on time if work is completed quickly. But by mid-May at the latest, Curl Lake should be re-filled and stocked with rainbows. Fishers with disabilities who normally use Curl Lake's disabled-access facilities are reminded that other Tucannon impoundments - Rainbow, Blue, Spring and Watson - have similar access.

• Hunting: The Spring wild turkey hunting season got off to a slow start on April 15 with much of northeast Washington, where most of the harvest occurs, getting much-needed rain. Some hunters who braved the elements brought home birds, particularly in Stevens County. WDFW enforcement officers in both the northeast and southeast parts of the region are investigating cases of turkey hunters not playing by the season rules. All turkey regulations are spelled out in the 2005 Spring Turkey Pamphlet on WDFW's website. Turkey hunters are also reminded that they must file a harvest report within ten days of taking a turkey; reports can be filed by telephone (toll-free at 1-877-945-3495) or on the Internet at www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. The season continues through May 15.

• Wildlife viewing: Both bald and golden eagles should be hatching out young in nests now, and that usually means good viewing of the comings and goings of parent birds feeding chicks. WDFW wildlife biologists in the northeast and central districts have been surveying nests and report the best area to watch for bald eagles is along Lake Roosevelt north of Kettle Falls. There are also bald eagles along the Pend Oreille River from the Usk area north. Golden eagles are more rare and don't typically nest along major waterways, but keep an eye out along the cliffs in northern Lincoln County near Lake Roosevelt. A pair of common loons have been spotted on Ferry Lake in Ferry County. Migrating waterfowl and shorebirds are congregating at Reardan's Audubon Lake in Lincoln County.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Several traditionally good fishing waters in the Columbia Basin open April 30 and WDFW Fish Biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake says most won't disappoint opening day crowds. Deep Lake should provide a very good catch of rainbow trout from the 5,000 fingerlings and 5,000 catchables stocked there. Deep also gets 40,000 kokanee ("silver trout") fingerlings annually that provide catches of 8-10-inchers later into early summer. Perch Lake is one of the most consistent waters in the Basin, Korth said, with limits of 11- to 12-inch rainbows generally the rule. Perch Lake is only 16 acres so it's mostly a shore fishery, although hand-carried boats or float tubes can be used. Trout harvest at Vic Meyers Lake should be very good, with the 2,000 rainbow fingerlings and 1,000 eastern brook trout fingerlings stocked last year now running 12 to 13 inches. Another 2,000 half-pound rainbow catchables were also added to Vic Meyers this spring. Anglers can expect a few winter carryovers in the 15- to 16-inch range, especially with the tiger trout stocked there. Warden Lake should provide action on a variety of sizes of trout. It was stocked with the usual 70,000 rainbow fingerlings last year, but Korth says survival to yearlings is only expected to be fair. "The last rehabilitation of Warden was seven years ago and competition from perch, sunfish and bullhead populations will curtail fingerling survival," he explained. "Fingerling to yearling rainbow growth, however, will probably be very good, and yearling trout should range from 12 to 13 inches on opening day." An additional 25,000 catchable-sized (10-inch) rainbows were added to ensure good catch rates. Warden also has a fair number of 15-inch-plus carryovers that should make up about 10 percent of the catch. And there are also some large brown trout in Warden. Blue and Park lakes may be the least productive this season. Korth explained that since the 1996 rehabilitation work on these usually popular lakes, the numbers of bass, perch, and other species have increased to the point that rainbow fingerling survival has declined severely. "As we did the last two years, we're shoring up these fisheries with the addition of larger fall fingerlings and spring catchables," he said. "While this worked fine in 2003 and 2004 when anglers averaged four-plus fish, no guarantees can be made for 2005." Korth also noted that fewer catchable rainbows were available for stocking this spring due to the demands of other waters. Rehabilitation for these waters will be proposed for fall 2005. Further north in the region, Jameson Lake in Douglas County should be a good choice on the opener for 10-inch yearling rainbows and 13-inch or better carryovers. The traditional best bets in Okanogan County may be somewhat less productive throughout the season due to low water levels and continuing problems with trout-competing species. Conconully Lake and Reservoir should be good, reports WDFW fish biologist Bob Jateff of Omak, especially since both are receiving catchable-size rainbows for the first time to bolster fishing on the carryovers from last year's fingerling plants. The Conconully Trout Derby is scheduled for opener weekend, April 30 - May 1, with prizes for big fish for both adults and kids; call Conconully Chamber of Commerce at 1-877-826-9050 for more information. Fish Lake was just rehabilitated last fall so it gets 12,000 catchable rainbows to provide some action for the opener. Carryover fish in Big Twin Lake were winter-killed again, so it just received triploid rainbows up to two pounds each to salvage fishing there; anglers are reminded that Big Twin is under selective gear rules and a one-fish daily catch limit. Blue Lake, another selective gear fishery, should be prime since it was rehabilitated two years ago. Most rainbows there are big triploids and the brown trout are 14 inches or better. Alta Lake should be very good for 13- to 15-inch rainbows from last year's stocking. Davis Lake is also very good, but it is catch-and-release only. Patterson and Pearrygin lakes near Winthrop will produce 8- to 10-inch rainbows and some larger carryovers. Once it warms up, Wannacut Lake will produce 10-inch yearling rainbows and carryovers up to 18 inches. Fly-fishing only Chopaka Lake has rainbows up to 17 inches. Jateff reminds anglers to check the fishing rules pamphlet carefully since many of these and other lakes have special rules to maintain the fisheries.

• Wildlife viewing Now through June numerous tiny blue butterflies will be visible on WDFW's Sinlahekin Wildlife Area in Okanogan County. Area manager Dale Swedberg says butterfly enthusiasts should look for Western Tailed Blue, Spring Azure, Rocky Mountain Dotted Blue, Square-spotted Blue, Silvery Blue, Arrowhead Blue, Northern Blue, Melissa's Blue, Greenish Blue, Boisduval's Blue, and Acmon Blue butterflies. The Sinlahekin is also, of course, an excellent birding spot at this time of year, for species including common loons on the area's lakes, Lewis' woodpeckers and western wood-pewees in the forest, savannah and vesper sparrows in the grasslands, and canyon wrens in the cliffs. The Columbia Basin is teeming with waterfowl and shorebirds of many kinds, some just on migration stopovers, others setting up housekeeping to nest and rear young.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: This region doesn't have April 30-opening lakes, but many of its year-round fisheries are boosted at this time with additional hatchery rainbow trout. WDFW Fish Biologist Jim Cummins of Yakima notes that pound-and-a-half triploids recently stocked in several lakes provide a bonus opportunity to catch a big fish. Columbia Park Pond in Benton County just received 144 of those whoppers; Railroad Pond in Franklin County received 205; Mattoon Lake got 555 and North Fio Rito Lake got 802, both in Kittitas County; and in Yakima County, Clear Lake got 2,112, Mud Lake got 84, Myron Lake got 271, and Wenas Lake got 483. Cummins says many of the higher-elevation lakes are being stocked earlier than normal because low snowpack has resulted in access earlier than normal. All of the most recently stocked lakes can be viewed online. Cummins reports the upper Yakima River is producing good trout fishing, mostly rainbows for fly anglers. "Good hatches of blue-winged olive and March brown mayflies are frequently resulting in surface feeding activity and good dry fly action," he said. With the exceptions of the Yakima and Columbia, he notes, most rivers and streams are closed for fishing until June 1 to protect downstream migrating salmon and steelhead smolts and spawning steelhead and trout. "Now is the time to fish the lower Yakima River for smallmouth bass as they make their upstream migration to spawn," Cummins said. He noted that special slot limit regulations on the Yakima provide liberal harvest opportunity for bass 12 inches or less in length (see regulations pamphlet). Bass fishing is also starting to pick up in the Columbia and lower Snake Rivers as water temperatures warm. Anglers are asking about a potential spring chinook season on the Yakima River, but with the April 21 closure of the mainstem Columbia due to low fish counts at Bonneville Dam, that possibility is dwindling.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW Oak Creek Wildlife Area assistant manager Bruce Berry reports completion of spring maintenance on the Tieton River Nature Trail, including removal of numerous fallen trees and rock slides. "This trail provides plenty of opportunities for viewing even deer, elk, birds, even lizards and rattlesnakes," Berry said. The trail begins across the walk bridge adjacent the Oak Creek headquarters off Highway 12 and goes upstream following the Tieton River for nearly five miles. There are two other trailheads with footbridge crossings upstream at the Old Log Cabin site and the other at Nissan Flats. Oak Creek headquarters and Old Log Cabin trailhead parking areas require WDFW's Vehicle Use Permit. "You may even be lucky enough to spot our resident golden eagle pair, which are incubating eggs in their nest now," Berry said. The lower two miles of the trail have signs posted about the "eagle closure," which restricts access to the trail only to keep disturbance away from the nest on the cliff line to the south of the trail. Berry notes that hikers share the trail with mountain bikers and rock climbers accessing their favorite spots, and that all pets must be kept on leash. WDFW Habitat Biologist Ken Bevis of Yakima invites all wildlife enthusiasts to a trail completion work party celebration on the Wenas/L.T. Murray Wildlife Area on May 7. "This trail to Umtanum Falls is in a beautiful area with unique habitats and an abundance of wildlife," Bevis said. "We've been working toward opening the entire trail over the past several years and plan to complete it that Saturday starting about 2 p.m. Bring work gloves, trash bags and fencing pliers, if you can." For directions, call WDFW's Yakima Regional Office at (509) 575-2740. Also scheduled for May 7 is the Yakima Valley Audubon Birdathon. Teams of birdwatchers focus on various parts of Yakima County, trying to see as many bird species as possible. Contact Andy Stepniewski of Wapato at steppie@nwinfo.net for more information.