Hatchery Trout Stocking Plan
for Washington Lakes and Streams.
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Spring 2000 Hatchery Trout Stocking Plan for Washington Lakes and Streams. |
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This publication
is organized into three sections. The first section is the lowland lakes
catchable trout stocking table, followed by the stream stocking table and
lastly, the lowland lakes stocked with trout fry. Each section lists the
waters by county and shows trout species, number to be stocked and approximate
times to be stocked. The locations, dates, and times presented are based
on current information; changes may result from unavoidable circumstances.
Catchable Trout Plants About 2.7 million catchable size trout (7 inches or larger) are scheduled to be stocked into Washington's lowland lakes this spring. Over 106,000 trout are planned for stocking into selected streams, to provide mitigation for lost opportunity to harvest wild fish and to provide recreational opportunity in areas where habitat does not support wild trout. Trophy Trout Forty three lakes throughout the state have been selected to be stocked with larger size rainbow trout as part of a new program passed by the state legislature. These trout purchased by the Department are triploid (sterile) rainbows averaging 1½ pounds each. Because they are sterile, there is the possibility that they can grow to trophy size if not harvested the first season. Triploid rainbows are identified as TRB under Species in the catchable trout table. Trout Fry Plants Many lakes are stocked with two to four inches long trout fry. These fry are planted in the spring or fall, where they forage on natural foods and continue to grow until the following spring when they are large enough to be harvested. The survival of these fish vary depending on the lake. Some lakes in eastern Washington are managed in such a way that survival of stocked fry is good enough to be the primary source of new trout available for harvest in the system. Western Washington lakes are primarily dependant on catchable size trout plants because of lower fry survival. Where fry are stocked, the ones that survive supplement the catchable trout plants. |
