JEFFREY P. MAYOR; jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com Published: April 24th, 2008 01:00 AM | Updated: April 24th, 2008 07:38 AMFor many people, Saturday is the start of the fishing season. That is the day many lowland lakes open for trout fishing. An estimated 300,000 anglers will head to their favorite lake, and the state has been busy making sure there will be plenty of trout to catch.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife typically spends $3.5 million to plant more than 10 million trout, from finger size to 10 inches, in lakes across the state.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife typically spends $3.5 million to plant more than 10 million trout, from finger size to 10 inches, in lakes across the state.
Nearly 1 million rainbow trout and kokanee will be stocked in Pierce County lakes this year. The state hatchery system will supply 484,000 kokanee fry, 287,660 rainbow fry and 214,926 catchable-size rainbows in 21 county lakes.
Many of the trout come from the Puyallup fish hatchery on 14th Street Southwest. It supplies the rainbows trucked to 95 percent of the stocked waters in Pierce County and 75 percent in King County.
"We cover a lot of territory," said hatchery manager Wayne Tran.
Each year, the four-person staff raises about 300,000 catchable-size trout and another 100,000 to 200,000 fry.
Small fry
Nearly 20.7 million fry and fingerlings were stocked as 2- to 5-inch-long trout into 536 lakes and ponds, including 233 high lakes.
Fry and fingerlings are stocked in the spring and fall, where they feed and grow on natural food until the following spring when they are large enough to be harvested. Kokanee were stocked in 2006 for this season, while trout fry were stocked in 2007.
Western Washington lowland lakes depend primarily on catchable-size trout plants because of relatively low fry survival. The fry that survive will supplement the catchable trout. It cost about 10 cents to produce each fry.
Catchable trout plants
More than 3.5 million trout, 7 inches or longer, will be stocked in 374 lowland lakes statewide this year. In addition, some larger brood stock fish from state hatcheries will be released into the lakes. It costs the state about $1 to raise each trout to this size.
Pierce County stocking plan
The state stocks fish from March through May.
Lake Kokanee Rainbow
fry catchable fry
size
American 434,000 55,000 0
Bay 0 6,800 0
Bonney 0 2,000 0
Bradley 0 3,646 0
Carney 0 2,600 0
Clear 50,000 15,383 65,000
Crescent 0 3,600 0
De Coursey 0 450 0
Forest 0 0 200
Harts 0 5,048 10,000
Kapowsin 0 16,596 37,950
Lily 0 400 0
Louise 0 3,500 0
Ohop 0 22,507 16,922
Rapjohn 0 5,580 5,000
Silver* 0 30,300 0
Spanaway 0 18,339 11,088
Steilacoom 0 3,196 17,900
Tanwax* 0 5,431 24,200
Waughop 0 2,350 0
Whitman 0 2,600 0
* (includes net pens)
The complete schedule for stocking can be found at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/index.htm.
Triploid trout
Ninety-five lakes in the state will be stocked with triploid trout weighing an average 1 1/2 pounds each. These trout, purchased by the department from a contracted private grower, are sterile rainbows that are voracious feeders and have the potential to grow to trophy size if not harvested the first season after stocking.
A total of 34,237 triploid trout will be stocked in April, and as close to Saturday's lowland lakes opener as possible. Later in May, 35 lakes will receive additional triploid plants, bringing the total to 2,196.
TRIPLOID PLANTS
Here are the Pierce County lakes scheduled to be planted with triploids how many and when.
Lake Number Month
Bradley 96 April
Clear 183 April
Harts 48 May
Kapowsin 96 April
Ohop 307 April
Rapjohn 80 April
Spanaway 339 April
Steilacoom 96 May
Tanwax 231 April
Waughop 150 April, May
You can find the statewide schedule at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/triploid/index.htm.
River plants
The state also stocks a number of streams. Among them, Skate Creek and the Tilton River, both in Lewis County, will be stocked with 15,000 rainbow trout each from May through September.
By the numbers
The trout fry (2-3 inches) stocked into 303 lowland lakes and 233 high lakes statewide last spring and fall are now catchable size (7-11 inches). Catchable-size (7-10 inches) trout are being stocked this spring into 374 waters. Kokanee fry stocked into 31 lakes are expected to show in creels this year. Kokanee are land-locked sockeye salmon. Triploid trout (1 1/2 pounds average) are being stocked into 95 lakes. Two-year-old "jumbos" and surplus hatchery broodstock trout (1 1/2 to 5 pounds each) are being stocked into 113 lakes. Other species such as walleye, tiger muskie and bass were stocked into nine waters and are now ready to be caught.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640
blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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