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Lunkers serve as big lure to lakes March 1
More and bigger trout.
Magic words to anglers anxious to set a hook when the early lake opener begins March 1.
And state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials promise anglers will find thousands of feisty trout in Southeastern Washington's popular waters, including the Tucannon Lakes, Quarry Pond south of Burbank, Dalton Lake (Big Flat) in Franklin County and Bennington Lake in Walla Walla.
In all, more than 150,000 pan-sized trout and about 2,500 lunkers will be stocked for anglers, said Glen Mendell, state Fish and Wildlife district biologist in Dayton.
"The state is doubling the number of trophy trout that will be stocked this year in an ongoing effort to get more people out fishing and to buy more fishing licenses," he said. In addition, several private organizations, such as the Tri-State Steelheaders of Walla Walla, will be pitching in by paying for even more large trout for anglers.
At Bennington Lake, for example, the state plans to stock 24,000 rainbow trout averaging 10 to 12 inches, plus 200 of its hatchery-reared 1- to 112-pound jumbo trout and 800 trophy triploid trout ranging in size from 1 to 3 pounds. The Tri-State Steelheaders will donate an additional 1,200 trophy trout.
Quarry Pond, on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Two Rivers Unit, also will be a recipient of the state's trophy trout program, Mendell said. Quarry Pond is open year-round, but likely will not be stocked until late February.
Beside the 24,000 catchables Quarry is set to get during the spring fishing season, the state also plans to stock 300 jumbos and 400 trophy trout. Dalton Lake, also open year-round, will get 20,000 catchables and 300 jumbos.
"The additional 400 trophy trout is new to Quarry, which is one of only three lakes in our region to receive the large, commercially grown trout," he said.
While anglers can expect to find larger trout finning about this spring, Mendell said the trophy trout probably won't be stocked until early April because of scheduling conflicts.
Anglers flocking to the Tucannon Lakes east of Dayton on March 1 won't be disappointed, either. Besides the thousands of catchables the state intends to stock from March through mid-June, all the Tucannon Lakes will receive some of the jumbo rainbows.
At Rainbow Lake, the state will stock 24,000 pan-sized trout and 300 lunkers; Spring will get 11,000 line shakers and 300 line breakers; Blue will receive 21,000 keepers and 300 whoppers; Watson will see 15,000 stringer-size trout and 300 photo-worthy trout; Deer gets 3,000 rainbows, and Big Four will get a one-time plant of 2,500 trout and 300 of the big boys.
Mendell said the jumbo trout are intended to make up for German brown trout, which are no longer stocked in Southeastern Washington waters, such as the Touchet River.
Curl Lake, one of the Tucannon Lakes that doesn't open until April 28, will receive 15,000 rainbows and 300 jumbos, and Fishhook Park Pond in Walla Walla County - also an April 28 opener - will be stocked with 6,000 catchable and 100 jumbos.
While a lot of angler attention will be focused on the Tucannon Lakes, outstanding trout fishing opportunities lie to the north of the Tri-Cities as well.
Jeff Korth, a Fish and Wildlife biologist in Ephrata, said several Basin waters should provide good-to-excellent fishing, including Quincy and Burke lakes in the state's Quincy Wildlife Area.
Perhaps one of the top prospects for March 1 is the trio of selective gear waters near Beverly - Lenice, Nunnally and Merry lakes.
As most Tri-City anglers are aware, the lakes were rehabilitated last spring and restocked with state-reared catchables and privately donated trout, some of which weighed 6 to 10 pounds.
Korth said Lenice will be stocked with 6,000 rainbows averaging 9 to 11 inches, but will also receive 1,000 at 112 pounds, 800 weighing 212 pounds and 200 rainbows averaging almost 6 pounds each.
Moreover, Lenice will receive 1,600 German brown trout as the state rebuilds that trophy trout fishery. Nunnally will receive a slightly lighter stocking of trout - 11,000 catchables, 1,000 212 pounders and 2,700 catchable browns.
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