Beautiful weather greeted thousands of anglers on Saturday’s statewide trout opener
Published 1:30 am Monday, April 27, 2026
It can be said that the opening day for trout fishing across Washington usually equates to April showers but not this time around.
After a brief cool down in the morning, sunny and warm weather outshined the odds for those who tried their fishing luck at hundreds of statewide lakes.
Smiling faces. Excitement. Stringers of trout. Trout Derby fish reeled in. Sunglasses and short-sleeved shirts instead of rain gear and warm clothes. Yard work and house cleaning put on pause. Fishing stories that’ll last a lifetime.
Those were just some of the observations reported or conversations heard by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) surveyors during Saturday’s opening day.
“We had another great lowland lake opener,” said Steve Caromile, the WDFW inland fish manager. “The weather was beautiful across most of the state and there were happy anglers too. High winds early on in Eastern Washington led people to come out later and missing a lot of the morning bite. Many regions of the state also dealt with cool early morning temperatures and a slow early bite, but once it warmed up a little, the bite improved.”
“Overall, it seemed like catch rates were pretty good, and there were a lot of happy people out spending time with their friends and family,” Caromile said. “As an added bonus to the great weather, I’m hearing plenty of reports of tagged Trout Derby fish being caught.”
Caromile summed it up with preliminary opening day data showing the statewide effort was lower than 2025 with an estimated 125,000 anglers (183,303 in 2025 and 142,988 in 2024) along with a catch of 472,285 trout caught (747,745 in 2025 and 521,248 in 2024) and 298,265 kept (428,116 in 2025 and 365,780 in 2024).
The 2026 statewide overall average was 3.6 per angler caught and/or released and the trout kept average was 1.9 per angler at the 65 lakes surveyed by WDFW staff. Note: Okanogan County catch data was unavailable on Saturday and will be posted soon.
On opening day, catch samplers at some lakes reported several larger “carryover” rainbow trout mixed into the catches.
In the Puget Sound region, WDFW samplers indicated decent catch rates, and rare, nice weather for anglers who ventured out to lakes.
Of the 14 total lakes surveyed in the North Puget Sound region an estimated 309 angler were checked (629 anglers counted at 8 a.m. and 742 anglers counted at 12 p.m.) with 787 trout kept and 1,080 trout released.
WDFW stocked a good number of trout in the Puget Sound region, and fishing should remain decent for a while especially at bigger lakes that have deeper holes.
East of the Cascade Mountains, around the greater Spokane region and north central Washington the weather conditions were equally impressive and generally fishing was good.
“It was a gorgeous day in Eastern Washington and most anglers interviewed were happy,” said Randy Osborne, a WDFW regional biologist. “The top two lakes were Spokane County’s Williams Lake (4.2 fish caught per angler) with 2.7 fish kept per angler, and Clear Lake (5.9 fish caught per angler) with 2.9 fish kept per angler.”
More spring-like weather is expected to arrive later next week, and fishing success should continue to build heading into May and carrying on through early summer. So, if you slept in or couldn’t get out this weekend, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy a day on the water.
WDFW Trout Derby
The highly popular WDFW Trout Derby got underway on opening day and continues through Oct. 31 with more than 100 stocked statewide lakes.
“It has been very popular over the past 11 years,” Caromile said. “The generosity of our license vendors and donors is what makes the trout derby a huge success, and something many anglers look forward to.”
This season, each of the prize-winning trout can be identified by a green tag inserted near the dorsal fin. Refer to this WDFW webpage, to see statewide lakes that contain tagged trout.
More than 60 statewide businesses are offering an estimated 900 prizes valued around $43,000. The number of tags turned in during the 2025 season was 59%.
The derby is open to anyone with a valid 2026–2027 fishing license (children under 15 fish for free), and a temporary license may be used. No entry fee or registration is required.
If you’re lucky to catch a tagged trout simply refer to the WDFW Trout Derby webpage, enter your tag number and find out what you have won and how to claim your prize.
Anglers can also participate in the WDFW photo contest during the first week of the Trout Derby on Instagram by using the hashtag #watroutderby.
Trout by the numbers
In 2026, the expected stocking plan calls for more than 2.1 million standardized catchable size trout is 11 to 13 inches, or average 2.5 fish/pound.
Anglers should also find around 157,000 larger size “jumbo” trout measuring 14 inches or longer. Most of the jumbos were planted in March and April and other trout are saved for fall planting.
Add to it an estimated 1.6 million-plus trout categorized as “put, grow, and take” — reared in hatcheries and 2.6 to 10 fish per pound in size — that were stocked in 2025, should now measure 8- to 12-inches.
An estimated 11.5 million fingerling and fry trout and kokanee planted one or two years ago will be in the catchable size for the 2026 fisheries. Most fry are stocked into Eastern Washington opening day lakes and are managed to create decent fry survival.
WDFW will continue to do additional trout stocking in the weeks ahead and should boost fishing opportunities throughout spring and early summer. Refer to the 2026 WDFW stocking plan webpage for more information.
When heading to a lake, please be respectful of fellow anglers and other recreationists, obey posted signage at all water access areas and follow parking regulations and have a backup plan in case your preferred destination is overcrowded.
You cand find helpful fishing tips on where to go and how to catch trout by going to the WDFW blog. For other excellent fishing resources to get additional tips on lowland lakes, go to WDFW places to go fishing webpage and the WDFW Life Outdoors Report.
There are thousands of lakes, ponds and reservoirs across Washington, and hundreds of WDFW-managed water-access areas, including some with areas accessible for people with disabilities. Details on water-access areas can be found on WDFW’s water access area website.
Now that spring has arrived, Washingtonians are reminded that a new fishing season is underway. A 2026–2027 fishing license is required for anyone age 16 or older and available online or from hundreds of license vendors across the state. A new licensing functionality is now available on the mobile app platforms on MyWDFW and Fish Washington® webpages. The 2025–2026 licenses expired on March 31. For details and to learn more about the new licensing app system, go to the WDFW’s licensing webpage.
Licenses may also be purchased by visiting any of the more than 600 license dealers around the state. When buying online or by phone, it may take seven to 10 days before receiving your license in the mail.
Anglers parking at WDFW vehicle water-access areas are required to display the WDFW Vehicle Access Pass — provided when you buy eligible annual fishing licenses — or a Discover Pass. Anglers visiting Washington State Parks or Department of Natural Resources lands need a Discover Pass. Information on parking passes can be found at WDFW’s parking and access passes webpage.
Before heading out, anglers should check WDFW’s fishing regulations webpage for permanent regulations and emergency rules webpage for rule updates affecting fisheries.
Grays Harbor County opening day results
Failor Lake, 43 anglers were checked (count at 8 a.m. was 114 anglers and 56 at 12 p.m.) with 101 trout kept and 82 released for 2.35 kept per angler. Lake Inez, 13 anglers were checked (count at 8 a.m. was 37 anglers and 35 at 12 p.m.) with 14 trout kept and one released for 1.08 kept per angler. Bowers Lake, 30 anglers were checked (count at 8 a.m. was 29 anglers and 21 at 12 p.m.) with 36 trout kept for 1.20 kept per angler. Lake Sylvia, 20 anglers were checked (count at 8 a.m. was 21 anglers and 36 at 12 p.m.) with 11 trout kept and 12 released for 0.55 kept per angler. Lake Aberdeen, 127 anglers were checked (count at 8 a.m. was 166 anglers and 92 at 12 p.m.) with 223 trout kept and 202 released for 1.76 kept per angler.
