WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – As the final Saturday of April approaches, anglers are gearing up to catch their share of stocked trout at lowland lakes around Washington state.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced that April 26 is the official opening day for fishing at lowland lakes around the state. Each year, WDFW stocks these lakes with rainbow, cutthroat and the occasional tiger trout.
“Opening day is one of our biggest and most important days for anglers. There are great fishing opportunities at lakes statewide for people of all ages and backgrounds,” said WDFW inland fish program manager Steve Caromile.
In Whatcom County, five lakes have been stocked with rainbow trout between March and April. As of April 15, Lake Padden has been stocked with the most trout with 15,928 followed by Cain Lake with 6,552, then Silver Lake with 5,712, Toad Lake with 3,192 and Lake Terrel in Ferndale with 1,640.
According to WDFW, more than 14.5 million trout will be stocked statewide in 2025. 2.14 of those trout will be catchable size to average 11-13 inches.
2025 is the 10th year of the annual WDFW Trout Derby which features over 1,000 prizes from more than 100 participating businesses around Washington state. Trout in participating derby lakes are tagged with an orange tag near the dorsal fin.
Lake Padden in Bellingham is the only derby lake in Whatcom County.
WDFW reminds anglers to make sure they have a fishing license for Washington state, check the regulations, obey posted signage near lakes and respect fellow anglers.
