WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Spring air, rainy weather and a lot of fishing is on the horizon for anglers across the state of Washington this week.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has continued to stock lakes around the state with hatchery trout and kokanee. This year, the WDFW reports they are stocking lakes with over 14 million fish.

Popular lakes opening this weekend for fishing in Whatcom County in part of the lowland lakes opener are Lake Padden (Bellingham), Toad Lake (Bellingham) and Silver Lake (Maple Falls). The state recently stocked Silver Lake with over 13,000 rainbow trout.

The WDFW also reported that they have stocked over 14,000 rainbow trout in Bellingham’s Lake Padden. The lowland lake, located off of Samish Way, is the only lake in Whatcom County that is a part of the annual trout derby put on by the state. Whatcom County anglers who catch a rainbow trout at Lake Padden with a yellow tag on their fin can report it online and claim one of many prizes listed online. Businesses and brands from around the state have donated over $42,000 worth of prizes including the local sporting goods store Yeager’s.

Aside from the lowland lakes opener this weekend, anglers can head south to Skagit County to take part in a short stint of salmon fishing on the Skagit River from April 24 to May 31. The Skagit River is open for fishing from the Highway 536 bridge (Memorial Highway Bridge) in Mt. Vernon to Gilligan Creek.

The WDFW announced the opening due to a harvestable number of spring Chinook salmon that are forecasted to return to the Marblemount Hatchery, located 18 miles east of the town of Concrete. The WDFW reminds anglers that the river is only open for salmon fishing and that no other species can be caught.

Anglers are limited to keeping two hatchery Chinook per-day with a minimum of 12 inches long.