Washington Plans Jumbo Trout Stocking Ahead of Thanksgiving Weekend

Washington is stocking more than 82,000 jumbo rainbow trout in 30 lakes and ponds ahead of Thanksgiving weekend. In a November 10 announcement, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said the fish will be stocked before November 27, giving anglers another reason to spend the holiday weekend at the water rather than in a checkout line.

The agency describes the jumbo trout as reaching up to three pounds and 17 inches. Those are upper sizes, not a promise about every fish. The holiday stocking is part of a larger fall program placing more than 237,000 trout in 70 lakes statewide, including the jumbo fish.

Destinations on the WDFW stocking list include Battle Ground Lake and Klineline Pond in Clark County; Beaver Lake, Green Lake, Lake Alice and Lake Desire in King County; and American Lake and Tanwax Lake in Pierce County. The announcement also lists waters elsewhere in western and eastern Washington. Many are near communities and offer bank-fishing opportunities, so a boat is not the starting requirement for every trip.

Pick the water before planning the outing. WDFW's lowland-lake directory describes individual lakes and shore access, while its catchable-trout stocking reports provide current planting information. The announcement describes stocking planned before the holiday; it does not establish that every delivery has already happened or guarantee a catch.

Stocking is not permission to fish outside an open season. Check the chosen lake's current fishing regulations and emergency changes, including season dates, limits and tackle restrictions, before heading out. Do not assume every water on a statewide stocking list is open on the same day. WDFW says anglers 16 and older need a current Washington freshwater fishing license; the license year described in the announcement runs through March 31, 2027. This is not a license-free fishing event.

Optional gear: for trout fishing from a low bank where the water is safely within reach, the Frabill Floating Trout Net, black, 13-by-18-inch hoop is one landing-net option with rubberized micromesh. Check the hoop and handle against your fishing spot and the fish you expect to land; this short-handled style is not a good substitute for the reach needed from a high dock. A suitable net you already own may be enough. The floating design is not safety flotation, and no net is worth entering unsafe water to use or retrieve.

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The useful part of this program is straightforward: more stocked trout, with shore-access options that can put a fishing trip within reach of more people. Choose an open lake, confirm access and the latest stocking information, and keep any harvest within that water's rules.

Photo: Tom Koerner / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Illustrative rainbow trout photograph from the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge media collection, not Washington's holiday stocking. Original image and rights: Public domain.

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