The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) says nearly two dozen Eastern Washington lakes open on Saturday for trout fishing. Many of these lakes offer excellent late-winter fishing opportunities for trout, as well as yellow perch, bass, walleye, and bluegill.
Recent surveys at Quincy and Burke lakes in Grant County found 12- to 13-inch rainbow trout, plus larger trout measuring over 14 inches. The Columbia Basin Wildlife Area and Upper and Lower Spring lakes provide additional opportunities to anglers.
Martha and Upper Caliche lakes in Grant County are both popular with the opportunity to catch trout up to 20 inches. The north section of Martha Lake is usually ice-free with plenty of shoreline space.
Anglers can visit WDFW’s lowland lakes webpage to search by lake, county, or species for fishing information. Weekly stocking reports are posted on the fish stocking webpage.
Before heading out, check the Washington Sport Fishing Rules or the Fish Washington® app for details on regulations. The emergency rules webpage shares rule updates affecting fisheries.
Washington anglers must have a valid fishing license, which they can buy online or at hundreds of license dealers across the state. Anglers parking at WDFW-managed 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. Find information on parking passes at WDFW’s website.
State biologists will be capturing bighorn sheep by aircraft this week in Okanogan, Yakima, Kittitas and Ferry counties as part of ongoing efforts to monitor disease within multiple herds throughout the state.
Captured bighorn will be sampled, fitted with GPS collars, and released onsite to help biologists learn more about their disease status and understand herd interactions.
"The approach is a routine method for capturing sheep safely," said Erin Wampole, WDFW district wildlife biologist. "These captures, and the resulting data, are vital to WDFW's ongoing effort to conserve bighorn sheep, particularly with the potential for disease among these populations.”
Bighorn sheep conservation in Washington is challenged by the consistent potential for transmission of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae or “Movi” from domestic sheep and goats to wild bighorn sheep populations. Once transmission has occurred, a small percentage of adults (e.g., 5-15%) will be chronic carriers of the pathogen. Populations with Movi typically exhibit an initial all-age die-off after transmission, followed by years of chronic carriers infecting annual lamb cohorts resulting in poor lamb survival and suppressed population growth.
“Data collected by GPS collars can help WDFW better understand how sheep use their habitats and the potential for groups of bighorn to be exposed to or spread Movi,” said Wampole. “The data will also help the Department know where we need to focus future efforts to prevent transmission or eradicate pneumonia from these populations.”
WDFW will deploy collars and collect disease samples in the Umtanum/Selah Butte, Cleman, Vulcan Mountain, Mount Hull, and Sinlahekin herds. People in the area may notice a low flying helicopter while the work is underway.
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