Introduction
The 2020 Statewide Hatchery Trout and Kokanee Stocking Plan contains stocking information for each individual Washington County and for the entire State. The locations, dates, exact numbers and times presented are based on current information, unavoidable changes may occur.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will be stocking or has stocked over 16.5 million trout and kokanee into 546 water bodies across the state to provide for excellent trout and kokanee fishing opportunities during 2020. The stocking will be comprised of "catchables", "jumbos", "put, grow and take" and "fry/fingerling" plants.
Catchable Trout Plants
For the 2020 trout fishing season, 2.19 million catchables will be stocked throughout the state. Anglers will be pleased to find that like the last few years, the average size of catchables on opening day will be larger than in previous years. Catchables were on average eight inches in length, but this year, they will be closer to 11 inches. To keep track of when catchables are stocked in real-time, anglers can consult https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants
Jumbo Trout
In 2020, the Department will stock hundreds of lakes throughout the state with 146,559 jumbo trout averaging greater than 14 inches in length and 1 pound or larger in weight. To keep track of when Jumbo Trout are stocked in real-time, anglers can consult https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants
Trout and Kokanee Fry, Fingerling and Put, Grow and Take Plants
Over 14 million fry, fingerlings and put, grow and take fish were stocked throughout the state as 2-to-8-inch-long fish. Kokanee fry that were stocked in 2019 will be harvestable in 2020/2021 fisheries, while trout fry, fingerling and put, grow and take were stocked in spring and fall 2019 for this year's catch.
Fry, fingerlings and put, grow and take are stocked in the spring and fall, when they are able to feed and grow on natural food until they are large enough to be harvested. The survival rate for these differing sizes of fish varies depending on conditions of the lake. A number of eastern Washington lakes are managed in such a way that fry survival is very good and therefore are the primary source of trout available for harvest. Western Washington lowland lakes depend primarily on catchable-size trout plants because of relatively low fry survival. In Western Washington, where fry plants are successful, the ones that survive supplement the catchable trout plants.
Some Tips for Finding and Catching Trout
To find when, where and how to catch trout in Washington visit our trout species pages.