WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – “If our father had his say, nobody who did not know how to fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching him,” Norman Maclean from A River Runs Through It.

If you can’t catch a fish this weekend, you may want to consider taking up golf.

The annual Washington lowland lake opener is on Saturday, April 27. Since last fall, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has planted 14.5 million trout and kokanee in lakes across the state. Nearly 143,000 of the trout are “jumbos”.

Eager anglers won’t have to drive far, with local lowland lakes that open on Saturday including Lake Padden, Cain Lake, Toad Lake and Lake Whatcom.

If you have been wanting to take the kids out for some productive fishing this soggy weekend, your best bet will be Lake Padden. Lake Padden has the most shore access of any lake in Whatcom County with multiple spots to wet your line on the 2.5-mile-long trail. There are two fishing docks, which help folks with accessibility issues and numerous spots with benches and spaces in between trees as you make your way around the trail that loops the lake.

Since the start of April, Lake Padden has been stocked with 21,243 rainbow trout.

Lake Padden is also a participating lake for the state’s 2024 Trout Derby, which means there are trout planted in Lake Padden with special yellow tags that could earn you prizes and even cash. The most common prizes are often $25 gift certificates to participating retailers across the state.

In Skagit County, there are three lakes for anglers hoping to catch more than dinner with Lake Erie, Lake McMurray and Sixteen Lakes all stocked with derby trout.

For those looking for more than just trout on your adventure, Lake Terrell and Lake Fazon both received rainbow trout plants back in February. But on April 9, Lake Terrell was planted with 1,740 more. Both lakes offer great fishing for panfish like bluegill and crappie, but bass fishing on those lakes is very popular for folks with smaller watercraft like kayaks or float tubes.

Perhaps the biggest buzz around town is Silver Lake opening. For diehard anglers hoping for large holdovers, Silver Lake offers an opportunity to catch larger trout over 20 inches on opening weekend.

There are two boat launches on Silver Lake, with the launch on the south side of the lake offering more family-friendly areas for kids.

There is shore access for the public that do not own boats or other watercraft along the west side of the lower end of the lake as well, which is grassy and popular with families.

The most productive method for catching trout aside from a fly rod is trolling a spoon, plug or wedding ring at low speeds from a watercraft. Those methods can definitely be duplicated from the shore. Spoons like a “Lil’ Cleo’s” and “Kastmasters” offer great casting on lightweight rods. To cast wedding rings in the same manner, tie a water bobber or banana weight on the line above it.

For folks that are not big on casting, or changing and casting lures, bait fishing with worms or Powerbait under a small bobber is the simplest way to fish for any species. Kids often learn this type of fishing first, but do not be afraid to give them a spinner such as a Blue Fox Vibrax Size 2 or a black Panther Martin and let them get better with each cast.

You can catch and release trout if you do not enjoy eating them, but if you catch trout with bait (Powerbait especially) it will die when you release it no matter how gentle you think you were.

If you would like to fish with a fly, but do not own or have budget to buy a new fly rod, try using your spinning rod with a water bobber filled up above a bead and swivel. Tie a leader from the swivel as long as your rod and tie a dry fly such as a wooly bugger in olive or black to the end of the line. Cast and retrieve as you would a spoon or spinner, keeping it slow but steady.

Remember to check the regulations for any body of water before you fish. The WDFW just released a new version of their Fish Washington app, which you should most definitely download and use frequently. In the app, you are able to click on any body of water in the state and find out if the lake is open to fishing, what species is able to be targeted and how many you will be able to harvest. The statewide trout limit for most bodies of water is five per angler.

Last week, the WDFW and law enforcement apprehended a group of four poachers with more than 50 harvested trout that had been stocked for this weekend’s trout opener. Do not assume that if you see someone fishing on a body of water that it’s open to fish, or how they are fishing is legal.

Ignorance of regulations will not get you out of a ticket, no matter how well you plead your case to the officer writing your ticket. However, being honest may help you with the judge when it comes time to pay the fine though as they can reduce the fine, so don’t make one mistake worse by making others that add violations.

Happy spring fishing!