WDWF: 80,000 fish stocked in Fourth of July Lake ahead of Black Friday

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is offering anglers opportunities for tight lines rather than long lines on the day after Thanksgiving.

The “holiday specials” include thousands of large trout averaging 15 to 16 inches in length and weighing up to three pounds.

The department is currently preparing to stock lakes in time for Black Friday, Nov. 23.

Additionally, the department stocks millions of smaller trout each spring, many of which will have grown to catchable size.

“This is a great reason to avoid holiday shopping a little longer and enjoy a fun day on the water with family and friends,” said Steve Caromile, WDFW warmwater fish program manager.

The following lakes on the eastside have been stocked with fry plants in recent years and promise great fishing for Black Friday: Hatch and Williams lakes in Stevens County; Fourth of July Lake in Lincoln and Adams counties; and Hog Canyon Lake in Spokane County.

At Fourth of July Lake in Adams and Lincoln County, 80,000 rainbrow trout were stocked in the lake.

For up-to-date stocking information this fall, anglers should follow the department on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, accessible from http://wdfw.wa.gov, or see the department’s weekly catchable trout stocking report at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/weekly/.

Anglers 15 years and older must have a current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31, 2019, to participate.

Licenses can be purchased by telephone at 1-866-246-9453, at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov, or at hundreds of license vendors across the state.

For details on license vendor locations, visit the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/.