derby fishing

Warmer weather, coupled with longer days, is a sure sign that spring has finally arrived, and the kickoff to the statewide lowland lakes trout fishing opener is just a stone’s throw away.
To prepare for this special fishing occasion on April 26-25, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) hatchery staff have been busy stocking about 525 seasonal lowland lakes and ponds with nearly 15.5 million trout and kokanee.

“Opening day is one of our biggest and most important days for anglers to get out on the water,” said Steve Caromile, WDFW Inland Fish Program manager. “Spring weather can be hard to predict, but we’ve had a mild winter, and hopefully that’ll lead to plenty of success for weeks to come.”
The 2026 stocking plan reveals more than 2.1 million catchable-size trout (averaging 11 to 13 inches) and another 157,000 “jumbo size” trout measuring 14 inches or longer will be swimming in lakes and ponds in time for anglers to catch on the opener. Most of the jumbos are expected to be planted in March and April, while others will be stocked to boost fall fisheries. Adding to the stocking list is another 1.6 million-plus trout categorized as “put, grow and take” – reared in hatcheries and 2.6 to 10 fish per pound in size – stocked in 2025. The fish that survived through the winter should now average 8 to 12 inches.

To further boost fishing prospects, an estimated 11.5 million fingerling and fry trout and kokanee planted one or two years ago should be in the catchable size range when the 2026 season gets underway. Most fry were stocked in Eastern Washington opening day lakes, which are managed to create decent fry survival. To spice it up, the WDFW Trout Derby is April 25 through Oct. 31 with more than 100 stocked statewide lakes. Around 70 statewide businesses are offering an estimated 915 prizes valued at $44,000 and worth about $48 per prize. The number of tags turned in during the 2025 season was 59%. The success of the trout derby would only be possible through WDFW’s ongoing partnerships with business dealers/vendors throughout the state.

Prizes include: gift cards, fishing gear and tackle, annual magazine subscriptions, Seattle Mariners game tickets, hooded jackets, books, rounds of golf at multiple golf courses, local aquarium admission, car detailing bucket, and kayak rentals. Higher valued prizes include: a kayak, guided lake fishing trip for two, handheld GPS units, lifetime memberships for a streaming app to locate trout streams in Washington, stays at local resorts and campgrounds, a backpack, and a beverage refrigerator. This season, each of the prize-winning trout can be identified by a green tag inserted near the dorsal fin.

Anglers can participate in the WDFW photo contest during the first week of the trout derby on Instagram by using the hashtag #watroutderby.
Join WDFW staff for the WDFW/Filson Trout Derby Kickoff Party hosted by Filson on April 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Filson Seattle Flagship store, 1741 1st Avenue South in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood. Get trout derby information, watch a fly-tying demo, learn from local fishing experts, and enjoy cuisine served by a local chef. For details, refer to https://www.filson.com/pages/seattle-store.

The derby is open to anyone with a valid 2026-2027 fishing license, and a temporary license may be used. There is no entry fee or registration required. Children under age 15 fish for free.
The WDFW Trout Derby website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/trout-derby will be updated soon to see which statewide lakes contain tagged trout and learn more about how the derby works.
Why wait? Go now!

Image

While most are gearing up for the later April opener, anglers can get a jump start right now by trekking to year-round westside lakes stocked with trout between March and May. Other lakes also receive bonus plants in the autumn/winter, and thousands of trout averaging 1- to 1.5-pounds apiece are going into some Puget Sound region lakes for the “Black Friday” fishing event in late-November. For the statewide stocking schedule, go to the WDFW fishing and stocking reports webpage at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports.

More than 24 Eastern Washington lakes opened on March 1 for fishing and were or are being stocked with catchable-size rainbow trout. “As the days become longer, these early spring fisheries are a good way to start the season,” Caromile said. In Grant County, Martha and Upper Caliche lakes were recently stocked with catchable-size rainbow trout. Each also received rainbow trout fingerlings in March 2025 and an additional plant of catchable-sized trout in October 2025. These fish are expected to average 13 to 14 inches by opening day, with some reaching 20 inches.
WDFW stocked Quincy and Burke lakes with more than 21,000 trout fingerlings in spring 2025 and received an additional 1,500 catchable-size rainbow trout in February. Last year's fingerling plants are expected to be 10 to 12 inches, with some larger carryover fish in the 13- to 15-inch range.
Additional Grant County lakes open now for fishing are Cliff, Crystal, Cup, Lower Spring, and Upper Spring lakes. Lenice, Nunnally, Dry Falls, and Dusty lakes are also worth a try for trout. In Columbia County, try Blue, Deer, Rainbow, Spring, and Watson.

In Spokane County, head to Liberty Lake, which was stocked with catchable-size and jumbo rainbow trout. Amber and Medical lakes are open under selective gear rules and should fish well this spring.
In South Central Washington, many lakes in Benton, Franklin, Kittitas, and Yakima counties are open year-round and have been stocked with trout.
Weekly catchable trout stocking reports are posted on the fish stocking webpage at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants. 

Fishing gear to use

What anglers use for trout isn’t overly complicated, and a trout rod should be light and limber, in the four to 10-pound range, and lengthwise in the six- to seven-foot range. Many prefer a medium-sized spinning reel spooled with more than 100 yards of six- to eight-pound test fishing line.
From the main line, attach one or two number nine egg sinkers with a rubber bumper to a small barrel swivel. Leader length is vital; stay away from the store-bought pre-tied 12-inch leaders, which are way too short. Leaders should be three- to eight-pound test and 18 to 30 inches long. For hooks, think small and use an egg or worm hook in a size eight or 10, or try a No. 14 or 16 treble hook.
Traditional baits to use are worms, maggots, salmon eggs, or scented marshmallows, but dough bait like the wide variety of Berkley Power Baits is now the preferred option. 
Fly patterns like a black or black-olive colored Woolly Bugger in a size eight or 10 attached to a five- or six-foot leader and trolled weightless close to the surface is a fun way to catch trout.
From a boat, troll a gang-flasher with a worm, maggot, or salmon egg laced with a tiny piece of scented dough bait or small spoon like a Dick Nite, Yakima Bait Triple Teazer, or Luhr Jensen Super Duper.

Bank anglers will usually cast out a bobber with their presentation sitting just below the surface in three to six feet of water. Others hang their presentation a few feet off the bottom, where the bigger fish tend to lurk. Once the stocked trout acclimate to their new surroundings, they’ll eventually spread out and move to deeper areas of the lake.
Keep in mind that most recently stocked trout tend to school near the surface, and many will swim around where the hatchery trucked them in the lake, usually within a short distance of the shoreline, boat ramps, and docks.

Lastly, remember to purchase a 2026-2027 fishing license before you head out, which is required for anyone age 16 or older. WDFW now offers two mobile apps to support outdoor recreation, available for free download in the Google Play and Apple App Stores. MyWDFW is a comprehensive licensing tool providing access to active fishing license privileges and can be found at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/apps/mywdfw. The Fish Washington® mobile app at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/app is tailored for anglers, offering fishing regulations and a feature that lets anglers manage their active license privileges, purchase license products, and enter catches or harvests.
Licenses may be purchased online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/login or from hundreds of license dealers across the state at https://wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/dealers. The 2025–2026 fishing licenses expired on March 31.
(Mark Yuasa is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Communications Manager and a longtime local fishing and outdoor writer.)

A fishing derby? I'd better set up a team and sign up. I’m the “Fish Whisperer", my buddies and I can outfish anybody! Actually, that’s not fair. Although the fame and money would be nice. Most people sign up for a derby just to participate in the event and to enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship. Winning would be a sidebar to enjoying the fishing trip, enhancing the overall experience.

Fishing derbies and tournaments for just about everything that swims are organized throughout the country each year. In the US, there are 30,000-50,000 derbies and tournaments organized each year. In 2023, there were around 58 million licensed anglers. Even if only a small percentage of licensed anglers participate in an event, participation could range from 1.5 million to 5 million anglers annually. 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, there are derbies for trout, kokanee, walleye, tuna, salmon, surf perch, halibut, razor clams, and chowder cook-offs. There may be derbies targeting other species, and those anglers will know the whens and wheres. The basics of this article will cover all species.

Although over the years the Castello clan has enjoyed occasional success while participating in various derbies, overall success has been metered. That said, I’ve had many “almost” in the money derby experiences. 

Many years ago, while fishing in a big money tuna tournament out of Ensenada, Mexico, we hooked a large big eye tuna with just hours to go before the weigh-in. By the time the fish was secured on deck, we only had a short few hours to make a 40+ mile run back to the marina for weigh-in. Despite having one of the fastest boats in the tournament, we did not make the weigh-in queue in time.  We were quite the talk around town, but made the drive back to the border with nothing more than a stack of swag bags and my own flip-flop print on my board shorts.

Then locally, with a derby contender, coho on ice, I’ve missed the weigh-in for the Everett Coho Derby by probably 15 minutes because of another last-minute fish. These were all skipper miscalculations where I knew the rules but pushed the time limit. The list goes on, but you get the idea. These kinds of errors can be minimized by creating a plan and then sticking with it.

If you plan to fish a derby or tournament, have a plan! Although it doesn’t hurt, your plan does not need to be written out. Either way, you and your fishing partners need to sit down and come up with a plan for derby day.

In working out a plan, consider basic things like getting enough sleep, being on time, and not showing up at the dock hung over. 

One of the first items to discuss is how to handle winnings. On my boat, there is usually an agreement that all winnings are split evenly. Occasionally, we just let the prize go to the person catching the fish, but either way, this should be agreed upon before Derby morning. If a juvenile is part of the team, they always get their winnings in full. 

There are many variations of how to distribute derby winnings. The team should consider a means of covering the day's expenses, such as fuel, launch fees, and moorage. Back to my boat, I usually cover the boat-related expenses, fuel, bait, and provide all the gear, but this is a team decision. Again, discuss winnings as an element of your derby plan, friendships depend on it!

In your derby plan, you should also discuss your catch rotation. Again, on my boat, we do a rotation through solid hookups with the skipper being last. Many teams will take a more traditional route where each angler runs with their personal gear, but this is a team decision. 

Your derby plan needs to address technique, gear, and location. It is important that the boat fishes as a team, and everyone knows what to expect. At the end of the day, you want everybody to have fun and feel like they had an equal say in your potential success or if so, disappointment.

The plan should include an agreement for a meeting place, time, and ensure the skipper has everyone’s phone numbers. Also, decide what each angler should bring. Example: ice, lunch, derby tickets, license, and gear if required. Maybe also discuss parking and usage fees at the launch area.

For derby day, you want your deck as clear as possible, so it could be a good idea to address storage space and limit personal items. Use a common ice chest for fish. I have a case of fish bags, and each angler gets 1 for their Derby catch.

Back to location, your derby day plan should include an agreement regarding fishing location throughout the day or changes required for changing conditions. This is especially important when fishing in marine areas influenced by the tides.

The skipper is responsible for making sure the boat and gear are ready for derby day.  This includes a rod and reel check, replacing line and or top shots as required. I always have a backup rod or three on the boat. Typically, I have two nets on board anyway, but having two nets available is especially important on derby day.

Depending on the derby, it is also important that at least one other team member can run the boat, drive the tow vehicle, and be familiar with the boat’s electronics. (Mostly in case the team gets tired of the skipper and the flipping plan, thus throwing the skipper overboard.) 

As the skipper, I find Derby days pretty stressful. To be honest, I experienced this for any fishing trip, but for me derby day is worse. It’s not that I’m not having fun, but I feel a true responsibility towards my crew’s success.  

That said, don't forget to have fun. Turn setbacks into opportunities and laugh in the face of calamity.  Winning is icing on the cake of an otherwise enjoyable fishing trip.  By developing a derby day plan, the skipper and crew are more likely to enjoy the day, even increasing their chances of putting a fish on the leader board.