This holiday weekend brings opportunities for fishing throughout the state.

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife traditionally stocks lakes in Washington prior to Black Friday so that anglers have a chance to spend the weekend on the water.

Stocking includes thousands of large trout averaging 15 to 16 inches in length and weighing up to three pounds.

“This is a great chance to enjoy a fun day on the water with family and friends,” said Steve Caromile, WDFW inland fish program manager. “I can’t think of a better way to pre-celebrate the holidays.”

Since March, 33,866 have been stocked into Grays Harbor waters, with 28,031 placed in Pacific County.

“WDFW’s trout stocking and hatchery programs are active year-round,” said Caromile. “We provide the gift of spending time with friends and family on lakes around the state, at any time of the year.”

For up-to-date stocking information this fall, anglers should follow the department’s weekly catchable trout stocking report at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants, where they can find reports on stocking that have taken place within the last 30 days and in the past week. 

Anglers 15 years and older must have a current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31, 2020, 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 https://wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/dealers.