lake stocking questions

[whorde]

In no particular order:

What is going in in Beaver Lake? I do not see listed on the WDFW that they were stocking 5 pound fish. The reports indicate that the crowd was enormous. How did people find out? Is this an annual event?

Why would 5 pound fish ever be stocked? Are those breeders that are just going to die next year from old age?

Why would anyone keep an old stocker on stock day? Do people just not care what their fish taste like? This question same for all stockers - people keeping limits from Greenlake, Bitter Lake, etc etc on week after the "steelhead" dumped in same question.

Why does the WDFW not make lakes stocked with a huge number of whoppers (which they shouldn't do in the first place) catch and release only, no bait?

Why does the WDFW stock a huge number of huge stockers in one lake, as opposed to putting 50 in 50 different lakes? From a sporting sense, clearly having the chance of catching a monster in EVERY lake makes fishing better for everyone, not just a few people in the know who swarm the 1 lake and then ... take limits as fast as they can? Of fish that taste like mud? Fishing with powerbait, which isn't even fishing?

All of this I find very confusing.

If someone could enlighten me as to the thinking of the WDFW I would appreciate it.

[Amx]

WDFW think?

[BentRod]

Sign up for the WDFW email notifications. http://wdfw.wa.gov/lists/
They sent out a notice about the stocking well in advance. Additionally, they've been stocking Beaver Lake with these jumbo plants this same time of year for several years now, so it's an expected event.

[ncwflounderer]

I feel the same about the "put and take" Rainbow, but do enjoy eating them from some lakes after they have been surviving on there own for a while. I also think that many of these fish taken are wasted in the end also, but they are also a good way to get children involved in fishing.

[BentRod]

I feel the same about the "put and take" Rainbow, but do enjoy eating them from some lakes after they have been surviving on there own for a while. I also think that many of these fish taken are wasted in the end also, but they are also a good way to get children involved in fishing.

Completely agree. A good time with the family (after the crowds die down) and the trout I've caught in the spring time taste pretty good.

[jonb]

I preffer trout planted as fry or fingerlings if not completely wild. They taste awesome, aren't as stupid as stockers right off the truck and will still get to very large sizes, but not everyone is a skilled trout fisherman. So it is nice that there are lakes where the bait plunking average Joe and kids can go catch some fish without ruining pristine wild trout fisheries. I believe these put and take fisheries take pressure off more vulnerable fisheries , and especially from unexpeirienced and otherwise malevelent fisherman. I think maybe the state should double down on the popular put and take fisheries, and make it impossible to not catch and make some less popular lakes more strictly regulated. For example: stop putting planters in Marthalake (wb) put those fish in lake ki instead. Keep the fry stock in Martha as is, and make it a catch and release only lake. This would be a win win for everyone, novices get more fish in their favorite put and take, and sporties get a new trophy trout fishery.

[whorde]

I have no idea what the actual numbers are. But let's say they put 1000 jumbos into beaver. Compare the value of that, with:

100 into beaver
100 into cottage
50 into ballinger
50 into haller
50 into bitter
100 into pine
100 into martha
50 into cassidy
50 into boren
100 into bosworth
50 into angle
50 into meridian
50 into stickney
100 into silver

along with the regular plants

what is better for creating sports fishing options for the residents of the greater seattle area?

to me it is a fairly easy question to answer

[TyeeMatt]

The brood trout stocked at Beaver Lake (2400 this year) come from “an educational display at WDFW’s Issaquah Hatchery”. As a former science teacher who has visited the hatchery numerous times on field trips and seen these fish on display, I can attest to their ability to wow and teach youth about hatchery programs, PNW fish biology, general lessons in environmentalism, and the importance of sustaining natural resources (not just fisheries) for future generations. WDFW is extending the impact that these fish have beyond the field trip experience at the hatcheries and in classrooms like mine, and offering the opportunity for local youth to become engaged with the outdoors and catch some large, hard fighting fish. They live a long, well-fed life as an educational tool, and then are set free at the tail end of their life spans to be caught by fisherman, their friends, and families at Beaver Lake. I would guess that the reason that these fish are not divvied up and planted in other area lakes is a lack of transportation resources. It would be very expensive to haul these fish hundreds of miles all over King County when Beaver is very close to the hatchery and to the communities where many of the youth who have visited the hatchery live. I would advocate for the hatchery to spread out these plants over the year so that we won’t have the crowds combat fishing in concentric circles around the boat launch when they are put in. That type of fishing reeks of a lack of sportsmanship, a “fish in a barrel” situation that is akin to fishing just downstream of fish ladders. Perhaps opening the lake to only juvenile anglers for a couple weekends in the fall would be a more fitting and appropriate end to these brood stock trout’s lives, which were dedicated to educating youth in the first place.
On a side note I would have to disagree with the belief that fishing with power bait is not real fishing. There’s a lot of technical know-how that goes into rigging powerbait from the bottom and with the all of the tying of knots, choosing tackle, line, and leader material there’s valuable knowledge to pass on to teach someone how to fish, and not terribly easy to do for a newbie. And not to mention the playing of a large fish when you hook one, netting it, and even releasing it unharmed if that’s a lesson you want to pass on. I also tend to see lots of senior citizens fishing from the bottom with bait and can’t help but wonder if they may be limited to plunking because of age/health limitations that don’t allow them to cast a lure every minute or swing a fly rod. It makes me happy though that at least they’re out of the house, enjoying nature as they likely did 50-60-70 years ago when they started fishing. Saying that everyone that fishes with powerbait is not fishing is narrow minded and indicative of the elitist attitude that often comes up when I get together with my fly fishing buddies.

[jonb]

I would agree about plunking bait, while its not my cup of tea usually, Its certainly not wrong to do, if that's all you know or are limited due to health, then no problem there. Also there are times when that just is what is working best. My statement about plunking was in reference to crowd control. I've plunked before, and If that's what is working I'll plunk again. I fish to catch fish not to seem cool. I'm not an elitist. I'm sure you were not directing your comment at me, I just wanted to clarify that.

[jd39]

If the fish voluntarily/reactively strikes your presentation you're fishing. Stocker trout can be good fried or smoked. I mostly fry them now and treat them like perch when cleaning and preparing.

[jonb]

I preffer them to have been in the lake surviving naturally for at least 1 month. The quality of the meat drastically improves.. but I've doctored up some stockers with key lime aoli bread crumbs and butter, and in that fashion aren't too bad to eat. But certainly not as good as fry stock or wild trout, which are leaps and bounds better than stockers and often better than dime bright sockeye from the salt. Get a 14" wild bright cutthroat or brook from a clean subalpine lake and you will understand.

[TyeeMatt]

I agree Jon. I generally only keep a wild trout or two when I'm camping or fish I catch in the salt because I've never had a tasty stocked trout and those guys have been essentially eating dog food their whole life. Smoking seems to make everything taste better. Those big trout in Beaver Lake can holdover a year sometimes and it's easy to tell the ones that are fresher and the ones that have had a more natural diet during their time in the water. A chrome planter is gonna have funky white meat and that's not what I want for dinner...although I'm curious now what a smoked one would taste like.

[whorde]

I'm trying to think of a time I've actually caught a fish plunking. I dont think I ever have. Either I've fallen asleep from boredom (I have quite literally anchored, roped the pole to my arm, and taken an hour nap in my raft in Lake Ballinger and when I woke up I still had a nightcrawler down there), or I'm busy with the other pole doing something active and if there is a bite I dont see it. I probably actually did have a bite in Beaver Lake this morning, as my powerbait on pole2 disappeared at some point. I was busy throwing a castmaster. I dont know if there was any tugging on the line or not.

Then to make matters worse, using powerbait? Something brewed up in a lab to mimic the dogfood they feed the hatchery fish? Bleh. There is zero sport involved in catching a pet, which is what those frankenfish in Beaver are. They are the pets of the hatchery. No difference between that and BBQ'ing the neighbor's dog after dropping a box on him when he's eating a bowl of Purina. I have some powerbait, and I use it on occasion, but it always makes me feel dirty. I'd much rather fish a lake where the trout and no clue what powerbait is. I would ALWAYS rather use a worm, even if it's a boring fishing method like bobber or plunking. I guess having standards makes me an elitist douchebag. Oh well. I've been hearing that tired refrain for many years. Most people dont have standards, so they can't relate. Feelings - not hurt. Everyone can believe whatever they believe, and feel whatever they feel, and it doesn't have to make any sense to me.

What does make sense to me is NOT spending the 45 minutes to get to Beaver Lake, given how many other awesome places I can invest that 45 minutes of time and gas money into going to. On that note, I'm super excited that this miserable excuse for a fishing day is over, and tomorrow is hike day!

[strider43]

I'm trying to think of a time I've actually caught a fish plunking. I dont think I ever have. Either I've fallen asleep from boredom (I have quite literally anchored, roped the pole to my arm, and taken an hour nap in my raft in Lake Ballinger and when I woke up I still had a nightcrawler down there), or I'm busy with the other pole doing something active and if there is a bite I dont see it. I probably actually did have a bite in Beaver Lake this morning, as my powerbait on pole2 disappeared at some point. I was busy throwing a castmaster. I dont know if there was any tugging on the line or not.

Then to make matters worse, using powerbait? Something brewed up in a lab to mimic the dogfood they feed the hatchery fish? Bleh. There is zero sport involved in catching a pet, which is what those frankenfish in Beaver are. They are the pets of the hatchery. No difference between that and BBQ'ing the neighbor's dog after dropping a box on him when he's eating a bowl of Purina. I have some powerbait, and I use it on occasion, but it always makes me feel dirty. I'd much rather fish a lake where the trout and no clue what powerbait is. I would ALWAYS rather use a worm, even if it's a boring fishing method like bobber or plunking. I guess having standards makes me an elitist douchebag. Oh well. I've been hearing that tired refrain for many years. Most people dont have standards, so they can't relate. Feelings - not hurt. Everyone can believe whatever they believe, and feel whatever they feel, and it doesn't have to make any sense to me.

What does make sense to me is NOT spending the 45 minutes to get to Beaver Lake, given how many other awesome places I can invest that 45 minutes of time and gas money into going to. On that note, I'm super excited that this miserable excuse for a fishing day is over, and tomorrow is hike day!

Ha Ha, I know how you feel and so many others.....

[Bodofish]

I'm trying to think of a time I've actually caught a fish plunking. I dont think I ever have. Either I've fallen asleep from boredom (I have quite literally anchored, roped the pole to my arm, and taken an hour nap in my raft in Lake Ballinger and when I woke up I still had a nightcrawler down there), or I'm busy with the other pole doing something active and if there is a bite I dont see it. I probably actually did have a bite in Beaver Lake this morning, as my powerbait on pole2 disappeared at some point. I was busy throwing a castmaster. I dont know if there was any tugging on the line or not.

Then to make matters worse, using powerbait? Something brewed up in a lab to mimic the dogfood they feed the hatchery fish? Bleh. There is zero sport involved in catching a pet, which is what those frankenfish in Beaver are. They are the pets of the hatchery. No difference between that and BBQ'ing the neighbor's dog after dropping a box on him when he's eating a bowl of Purina. I have some powerbait, and I use it on occasion, but it always makes me feel dirty. I'd much rather fish a lake where the trout and no clue what powerbait is. I would ALWAYS rather use a worm, even if it's a boring fishing method like bobber or plunking. I guess having standards makes me an elitist douchebag. Oh well. I've been hearing that tired refrain for many years. Most people dont have standards, so they can't relate. Feelings - not hurt. Everyone can believe whatever they believe, and feel whatever they feel, and it doesn't have to make any sense to me.

What does make sense to me is NOT spending the 45 minutes to get to Beaver Lake, given how many other awesome places I can invest that 45 minutes of time and gas money into going to. On that note, I'm super excited that this miserable excuse for a fishing day is over, and tomorrow is hike day!

My sister in law has had some on going issues and was able to talk it through so I'm sure she'd be happy share some numbers with you if you think it would help.

[jd39]

Using your own words whorde, you get accused of being or called an "elitist douchebag" so often and routinely its now just a "tired refrain" to you. Has it never occurred to you to ask yourself why you hear that so often and is there something to it? Case in point, you've chosen a completely arbitrary and personal standard on powerbait, which is fine and nobody cares, but then you accuse others of having no standards if they don't follow your lead. That's pretty arrogant and self serving.
Didn't you also just post a report from green lake? Do you think those are wild fish or the "pets" you find so beneath you?
Anyone that fishes green lake has no standards by the way.....(all, i'm kidding about that).

[jonb]

This is starting to be like the river forum when flossing debates arise. Give each other a big hug and kiss and make up. No need to be so offended about this topic.. state your opinions like grown ups and if you don't like what the other had to say don't respond and just know that others might respect your opinion more, for you were a grown up about it, and didn't resort to insults and name calling. I like reading this forum and value the opinions of most of you, let's not ruin a good thing. This would be an informative decent topic I feel needs further discussion, well at least the original topic of why the state stocks in the manner that they currently do. I would like to see relevant opinions on this. Can we get back to that topic?

[TBear_fishin]

All of you make sense with your postings. I really do enjoy these moments of non-fishing and as long as we are civil to others, respectful and no name-calling, I will continue to read and respond in WA LAKES forums. Isn't that what it's all about? Thank you!