Catchable, Jumbo Fish - Just Waiting To Be Reeled In

KENT - The fisherman in the plaid coat and faded overalls stared at his motionless line disappearing into Lake Fenwick.

It had not been the best of days for Wally Day, who was getting skunked. But you'd never know it from his attitude.

"I'm just up here drowning bait," quipped Day, leaning back in his deck chair as if he had not a care in the world.

Day, a retired machinist, was consoled by the scene that spread before him like something out of a travel brochure: the trees on the far shore growing to the water's edge, with a rope hanging down for swinging Tarzan-style out into the lake; lily pads peeking out of the placid water like emerald stepping-stones; brightly colored mallard ducks drifting past the sun-warmed wood dock.

All this, he said, was good for his blood pressure.

Tom Cropp, a Department of Wildlife fish biologist for South King County and Pierce County, said more and bigger fish were planted in lakes this year and fishing should be OK this summer.

What's different is the introduction of more half-pound rainbow trout (often called "jumbo" or "super-legal") in area lakes. Generally 10 inches to a foot long, the jumbos are about two inches longer than the "catchable" or "legal" size fish.

"We found that people like bigger fish and are satisfied with several (of them) rather than a string of eight-inchers," Cropp said.

Biologists also believe the larger rainbows should be better able to escape from growing numbers of cormorants that winter in Puget Sound and gobble up lake fish.

Several years ago, cormorants went on such a feeding frenzy in Lake Wilderness that, by the opening day of fishing season in April, they had wiped out nearly all the fish that the state planted.

Considered the most important freshwater fish in the state, rainbow generally are bluish-green on the back with silver sides and belly. There are black spots along the back and on the fins. A red band sometimes extends along both sides. Most rainbow spawn in the spring. Lake varieties to 42 pounds have been taken.

Urbanization is rapidly catching up to Maple Valley, but Lake Wilderness still is one of the best lakes for both scenery and fishing. Recently, it was planted with 7,000 "catchable"-sized trout.

No jumbos were released in Lake Wilderness this year because of the trout fry that were planted there last year. "They should be 11 inches this year if the birds didn't get them all," Cropp said.

Both Lake Wilderness and Lake Morton, four miles west of Black Diamond, will feature mature kokanee, a land-locked sockeye salmon that is planted in some lakes and can weigh more than three pounds, depending on the availability of food in its habitat. Peak months for catching kokanee generally are May and June.

South King County's top kokanee fishing spots are Lake Sawyer and Lake Washington, according to the Washington State Fishing Guide put out by Stan Jones. The best time for is May through July.

In Pierce County, some of the best kokanee fishing this summer will be in Clear Lake near Eatonville and American Lake by Fort Lewis.

"They're kind of tricky to catch," said Jeff Weathersby, a Wildlife Department spokesman. "They have fragile mouths."

The department released 3,000 catchables and 2,400 jumbos in Lake Morton and 7,000 catchables and 5,000 jumbos in Lake Meridian. Other releases: Angle Lake, 3,00 catchables and 3,600 jumbos; Shadow Lake, 1,000 catchables and 2,400 jumbos; and Lake Fenwick, 1,000 of each.

Two of the Pierce's County biggest lakes, Spanaway and Ohop, received far more jumbos than catchables. Lake Spanaway was planted with 8,000 catchables and 12,000 jumbos, while Ohop Lake received 7,000 catchables and 11,000 jumbos.

"For my money if you're into trout, the best places are going to be your bigger lakes," said Roy Witney, manager of Auburn Sport and Marine. "Lake Washington is still a very untapped resource. I've had some years in Lake Washington that were better than anything I had in saltwater."

Among the smaller of South King County's 66 lakes, Witney likes Wilderness and Meridian for fishing, as well as North Lake, Five Mile Lake and 28-acre Lake Geneva. The latter, he said, "has been an excellent little lake."

You don't have to fly to Switzerland to fish in Lake Geneva and you don't have to jet to Ireland to throw a line in Lake Killarney, its 31-acre neighbor three miles west of Auburn.

The area's biggest lake is 279-acre Lake Sawyer, which has a resort and public access at a county park, along with plenty of rainbow, largemouth bass, catfish, perch, crappie and kokanee. Along with Lake Washington, it is considered South King County's best lake for kokanee.

Before fishing in any lake, however, anglers must buy a fishing license. A resident fishing license costs $17, while a resident combination hunting and fishing license is $29. Residents 70 or older can buy a fishing license for $3.

In general, fishing at lakes, ponds and reservoirs is permitted April 25 through Oct. 31, although some places are open year-round. But requirements vary. All the game-fish regulations are listed in a Department of Wildlife pamphlet available free at most sporting-goods stores.

Kids 14 and under don't need a license. They also have a pond to themselves at Old Fishing Hole Park near the Meeker Street bridge over the Green River in Kent.

Fishing for steelhead, also managed by the Department of Wildlife, is popular on rivers like the Green. When steelhead fishing is at its peak, anglers line the river vying for the best spots while canoes and kayaks pass under their gauntlet of tightly stretched lines. Some bold fishermen launch boats; others wade cautiously into the swirling river.

September is the most productive month for steelhead fishing in the Green River, followed by June, July and October, according to the "Washington State Fishing Guide" edited and published by Stan Jones. The guide says July is the best month for the Cedar River, also in South King County.

About 100 of the state's creeks and rivers host steelhead, sea-run rainbow trout. But fishing on streams and rivers doesn't open until June 1 in most instances and those caught fishing before will be ticketed, the Department of Wildlife warns. It continues until Oct. 31.

Emmit Glanz, a fisherman and former public-information officer for the Department of Fisheries under Gov. Dan Evans, said salmon caught in freshwater lakes can be distinguished from trout because they are more silvery, slimmer and have a forked tail.

Sometimes the salmon can be caught by trolling a triple teazer or dick nite lure, often with a single piece of white corn on the hook, said Glanz. "They think it's a maggot - not my idea of great table fare, but they seem to think it is yummy."

Tony Floor, Department of Fisheries spokesman, said the adult salmon start showing up in the middle of July as they head down the Puget Sound on their way to river spawning beds.

Saltwater anglers can fish from a 670-foot fishing pier in Des Moines that stretches toward Vashon Island. Or they can launch a boat at adjacent Des Moines Marina.

Here's a list of favorite South End fishing spots:

Angle Lake: 102 acres; 12 miles south of Seattle on Highway 99. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, crappie and yellow perch. Open all year.

Bass Lake: 24 acres; 3 1/2 miles north of Enumclaw. Yellow perch, crappie and pumpkinseed sunfish. Open all year.

Boren Lake: 15 acres; 4 miles north of Renton. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch and catfish.

Deep Lake: 39 acres; 1 mile southwest of Cumberland. Rainbow trout, kokanee, cutthroat, yellow perch, crappie and catfish.

Desire Lake: 71 acres; southeast of Renton. Rainbow trout, yellow perch, pumpkinseed sunfish and largemouth bass. Open September through July.

Doloff Lake: 21 acres; 3 miles northwest of Auburn. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch and catfish.

Fenwick Lake: 18 acres; 2 miles southwest of Kent. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, catfish and yellow perch. Open all year.

Five Mile Lake: 38 acres; 4 miles southwest of Auburn. Rainbow trout and largemouth bass.

Fish Lake: 16 acres; 1 1/2 miles southwest of Cumberland. Rainbow and cutthroat trout.

Geneva Lake: 28 acres; 2 1/2 miles southwest of Auburn. Rainbow trout.

Jones Lake: 23 acres; 1/2 mile south of Black Diamond. Rainbow trout, bass, crappie, catfish and perch.

Killarney Lake: 31 acres; 3 miles southwest of Auburn. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch, pumpkinseed sunfish and catfish. Open all year.

Meridian Lake: 150 acres; 4 miles east of Kent. Rainbow trout, large mouth and smallmouth bass, perch and catfish.

Moneysmith Lake; 22 acres; 4 miles east of Auburn. Bass, perch, crappie and catfish.

Morton Lake: 66 acres; 4 miles west of Black Diamond. Rainbow trout, kokanee. Closed July and August.

North Lake: 55 acres; 3 miles west of Auburn. Rainbow trout.

Peterson Lake: 5 acres; 2 miles northwest of Maple Valley. Cutthroat and rainbow trout. Open all year.

Pine Lake: 88 acres; 4 miles north of Issaquah. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish.

Ravensdale Lake: 18 acres; 1/4 mile west of Ravensdale. Native cutthroat.

Retreat Lake: 52 acres; 2 miles east of Ravensdale. Rainbow and cutthroat trout, kokanee.

Sawyer Lake: 279 acres; 2 miles northwest of Black Diamond. Rainbow and cutthroat trout, kokanee, yellow perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish and pumpkinseed sunfish. Open all year.

Shadow Lake: 49 acres; 2 1/2 miles west of Maple Valley. Rainbow trout, sunfish, perch and bass.

Shady Lake: 21 acres; 3 miles northwest of Maple Valley. Rainbow and cutthroat trout. Open June 1 through July 4 and Sept. 1 through October.

Spring Lake: 67 acres; between Renton and Maple Valley. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch and catfish.

Star Lake: 34 acres; 3 miles southwest of Kent. Trout and warm-water species.

Trout Lake: 18 acres; 4 miles southwest of Auburn. Rainbow trout and catfish.

Twelve Lake: 43 acres; 1 mile northeast of Black Diamond. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, catfish and pumpkinseed sunfish.

Walker Lake: 11 acres; 1 mile southeast of Cumberland. Rainbow and cutthroat trout.

Wilderness Lake: 67 acres; 2 1/2 miles south of Maple Valley. Rainbow trout and kokanee.

LAKE REPORTS

Fishing reports and information on lakes not listed here are available on Infoline, a free telephone-information service of The Times. From any touch-tone phone, call 464-2000 and enter category FISH (3474).

-- Compiled by news assistant Maribeth M. Peitz of The Times South bureau.