Trout Derby adds a little something extra to lake fishing

MOSES LAKE — Anglers, cast your lines! The 2026 Trout Derby begins April 25. 

“We stock lakes all over the state,” said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Communications Specialist Nicole Jordan. “Some of the fish are tagged, and people can catch a tagged fish and win a bunch of donated prizes.” 

About 1,000 trout, out of millions stocked in Washington lakes, will wear those tags this year, Jordan said, and the North Central Region, which includes Grant, Adams, Douglas, Okanogan and Chelan counties, will get about 120 of those. The tags are green this year, she added, so as not to get the tagged fish confused with last year’s, which were tagged in orange. Only green-tagged trout will be eligible for the derby. 

Which lakes contain tagged fish changes from year to year, Jordan said. In Grant County this year, there will be tagged trout in Corral Lake, which is in the Seep Lakes south of Potholes Reservoir, and Deep and Vic Meyers lakes at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park. In Chelan County, Beehive Reservoir and Wapato Lake will be stocked with tagged fish, and in Douglas County it will just be Jameson Lake. No Adams County lakes will have green-tagged fish, she said. 

The lakes are chosen because of their proximity to a prize donor, Jordan added.  

What prizes will be offered is still being settled.  

“The prizes are things like fishing gear, resort stays, gift certificates to restaurants, magazine subscriptions, clothing,” she said. “Whatever the vendors are willing to donate for the derby.” 

Besides being fun for anglers, the Trout Derby allows WDFW to have an idea of how much participation there is in the fishing season, said Region 2 Fish Program Manager Chad Jackson. 

“Based off of tag returns, we know that about 50% – it varies each year by some percentage – of the tagged fish get harvested,” Jackson said. “So, we can say that there's sufficient participation in and angler exploitation of our stocked fish that even a relatively small number of tags statewide and per lake are getting harvested now.” 

Anglers must have a valid Washington fishing license, according to the WDFW website. Children under 15 can fish for free.  

Anglers who catch a tagged trout can visit wdfwderby.com to find out how to redeem their tags. The derby will run through Oct. 31. 

“(The derby) is aligned with our mission of getting people out fishing and hunting,” Jordan said. “It's kind of like the lottery. It's exciting, (especially) if a little kid catches a tagged fish and they get a prize. It helps build that interest and get people outdoors.”

    A rainbow trout with a green tag, showing that it’s eligible to be redeemed for prizes in the WDFW Trout Derby.