denden wrote:
Go East young man. I live in Yakima Washington and we have several different pan fish species. Crappie, yellow perch, catfish, trout, and many other people don't know or care about. Along our highway 82, are 7 Ponds, and 2 rivers, Yakima, and other ponds nearby to choose from. Moses lake, and Tricities, and the Columbia river, are 1 to 2 hours away from me. So you might want to give the other side of the mountains a try, you will not be disappointed. Good luck with your future fishing trips .
I am with you. There is great spiny ray and cold water fishing on the East Side. Unfortunately, there is also a four to five hour drive each way along with a couple hundred dollars in gas as well as food and lodging, as the drive does not warrant a one day trip. Oh well, casting small jigs to greening with an occasional catch and release ling is lots of fun. There are also some big bass on this side of the mountain. As for perch, one just has to filet twice as many for a good fish and chips meal. Cats (bullhead excluded) on the other hand are for all practical purposes non existent. An attempt was made way back, but apparently unsuccessfully, because all that seems to be caught is a very very occasional giant cat that must have been part of the original stock. Bluegill and pumpkinseeds are in some of the lakes. But they get an awful lot of or awful little pressure. A mess of keepers is hard to come by on a consistent basis and in limited waters. Even though small, I personally enjoy both on a fly rod. Crappie are pretty scarce this far north west.
I am not sure stocking would improve the fishing. I am not sure the water bodies have the feed biomass to support more fish, nor am I sure what level of real scientific study has been done to find out.