OLYMPIA - As part of its new "Fall into Fishing" promotion, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish hatchery crews began stocking 33 Western Washington lakes with 75,000 large rainbow trout in October.

Fall into Fishing stocking efforts will continue into November leading up to WDFW's second-annual "Black Friday" fishing event on the day after Thanksgiving.

"We're launching Fall into Fishing in response to requests from anglers to increase year-round trout fishing opportunities in western Washington," said Chris Donley, inland lakes program manager.

Three lakes in King County - Morton, Green, and Meridian - have been stocked, as well as Silver Lake in Snohomish County.

"Meridian, Green, Morton, and Silver lakes should provide excellent fishing opportunities this weekend and throughout October," said Donley. "But this is just the beginning. All fall, anglers can expect 12 to 17-inch trout as well as some 5 to 6 pounders at many Puget Sound and southwest Washington lakes."

WDFW's Fall into Fishing stocking plan is available for viewing at http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/attach/oct0413a_fish_plants.pdf . For up-to-date stocking information, see the department's weekly catchable trout stocking report at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/weekly/ .

"Last year's Black Friday event was very successful," said Donley. "We decided to repeat it and also significantly expand our fall stocking. As always we encourage anglers to get out and enjoy the abundant fishing resources available to Washington residents, and we encourage everyone to get family and friends involved in the sport of fishing."

To participate, anglers must have a current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31, 2014. Licenses can be purchased online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov ; by telephone at 1-866-246-9453; or at hundreds of license vendors across the state.

For details on license vendor locations, visit the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/ .

Anglers parking at WDFW water-access sites are required to display on their vehicle the WDFW Vehicle Access Pass that is provided free with every annual fishing license purchased. The passes are transferable between two vehicles. Anglers who use Washington State Parks or Department of Natural Resource areas need a Discover Pass. For more information on the pass, visit http://discoverpass.wa.gov/ .

Before heading out, anglers should check fishing regulations, which are available at license vendors and on WDFW's webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ .