The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced the extension of the Mineral Lake game fish season through Oct. 31 annually.
This extension comes after WDFW received a rule change petition to extend the fishing season at Mineral Lake — nestled in the Cascade foothills some 20 miles from Mount Rainier, and also known as “Home of the 10-pound trout” — through the end of October in September 2025, according to a WDFW news release.
Mineral Lake was previously closed to fishing after Sept. 30 to protect fingerling trout released in the lake each October from premature harvest and the catch-and-release mortality risk during recreational fishing, the release added.
Along with the permanent extension of the fishing season at Mineral Lake, the Mineral Lake Lions Club announced it is offering 10% off all campsites at the Mineral Lake Lions Den Campground through Oct. 31 this year to celebrate the change.
“Mineral Lake Lions Club extends its appreciation to WDFW for making the additional month of fishing possible,” the club said in a separate Lions Club news release.
To secure a camping spot for 10% off over the next month at Mineral Lake, use the discount code “FISH26” when booking a Mineral Lake Lions Den Campground site online at https://www.campspot.com/book/minerallakelionsden.
Recent upgrades at Mossyrock Trout Hatchery allow fingerling rainbow trout destined for Mineral Lake to be held later into the fall before release.
With the hatchery now able to hold those fish later into the fall, the October recreational fishing closure is no longer necessary.
Mineral Lake is a 277-acre lake in Lewis County managed primarily to provide recreational opportunities to catch and harvest hatchery rainbow trout.
More information about Mineral Lake, including an interactive map, recent trout plants, and species-specific fishing prospects calendar, is available on WDFW’s lowland lakes webpage at https://tinyurl.com/2zdwvfzt.
To learn more about the Mineral Lake Lions Club, visit http://www.minerallakelionsclub.com/, or follow the club on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MineralLakeLions.
