Trout are biting, leaves are turning and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Fish Washington website now points the way to fishing the state’s high lakes this fall.

Since its launch in 2012, Fish Washington webpages have been visited millions of times, offering information on marine areas and most every lowland lake in the state.

Now, the Fish Washington website has expanded to provide the “when’s, where’s and how-to’s” for fishing Washington’s high-elevation lakes.

Altogether, the Fish Washington site (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/) has new fishing information for hundreds of high lakes, including 60 “getting started” lakes.

“The new high lakes fishing section provides suggestions for scenic adventures in which angling is only part of the experience,” said Chris Donley, inland fish program manager for the department.

Features include:

– Fish stocking data showing when, where, and which species were stocked in high elevation lakes;

– Lake profiles including descriptions of the lakes, species to target, elevation, and coordinates;

– The Great Getaways vacation planning section, which provides extensive information about family-friendly fishing vacations;

– Access details including trail information and notable geographic features.

“Much of the country has very little to match the experience provided by Washington’s high lakes fishing” said Donley, “and the improvements to the Fish Washington webpages make it easier to find a path and get started.”