The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has introduced approximately 80,000 juvenile steelhead into Rock Lake, located northwest of St. John in Whitman County. This action follows a change at the Tokul Creek Fish Hatchery in King County, where steelhead are no longer being raised to protect wild populations. The juvenile steelhead were relocated to Rock Lake to prevent potential impacts on wild fish, as the lake is not connected to any waters with wild steelhead.

The small steelhead were planted on Sunday and are anticipated to reach a catchable size of around 11 inches by late summer. Fishing regulations for steelhead in Rock Lake will align with statewide trout regulations. While steelhead are typically ocean-going fish that return to rivers to spawn, they are also capable of thriving in large lakes. Additional juvenile steelhead are scheduled to be planted in Rock Lake this spring. The state record for a steelhead in Washington is 35 pounds.