The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife now has a new set of “Fish Washington” logos designed to help symbolize the state’s many great fishing opportunities.

WDFW tallied more than 1,800 votes on new logo design via the department website and Facebook page.  Now, with a few tweaks based on public suggestions, the winning set of logos has been chosen. The logos selected depict trout and bass with backgrounds of Washington state waters and wilderness.

“Fish Washington” is a new effort by WDFW to inform anglers about fishing opportunities in Washington via a variety of communications platforms.

“The goal is to involve all anglers in the excitement of Washington fishing, some of the best fishing in the nation,” said Chris Donley, WDFW inland fish program manager.  “And, over the next 18 months, we will be seeking additional ways to support Washington state fishing, including anglers just entering the sport, lapsed anglers who want to renew old hobbies, and the avid angler searching out new opportunities.”

The public can view the new logo set here:  http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/logos/.

The “Fish Washington” webpage, available on WDFW’s website, http://wdfw.wa.gov, provides details on where to fish for specific inland and marine fish species by county and marine area, and will increasingly add new tools and information on fishing tips and techniques.

“Fish Washington” currently focuses on lowland lakes and marine areas within Puget Sound, but in the future the website will feature information on rivers, streams and high lakes fishing opportunities, Donley said.  “Future updates will also include fishing calendars by species and month, maps, and photographs of each of the access areas,” he added.

The “Fish Washington” web effort was launched in April 2012, and has already drawn some 130,000 unique visitors. “The popularity of our web effort speaks to the importance Washington anglers and prospective anglers place on fishing,” Donley said.  “With the new tools we are introducing, we hope to build upon the strong outdoor heritage that fishing represents in this state.”