There is a change in the weather coming that could make fishing difficult, as ice begins to form on our area lakes. This is good news for those who enjoy ice fishing. Ice fishing is already happening at Curlew and Bonaparte lakes, and with the cold weather coming more lakes will offer that opportunity.

There are a lot of options available to anglers here in Central Washington right now. Anglers are catching very nice rainbow trout and a few big kokanee on Lake Roosevelt. On Potholes Reservoir boaters are trolling for walleye, and trout, and even catching some whopper largemouth bass. Shore fishermen are getting some nice rainbow, too. I had some great fun catching perch on Moses Lake from the shore near the I-90 Bridge a while back, and I am headed there on Friday. In September, I got a photo from my friend Mike McKee, showing an amazing catch of perch that he and his fishing buddy, Joe MacLean had taken on Moses Lake. They had two limits and the fish ranged in size from about 9 to 13 inches! They invited me to come down and, of course, I raced there to meet them. We started near one of the outflows, where they had caught these fish, and found none. We tried spots all over the lake, and I think the grand total was four fish! Mike asked me to try Moses Lake for perch again later in the week, and, or course, I bit.

Then I got a text from my friend Mike McKee, very early in the morning. I was planning to meet him in Moses Lake to go perch fishing. We were going to launch his boat at Blue Heron Park and run down to the I-90 Bridge. Here we would anchor and fill our buckets with perch. However, he caught some kind of bug and couldn’t go. Well, I was already rigged up and the truck was loaded with my gear, so I went anyway. On the way down I decided to check on the perch fishing on Winchester Wasteway at the bridge on Road 5. This used to be a great spot to fish for perch in the winter. We used to go there with the whole family, nieces and nephews, the whole gang. When I arrived, I did see some evidence that people had been fishing here. You know, empty worm cartons and leader packaging. Well, the good news is there are perch here again. The bad news is that they are about 3 inches long. So, I proceeded to Blue Heron Park on Moses Lake.

I saw that there were several anglers on the rip rap bank, but no one on the bridge. I decided to try it from the bridge and had an 11-inch perch in my bucket on my first cast. It took me another fifteen or twenty minutes to get another one though, so I packed it in and headed for home. This may be my last chance to fish here if the weather forecast proves true. Single digit temperatures will put a thin layer of ice on Moses Lake for a while. Many hope that it gets thick enough to allow for safe ice fishing. There are more perch in this area this season than there has been for a few years. This week’s photo is of anglers fishing on the rip rap near the I-90 Bridge.

I am about to send out my next free E-Letter, for Winter 2024. There are some really exciting developments coming up this winter, and I will be detailing them. One of the most popular species to chase in Eastern Washington is kokanee. Kokanee fishing on Lake Chelan is year-round, and there are limit numbers of kokanee being caught on the big lake right now. Where to find them and how to catch them will be explained in the E-Letter. Lake Roosevelt is famous for giant kokanee, and although the lake level hasn’t dropped, whopper kokanee are already being caught just above Grand Coulee Dam. Also, the rainbow fishing has been terrific. There is good news for those who like to fish Rufus Woods Reservoir, like the recent release of some whopper triploids by the Colville Tribe. Subscribers will also get information on the top ice fishing lakes in the region. If you aren’t currently on the subscribers list, go to the Home Page of my website, at www.fishingmagician.com, and click on the E-Letter button.

I want to remind people about a couple of events that are coming up in January. There are two ice fishing derbies. The first one is the annual NW Ice Fishing Festival on Sidley Lake, at Molson, near Oroville. It’s scheduled for Saturday, January 13th. Breakfast is from 7am - 10am at the Grange Hall, $10 Adults, $5 for Kids 6-12, Kids 5 and under are free! The Craft Fair will also be going on most the day. Sitzmark Ski Hill will be serving lunch. Then, catch Bingo from 1-3pm, proceeds will be going towards replacing the roof on the beloved Grange Hall! There will also be arts and crafts for the kiddos! I have attended this event, and it is guaranteed to be a great time. You can call the Oroville Chamber of Commerce, 530-538-2542, for more information.

Last year the folks at Bonaparte Lake Resort decided to have an ice fishing derby, and since they had almost 400 people turn out for it, they are going do it again. This year it’s scheduled for Saturday, January 27th. Resort owner Eric Cruz sent me the list of sponsors and prizes, and it was a long one. There could be prizes valued as much as $9,000 handed out at the event, and there will be cash awarded as well. Prizes will be awarded for these categories: Adult biggest fish, Adult multi species and Kids biggest fish. To get the details on the derby, go to the Home Page of my website and click on the ad listed on the right hand side of the page.

Also, I will remind you of the first Sportsmen Show in Eastern Washington. It’s the Tri-Cities Sportsmen Show, scheduled for January 26th through the 28th at the HAPO Center in Pasco.

I am digging out my heated jacket, socks, and pocket warms. I don’t want to miss out on any of the fun coming up this winter!