The cold weather has really expanded the opportunities for ice fishermen throughout the region. Even some lakes at lower elevations are sporting a solid cap of ice, and anglers are taking advantage of it.

It was kind of a different day at Roses Lake last Friday. When I arrived, there was one angler there, catching trout. I had trouble with my auger, so he drilled a hole for me. Later, another angler came over saying he was out of propane and had to go into town. I had an extra tank in my truck so, he ran up, got the propane and headed back out to meet his Dad and look for perch. When I was dragging my sled to my truck, I happened to see a cell phone laying on top of the snow and ice. It had slipped out of the pocked of the angler when he came back down to the lake with the propane tank. I walked out and gave it to him, and he was very grateful. Then an angler came down and said he hadn’t ever ice fished before, but had heard it was pretty good on Roses. He didn’t have an auger, so I directed him to four recently drilled holes. He asked if the fish would hit a bare jig, since he didn’t have any bait. I gave him my carton of worms and wished him luck. It was a beautiful sunny day at Roses last Friday. The ice was about five inches thick, and trout were biting. This week’s photo is of an angler with one of the trout he caught that morning.

If you want to put in your two cents worth on upper Columbia salmon and steelhead fisheries, you will have a chance to do it at the North of Falcon public meeting. This is where WDFW staff will present their plans for the next year, and these meetings take place during the process. The actual North of Falcon planning takes a few months to complete. When I was serving as a WDFW Commissioner I went to meetings on these fisheries all over the state, even a couple in California and Portland, Oregon. The North of Falcon meetings culminate with meetings with the Tribes. These meetings can be very contentious, and back then, as a Commissioner, I was allowed to sit in on them. The discussions take several days, and even into the evenings. The WDFW technical staff works closely with their tribal counterparts to make complicated adjustments as the meetings progress, and it is exhausting work. This is your chance to participate in the process. The meeting is on March 18th at the Confluence Technology Center, 285 Technology Center Way, in Wenatchee from 4 to 7 p.m. You can see a timeline of all the meetings and details of the Wenatchee meeting by Googling North of Falcon.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has planted about 80,000 juvenile steelhead in Rock Lake near Sprague. The state planted the ocean running fish in the lake because of a change at the Tokul Creek Fish Hatchery in King County in Western Washington. Fish and Wildlife is no longer raising steelhead at that hatchery to protect wild steelhead. The final population of steelhead reared at the hatchery last year need to be planted in a location where they cannot impact wild fish. State officials chose Rock Lake because of its excellent habitat and since it’s not connected to waters where wild steelhead are present. The small steelhead that were planted in Rock Lake were ten to the pound. They are expected to reach a catchable size of about 11 inches by late this summer. The rules for fishing steelhead in Rock Lake are the same as the statewide regulations for trout. Steelhead are normally an ocean-going species that return to their home rivers to spawn but they also thrive in large lakes. More juvenile steelhead will be planted in Rock Lake this spring.

As many of you know, I have been sending out a free Quarterly E-Letter for the past 18 years. The E-Letter contained feature stories on the best fishing during a particular season, and a forecast of the best prospects in the Summer, Fall, Winter and Summer. The Winter E-Letter was sent out a couple of weeks ago and was dedicated to Winter Trout Fishing. Of course, there was a lot of information about ice fishing and shore fishing in this issue. Those who now subscribe to the E-Letter receive Monthly Updates, in addition to the Quarterly editions. These updates give people information on the progress of fisheries of primary interest to anglers in the region and any new developments in the list of Top Prospects. Included in the Update for Winter, anglers can also expect to see interviews with guides and local experts, and even How-to Videos that are only seen by subscribers. To learn how to get on the subscribers list, go to the E-Letter link on the FishingMagician.com website. Just click on E-Letter and it will open a page with a form to sign up, and to pay the $24.99 annual fee. Just two buck a month! Sign up now and I will be sure you will get the Winter issue and the Update.

Ever wondered what some wild game meat would taste like? Your opportunity is coming up on Saturday, March 29th. The Wenatchee Sportsmen’s Association will be holding their annual fundraising dinner and auction on that evening, and if you haven’t attended one of these events, I suggest you get tickets and go. The menu is something that is different than any other dining experience you have had, prepared by great chefs. In addition to the dinner, it is a very busy evening. There will be tables full of “gotta have” items for those who hunt and fish, and the live action is just that—very lively. When you buy your ticket, it is good for the dinner and a year’s membership to the organization. The Wenatchee Sportsmen’s Association volunteers dedicate hundreds of hours every year to fish and wildlife habitat and ecological work, all right here in our area. They have participated in the Rock Island Kids Free Fishing Day for many years, helping kids catch a fish. For some of them it’s their first ever! The event will take place at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wenatchee, beginning at 4:30. You can get tickets at Hooked on Toys.