I got out and about last week, looking for spots where anglers would find some good fishing. I visited several locations in Grant County. I also want to remind anglers that there are some ice fishing events coming up in Okanogan County very soon.

I decided to take a swing through the area and check on a couple of places that I haven’t been to in a while. I am always curious about the perch fishing on the Wasteway on Road 5 NW. Some years ago, it was loaded with small perch, and we even made a few family outings there and the kids would have a ball hauling the perch up the steep bank. I can usually tell if the perch are back. There would be telltale signs of anglers, like discarded worm cartons and such. It was evident that no one had been fishing, so I moved on to another location that I wanted to check on. When the water is drawn down on Billy Clapp Lake, only very small boats launch to fish here in the winter. Last year, when I stopped by, I found anglers fishing from the shore. I could tell that some of them were regulars, and one even showed me some photos of some whopper rainbow he landed from the beach. I even did a short video on the shore fishing: “Winter Fishing at Billy Clapp” can be found on the Dave Graybill YouTube channel. Check it out.

The last spot I stopped at when I was exploring the fishing activities in Grant County last Thursday was at Moses Lake. This has been where I have found good numbers of anglers for the past month or more. The perch and crappie fishing continues to be the best opportunity for great action. I found several cars in the parking lot at Blue Heron Park, and the passengers were either fishing from the I-90 Bridge or from the shore near the cut under the bridge. I also checked the boat ramp at Blue Heron as well and found a half-dozen trucks and trailers that had used this launch. The water level is still high enough to allow for launching without having to walk through a lot of muddy sand to get into your boat. I could see two boats anchored either above the bridge or right under it. I have seen days here when so many boats were tied to the pilings there wasn’t room for any more. This is a great place to be if it’s raining or snowing. From what I have learned about fishing in the region, Moses Lake will be the place to be for a while. This week’s photo was taken at Moses Lake.

We seem to be in a kind of limbo with a variety of fisheries in the region. Steelhead fishing is slow, but the fish being caught are of very good size and in great shape as it is early in the winter season. Anglers who are looking for the big triploid rainbow that inhabit Rufus Woods Reservoir are having limited success at the net pens and the same could be said for the walleye fishing at the upper end of the reservoir. One fishery that is just getting started is for the big lake variety whitefish on Banks Lake. Every winter these fish move into certain areas of the lake and offer great action. The whitefish often weigh 2 to 3 pounds. Three areas of the lake that I see anglers fishing for whitefish are at the very top end, where anglers fish from shore or from boats near the inlet where water is pumped into Banks. Not far from the Northrup boat launch, anglers fish one of the bays in Devils Lake. When Banks freezes, I see large groups on the ice near the island above the highway. Perch fishing at Moses Lake is still the bright spot on the fishing scene.

I hope you have made plans to attend the Molson Ice Fishing Derby in Molson, near Oroville. This will be the 21st year that the community has conducted a derby, and it just gets bigger and better every year. I attended the event several years ago and was very impressed with how this small community turns out to make sure everyone is having a good time. It will take place on Saturday, January 18th this year and the actual fishing will be on nearby Sidley Lake. Registration can be done online through the Oroville Washington Chamber of Commerce website. Also, you can register at the event starting at 7 a.m. and the derby starts at eight and runs through one. There is a wonderful breakfast served at the Molson Grange Hall, and a lunch provided by Sitzmark. Hot chocolate will be available right on the lake while you’re fishing. Thanks to a functioning aerator on the lake, fishing has vastly improved the past few years. The festival is sponsored by the Oroville Chamber and proceeds benefit the local community. This is truly a very fun event that the whole family can enjoy.

I called Jack at North 40 Outfitters in Omak to find out if there was anything going on in the area up north. He told me not much. He did say that he went up to Bonaparte Lake recently and had a pretty good day. He caught some 13 to 14 inch rainbow through the ice. He said ice conditions were good on Bonaparte. No slush on top and five or six inches of clear ice, with that honeycombed stuff that is a mixture of ice and snow on top of that. Also, he talked to some folks that fished Rufus Woods Reservoir and reported that fishing is very slow. Other than that, there just aren’t that many folks venturing outdoors with fishing on their mind. After talking to Jack, I pulled up the Bonaparte Lake Resort Facebook page to see what I could learn. I am glad I did. Turns out they are having an ice fishing derby again this year. It will take place on January 25th. You can register the day of the event or online.