What a difference a week makes. I had recently offered advice to anglers that might want to try steelhead fishing, and then I got a notice it will close. I had also warned people about thin ice on area lakes, and then I hear that people are fishing on the ice at nearby Fish Lake. It looked like the ice fishing season was going to be postponed for weeks, however, I am not much for predicting the future it appears.

One of my neighbors texted me that he heard people were fishing on the ice at Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee last Sunday. I decided to head up there early to check on the condition of the ice and let him know what I learned. There was one truck in the parking lot when I arrived and when I walked out on the dock, I could see two anglers hunched over holes in the ice. I was nervous but walked cautiously out to see how thick the ice was where they were fishing and how they were doing. The anglers had driven up to Fish Lake from Moses Lake and were outfitted with some very high-tech gear. They said that there was three or four inches of not clear, but ice honey combed with snow. They felt secure here but wouldn’t recommend going out any further. We all agreed that if the cold weather continued that the ice would be good in another week. They did land one perch while I was there. As I was leaving three more trucks full of ice fishers pulled into the parking area, loaded their sleds and headed out. I’m going to give it another week. This week’s photo was taken at Fish Lake.

I have a couple of cancellations that you’ll want to know about. The first is the closure of the steelhead season on the upper Columbia River and the Methow River. Anglers in the region were thrilled when the season was announced to be open for the first time in nine years. No one knew how long it would last. It will end one hour after sunset on Monday, January 20th. Reason for the closure is that the allowable incidental take (mortality) of wild steelhead will be at, or near, the maximum limit by that date. Also, hook and line hatchery broodstock collection efforts of wild steelhead will begin in February. This break in pressure increases the likelihood of meeting the broodstock collection goal in the timeframe needed. I hope those who were able to get out after steelhead had success, and I sure hope that the trend for better returns continues. Maybe we will see even more fish coming to our region and we have an even longer season next year! The other cancellation is for the annual Central Washington Sportsmen show. The new ownership couldn’t make it work. The Tri-Cities Show is still on for January 24th through the 26th.

The third annual Ice Fishing Tournament on Bonaparte Lake will take place on January 25th this year. There has been a thick layer of ice on Bonaparte for weeks and attendance should be very good with the thousands of dollars of cash and prizes that will be awarded. I talked to an angler that fished Bonaparte recently, and although they just caught some small rainbow, there is not only is the opportunity to catch everything from rainbow and tiger trout at the lake, there’s a good chance of catching kokanee here, too. Fishing starts on Saturday, and you can register for the event that morning or online by going to the Bonaparte Lake Resort Facebook page.

Another popular winter destination for ice fishers is Curlew Lake, which is not far from the town of Republic. Word is that the perch fishing is again very good this year. A buddy of mine fished here last week and got his 25 fish in short order. He found perch in the 10 to 12 inch class by using the State Park access and walking down the lake from there. Last year Tiffany’s Resort allowed parking at the water’s edge on their property for a fee and even had cabins available on the weekends. I would check with them about this soon, as the availability of cabins goes fast. The perch fishing near the resort is one of the better spots on the lake.

I wanted to try the fishing for trout from the shore at Billy Clapp Lake and talked my friend James into meeting there last Saturday. I wasn’t the only one who was curious about the fishing here. When I arrived that morning, there were three vehicles parked at the water’s edge that a nice big warming fire was burning. Another truck pulled in a few minutes after I arrived and then someone launched a small boat off the beach. I enjoyed visiting with the group by the fire and James and I watch the boat troll by, wondering if he was going to get a bite. We had a great day trolling for rainbow out of a small boat a few winters ago. Unfortunately, we never saw the boater get a fish and no one on the shore had any luck either, including us. It was just one of those days on Billy Clapp. I might go back before it freezes and try it again. It can produce some whopper rainbow from the shore in the winter.

On way home from Billy Clapp, I made a slight detour and stopped at Rocky Ford Creek. I found that there was still quite a bit of weeds here, but people were catching fish from the patches of open water. As I pulled into the upper parking lot, I saw an angler landing a big fish on the shore opposite the handicapped dock. I walked out onto the bridge and took a couple of photos of some lunkers below me, and an angler at the top of the pool landed a fish. I would say that the winter fishing is a “go” at Rocky Ford Creek. I will definitely be spending some time there this winter. When it’s cold enough to keep the ground frozen, walking is much easier than when it is soft and muddy. You just need to plan a day when the afternoon warms up enough that your line doesn’t freeze when you cast!