Freezing temperatures have put a cap of ice on the many of the lakes in the region. Some, at higher elevations, have had thick layers for a month or more, and ice fishers have been busy on these lakes. Many anglers are keeping their fingers crossed that there will be others that have a safe thicknesses of ice very soon.

On a recent swing through Grant County to check on ice conditions at several popular winter destinations, my last stop was at Moses Lake. The perch fishing at Moses Lake this fall was the best in years, and many anglers were hoping for a good ice fishing season for them. Well, they are going to have to wait a bit longer. I pulled into Blue Heron Park, and for the first time in a couple of months, I was the only vehicle to park there. I walked down to the shore, near the beached fishing docks, and from there I could see a layer of ice on the surface of the lake for as far as I could see--except at the I-90 Bridge. Here there was still some open water. Probably due to the current. There is some hope for ice fishing. The forecast is for sub-freezing temperatures for the next couple of weeks. However, after that there is a warming trend, with some day-time temperatures in the 40s, and night-time temps only in the 30s. The ice fishing window may be brief this winter on Moses Lake. I will keep an eye on it and keep you posted. This week’s photo is of the ice at the bottom end of Banks Lake.

As ice begins to form on the surface of many lakes in the region, I wanted to check on a couple of locations that are very popular with ice fishers. I traveled to Banks Lake to see what the ice conditions were in a couple of spots. At the bottom end of the lake, I often see quite a few ice huts out on the ice in two different places. Sometimes there are huts just outside the marina. They set up just above the jetty. I don’t think this is the best place to find the whitefish, and maybe it’s good for perch and trout. When the ice finally gets thick enough for safe travel, most of the ice huts are out at the top end of the first island. This is where the serious whitefish anglers settle in. Right now, there is just ice along the edges and a thin layer in protected bays. There is ice in the marina, and I can see where people are throwing rocks on the surface to test its thickness. We need a lot more cold weather and windless days before ice fishing is possible on Banks—at either end.

Well, we went from wondering if we were going to have an ice fishing season on many of our area lakes, to having plenty. Lakes at high elevation like Molson which is at over 3,900 feet and Bonapart at over 3,500 feet have had good ice for weeks. Even Curlew Lake at just over 2,300 feet has treated ice fishers to great fishing for its large perch. Now some other lakes are coming into play. Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee, is at just 2,000 feet as of last weekend I saw anglers venturing out on its ice. It was what I called “iffy” then, but the continued sub-freezing weather has improved conditions. I imagine that Palmer, out of Tonasket, and Patterson, out of Winthrop, have good layers of ice on them now. Last winter, the Coulee City Marina was worth the trip. Located right at the bottom end of Banks Lake people had a great time fishing for perch. Also, at this end of Banks is an area that sees significant numbers of ice fishers catching the large whitefish through the ice. They drag their sleds quite a distance from the marina to an island where the whitefish are schooled up.

I mentioned that I stopped by Rocky Ford Creek recently on my way home from Billy Clapp Lake. I was encouraged to have my fly rod in my truck when I am near this place again. It’s worth a few trips this winter. This is a very special place. When other flowing waters are frozen, Rocky Ford remains ice free. The reason is that it is fed by an underground spring which keeps the water temperature well above freezing throughout the winter months. It does get cold enough to clear out much of the weed growth that occurs here in the warmer months. Winter is my favorite time to fish here. When the ground around the stream is frozen, I don’t have to tramp through muddy water to get to my favorite places to cast for the big trout that inhabit the mile-long stream. The trout can be tough to catch, but I have had some great days here. Rainbow well over 20 inches are often landed. My favorite offering is a Mini Leech and Ultra Scud or small olive, weighted Scud as a dropper. Darc at the Desert Fly Angler can give you the latest on fishing here.

I got in touch with the folks at Tiffany’s Resort on Curlew Lake, to see if they were going to have cabins available on the weekends as they did last year. The answer was no, but they did say that people can get access to the lake on their property for a fee. The last time I was at Curlew I found the fishing slow at the bottom end of the lake. The large party that I visited with those who were fishing at Tiffany’s were having great success, with lots of 12 inch perch on the ice. You can call Carly at the resort for all the details at 509-775-3152. She mentioned that there are several nice motels in Republic, which is about 20 miles away.

Those who participated in the Bonaparte Lake Ice Fishing Derby had lots of company. I hear that there were around 400 people that turned out for the event. The people at Bonaparte Lake Resort did a great job again this year and everyone is looking forward to next year.