I just had to know what condition the lakes that opened on March 1st were in. This late spring had me wondering if they were still covered with ice. The way to find out was to jump in my truck and head down there. I did just that last Sunday. I found the gate open and the first lake I passed, Stan Coffin, was completely ice-free and there was even a boat out on it. Quincy Lake has some open water but is still mostly covered with ice. Burke Lake was a different story. It is wide open, except for the far east end, and people were fishing all along the shore. I then traveled on to George to see what Martha Lake looked like. This small, shallow lake was also almost completely ice free and there were a few anglers there when I arrived in the afternoon. I also checked on Caliche Lake. It is clear of ice and high. The plank that people use to get to the south shore has water running over it. That’s the update. It looks like the Burke Lake Trout Derby that is scheduled for Saturday, April 6th is a definite GO!