I ran into a friend at the local grocery store, and he said that he was ready to try Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee, for ice fishing, but the recent warm weather and rain made the ice unstable. It made me think that this is about the time of the year when people get a serious itch to go fish through the ice. Many of the lakes that first get a solid layer of ice are up in Okanogan County, so I called the folks at North 40 Outfitters and Omak. Many of the lakes had a pretty good thickness of ice, until just recently, when the weather warmed, and the snow they were getting turned to rain. That made conditions very iffy. It will be a while before popular lakes like Davis, Patterson and Leader will be safe again. However, Bonaparte Lake has enough ice to allow for fishing, and Sidley Lake, way up north, should be safe enough as well. It is a good idea to call ahead to learn what you can about ice conditions before heading out to your favorite lake in the winter. Also, check the regs to see if there are any special rules on the lake, too.
A group of well-equipped ice anglers make their way across Patterson Lake in a previous season.