The sudden shift from below zero to daytime temperatures into the mid-30s has created some interesting conditions for anglers here in Central Washington. Lakes in the Columbia Basin that had a thick layer of ice may have thawed. It would be a very good idea to check to see how many inches of ice are on your favorite lake before walking out too far to drill a hole. One of my fishing buddies traveled to Royal City and tried his luck at Red Rock Reservoir, which is just outside of town. I fished this lake several years ago and had a great day of bass fishing, and I knew there was a good population of perch in the lake. My friend said that they were very busy catching perch on Red Rock, but they were pretty dinky. Not really worth the trip. A lake that he wants to try soon is Scooteney Reservoir. We fished there last June and caught some nice walleye. He said that walleye of the same size that we caught last summer are being caught through the ice on Scooteney. Now that is something I would like to try. I have never caught a walleye through the ice, and I have some great jigs that would do the trick.