by Dave Graybill, December 20, 2004
When the weather turns chilly and lakes get a thick cap of ice, the action heats up on several popular lakes in Eastern Washington. Here are some pointers on fishing some of the better prospects this winter.
When temperatures drop and the snow piles up throughout the eastern region of Washington State, many anglers stuff their tackle in the back corner and start dreaming of spring. Anglers in the know, though, are sharpening their ice augers in anticipation of some of the best action of the year. There are lakes that are managed specifically for winter fishing and others that see almost as much traffic in this "off season" as they do in the rest of the year.
Before I launch into a description of some of these lakes and what anglers can expect to find in them, let me give you some tips on what to take along to make your fishing experience the best possible.
One of the challenges that face anglers in winter is just getting at the water. Ice caps aren’t as thick here as anglers face on waters further to the east, but they are thick enough to require the use of specialized tools to make getting to the fish easier.
I know many anglers will take to the ice with an axe or an old axel rod to break a fishing hole through the ice, but I found that the investment of just $50 or $60 dollars for a decent auger is well worth it. Sometimes it is necessary to drill several holes to find a hot spot, and as long as the auger is kept sharp it will make getting through ice a foot or more thick an easy chore.
Another piece of gear that will get a lot of use is known as a "spud", which is used to keep the finished hole free of slush and freezing water. You can get a spud at most sporting goods stores in the region for little cost, but you can also borrow a larger perforated spoon or ladle from the kitchen at home.
Many anglers have seen photos and descriptions of "tip-ups" and jigging and thrumming rods that are commonly used in the mid-West and other regions of the country by serious ice anglers, but I have yet to see any of these in use here in eastern Washington. Most anglers will just go with what they have in the way of a rod and reel for ice fishing. The only concession I have made to these techniques is using a shorter rod. This just allows me to keep close to the hole.
There are lots of specialized jigs and lures that are designed for serious ice fishing, too, but in this corner of the world anglers primarily use bait suspended above a coupe of split shot to locate the bottom. One bit of advice is to use a fairly short and stiff leader to keep your bait from wrapping around your main line as you drop it down. Bear Paw makes good rig to attach hooks to the main line, and these can help keep your bait out where fish can get at it.
Lets take a walk across the state and look at some of the better bets for winter fishing.
Traveling from Seattle, one of the first fishing stops would be at Fish Lake, which is near Lake Wenatchee off Highway 2. Fish Lake is loaded with rainbow left over from spring and summer plants, and anglers can often bag a limit of trout averaging up to 12 to 14 inches in less than an hour. Perch anglers also flock to Fish Lake in winter. Buckets of fat, 9-inch perch can be filled in short order when the perch are on the bite. One thing to remember here: keep your bait a couple feet off the bottom to avoid catching a bunch of bullheads. They are plentiful and can be irksome.
The next stop would be Roses Lake, near Manson a few miles from Lake Chelan. Roses Lake was managed as a winter fishing lake for decades, but four or five years ago changed to year-round fishing. It still draws crowds every winter, and they are usually rewarded with good catches of rainbow up to 18 inches. Few make the trip above Roses Lake to Antillon Lake, which is in the hills above Roses, but it is loaded with brown trout. The road to Antillon is passable to snowmobilers only most winter seasons.
About 30 miles north of Lake Chelan is Brewster and about eight miles west of town is Rat Lake. The catch-and-keep season on Rat Lake is from December 1st through March 31st, and although access can be tough due to snow on the roads leading to the lake anglers who make the trip commonly come home with limits of rainbow and brown trout averaging 14 inches. Rat Lake is known to produce some surprises, too. There always seems to be a brown weighing up to 6 pounds or better taken in the winter season. When the ice gets thick and stays that way, and access is good, Rat Lake can be the best ice fishing lake Okanogan County has to offer.
Okanogan County does have another winter-managed lake that is popular, though. Upper and Lower Green lakes have catch-and-keep seasons that open on December 1st and run through March 31st. Rainbow are the attraction here, and while most average about 12 inches, there are a fair number that will weigh-in at 2 pounds.
Further north in Okanogan County and near the town of Loomis is Palmer Lake.
Palmer is remote, but a very popular lake in the spring and summer for smallmouth bass, trout, perch and silvers. In the winter anglers catch all of the above, but the most prized species that anglers seek in the winter are the burbot, or freshwater ling. Ling exist in many waters of eastern Washington, but nowhere do they reach the size they do at Palmer Lake. The current state record is just a hair over 17 pounds! The record was set on January 15th in 1993. The trick to catching big ling here is to fish at night, but to fish for red side chubs earlier in the day. Red side chubs are the favorite food of ling and they make excellent bait.
There are two other lakes in northern Okanogan County that can be worth a try. They are remote, so they don’t get a lot of pressure and when the fishing is good, which varies from season to season, rainbow from 2 to 4 pounds can be no surprise. The lakes are Sidley and Molson, and they are found east of Oroville. Access isn’t difficult, these lakes are just off the beaten path, and it would be advised to call and check on them before making the long trip to try them.
Here’s one I haven’t tried in the winter yet, but hope to this season. I have fished Buffalo Lake in the spring and have had great, and I mean great fishing for brood stock rainbow and triploids to about 8 pounds. Buffalo Lake is about 10 miles from Grand Coulee Dam on the Colville Indian Reservation. A Colville Tribal Permit is required to fish the lake, and on top of that there is a $20 special fee for winter fishing. Now that may seem a little unreasonable, but it may be justified this year. They usually plant Buffalo Lake specifically for the winter, with larger than your average rainbow. This year could be something even more special, though. The usual spring plant of brook stock rainbow and triploids was delayed. They still plan to put a bunch of these big boys into the lake this fall, so this could be a spectacular winter season at Buffalo Lake.
I mentioned earlier that it would be a good idea to call to check on the conditions at lakes before making a trip, and this is very important in the winter months. Winter weather is highly variable and ice conditions can change dramatically in a matter of days. I’m going to give you a few contact names and numbers that will be valuable for planning your fishing this winter.
To check on ice conditions and fishing activity for Fish Lake, there are two resorts that you can call. The Cove Resort isn’t open in winter, but Scott and Nadine live there year-round and can give you a very frank appraisal of ice conditions. They can be reached at (509) 763-3130. Cascade Hideaway Resort is open in winter and offers snowmobile rentals. They can be reached by dialing (509) 763-5104.
To check on ice conditions and where anglers are having best success in Okanogan County, contact Dick Caryl at Cascade Outfitters. He can be reached in Omak at (509) 826-4148.
Buffalo Lake has a small, very primitive resort on it, and there are even cabins that can be rented in the winter. Mike is the manager here, and you may be able to catch him by calling (509) 633-1092. If you can’t reach Mike, you may try the folks at Coulee Playland. They are a good source of information for this region, and also sell the Colville Tribal Permits. Their phone number is (509) 633-2671.
Obviously, Eastern Washington offers a fair number of excellent hardwater trout fishing opportunities. Ice fishing is one of those "don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it" kinds of fishing, and it’s something I look forward to every year. Check on conditions in advance, dress appropriately—and have a ball!