What's a perch lover supposed to do? Winchester Way is not even close to what it used to be. The marina at Coulee City is still filling and the fish haven't moved in. The ice fishing didn't happen like last year on Moses Lake, and although the ice is clearing off it has quite a ways to go. Where can a perch lover go this year to get enough for a good feed?

Here's what I have heard. The fishing through the ice for perch at Roses Lake, near Manson, has been better than usual. According to Anton Jones at Darrell and Dads Family Guide Service, the number and size of the perch here is worth the trip. Further north, Patterson Lake, near Winthrop, is once again a great spot to find fat perch through the ice.

Once again, one of the best places for perch fishing in the winter is Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee. Anglers have been getting good catches of perch here again this winter, and the twenty-five fish limit imposed here last year is starting to pay off. There will be more perch for ice anglers and those who like to catch them in the summer, too.

The lake to watch as the ice comes off is Moses Lake. I hope to catch some of those big jumbos near the I-90 Bridge again this season.