I think that it is safe to say that people have had enough of winter. Remember when the Quincy Trout Derby was always the first weekend in March? Not any more. It’s scheduled for March 24th this year. Winter is longer and colder than ever. There is hope, though, there are signs of spring in the region.

I made a trip down to Moses Lake last week, and I wanted to see if there was any ice-free water, so I drove through Quincy and took Highway 17 from Ephrata so I could see up to the north end of the big lake. I was very pleased to see wide open water, with ice only on the edges. On my way out of town I pulled off the highway and looked at the boat launch at Blue Heron Park. I could see that at least one boat had launched there earlier that day. I then took a look at the shore near the I-90 Bridge and found lots of open water, and some ice that had blown along the edges. It won’t be long before folks will be fishing from the bridge and the rip rap shore for perch. I hope they show up again this year. This was a favorite thing for me to do in March in past years.

Moses Lake is a shallow lake and warms up faster than Banks Lake or Potholes Reservoir. I mention this as walleye are a target on all three of these lakes, and anglers often start looking for them at the very top end of Moses. Walleye are often caught in less than 5 feet of water up here in the early spring.  This week’s photo is of the shore off Blue Heron Park with the I-90 Bridge in the background.

Another reason I went through Quincy on my way to Moses Lake was to stop by the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce office to see Cari Mathews. She is the one that organizes the very popular Trout Derby that has taken place on Burke Lake for the past several years. She was happy to tell me that derby anglers can fish in both Quincy and Burke lakes this year. Not only that, but the Chamber is also going to be adding a bunch of extra fish in both lakes. There will be lots of 9 to 14 inch fish added for the derby, and there will be a bunch of trout that weigh between 3 to 5 pounds in the lakes as well.

This will be the first time that the derby will take place over two days.  can do so on Friday March 24th from 5 to 8 p.m. at derby headquarters at Burke Lake. Others can register on Saturday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. There will be cash prizes awarded for the longest fish measured at the final weigh in on Sunday in both adult and youth categories. There will also be plenty of items participants can win through raffles again this year.

The reason I was going to Moses Lake in the first place was to meet with a writer from the Columbia Basin Herald. Charles Featherstone had called me about their plans to publish one of their Hook and Bullet supplements. I was very happy to learn they would be doing one this year, as it has been a few years since they had published one of these popular issues that deal with things to look forward to in the spring season—fishing among things that their readers like to hear about. I wasn’t sure when the supplement would be available, which is usually an insert into the paper, but I will keep you updated about when it will be out and where you might be able to get a copy.

I ended last week at the Central Washington Sportsmen’s Show in Yakima. This was the first time the show has happened since the COVID concerns that prevented large crowds from gathering indoors. It was great to see it back, and there was a huge line of people waiting for doors to open every morning.
I was there with the folks from Bob Feil Boats and Motors who were there showing off a selection of boats from Smoker Craft and Kingfisher. They were happy to tell me that new boats are arriving at the dealership in East Wenatchee, and they have even more boats to choose from this season. It was great talking to people who came by and recognized me and thanked me for my reports that have kept them up to date on what’s going on in fishing in our region. They also said they really appreciated the informative videos that I have posted over the years.

This show just made it more evident that everyone is suffering from spring fever. The sunny skies during the event didn’t help. Everyone is ready to go outdoors, and many have already made plans for their first fishing trip of the season.

Ice fishers have enjoyed a long season of safe ice on Banks Lake, but that is going to change. Recently the Bureau of Reclamation began pumping water out of Lake Roosevelt into Banks, and that will certainly destabilize the ice. The first area to be impacted with be at the north end, near Coulee Playland Resort. Potholes Reservoir and Billy Clapp will see the effects of the beginning of the annual operational activities of the Bureau on March first. The agency will begin to operate the Potholes Reservoir/O’Sullivan Dam outlet works, at this time. Water will begin flowing into Billy Clapp Reservoir on March first and the Bureau of Reclamation will start operating the Billy Clapp Reservoir Dam outlet works on March 14th.

While many anglers will miss the opportunity to fish for whitefish through the ice, this is good news for anglers who enjoy fishing for walleye, bass and trout on Banks Lake, Billy Clapp, Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir. With the changing level of these reservoirs the ice will really start to break up and spring fishing will follow close behind. On another note, the Quincy Area Lakes and others that traditionally open on March 1st will most likely be frozen