Angling crowds are thinning out on the upper Columbia. It happens ever winter when the temperature gauge drops below 40 degrees. What anglers are missing out on is some very hot fishing for winter steelhead. I talked to Shane Magnuson, of Upper Columbia Guide Services this past Saturday, and fishing was so good he ran two trips that day, keeping 12 steelhead between the two groups. He limited by nine-thirty in the morning, so loaded his boat with another group and went at it again. He got me excited enough that I tried it myself on Sunday. My wife Eileen and I didn’t get fishing until about eleven, and by 12:40 I had a pair of hatchery fish in the box. We had a couple of trout by then, too, and although we had a bunch of other bites during the balance of our fishing day, we didn’t add to the count in the fish box. Anglers should expect this kind of action throughout the winter on the upper Columbia. The total number of fish that have moved into the river above Priest Rapids Dam is the best in years. It is going to be a busy season for the anglers who dress for the cold and drift bobbers and jigs through the chilly months.