I am finally getting reports of anglers finding safe enough ice to stand on at area lakes. It is always advised to check before heading out, as conditions can change, but anglers are drilling holes in the ice cap on lakes from the Methow Valley to Fish Lake near Lake Wenatchee. The report I got on Rat Lake near Brewster wasn’t very good. The rainbow and brown trout there are keeping their lips tight, but fishing at Roses Lake, near Chelan is very good. Limits of fat rainbow can be had in less than two hours for those who find the right spot to make a hole in the ice. I was invited along for a trip to the net pens on Rufus Woods Reservoir recently, and boy am I glad I decided to brave the cold and go along. The four of us were all by ourselves at the lower pen and the action was excellent. We estimated that our party caught about 30 fat triploids and we kept eight that ranged in size from 6 to 14 pounds. That’s a lot of quality trout. Warmer weather will allow more anglers to get in on this action.