The unofficial starting gun for trout season in Eastern Washington goes off on the first of March, when the many lakes in the Quincy and George area open for fishing. The opening can be “iffy” many years, when winter is reluctant to release its grasp and ice can prevent angler access to much of the water. However, this year the prospects are bright for wide open water on the lakes, and the forecast is for excellent fishing at several of these lakes this spring. As usual, at the top of the list are Burke and Quincy lakes, in the Quincy Wildlife Refuge. Both lakes have been planted heavily with fry and these are typically 12-inches and fat for the opener. In addition to the near-limit action on these yearlings, anglers can expect to find a few 17- to 20-inch carryovers mixed in. Quincy Lake has been mostly frozen the past two seasons on the opener, and anglers will want to give it a try this year. Another popular lake on the March 1st opener is Martha Lake, just east of George. It always produces full stringers of rainbow and was planted with 10,000 catchable-size rainbow last October. Get here early if you want to find space on the bank at Martha. Upper Caliche Lake, just west of George was planted with 5,000 catchables last October, too, and is a family favorite.