High and colored water continues to frustrate steelhead anglers on the upper Columbia River and the tributaries in the region. Warm day-time temperatures are melting snow and all of the rivers are dirty, and flows on the main stem Columbia are heavier-than-normal for this time of year. Bobber and jig anglers watch their gear fly down stream, with little chance for a waiting steelhead to get a fix on them. Some anglers have switched to plug fishing with limited success. Steelhead anglers know that the rivers are full of steelhead, but conditions are just too difficult to be effective. One stream to watch is the Okanogan. If the weather trend continues, the ice on this river will break up and anglers will be able to fish this steelhead-loaded stream. Fishing can be off the charts on the Okanogan right after it sheds its ice. More and more anglers are heading for Rufus Woods to do their winter angling until river conditions improve. If you haven’t had a chance to go ice fishing, better hurry. Ice is thinning on many area lakes. Lakes at the highest elevations are still have good ice, though.