I was at the counter at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee the other day, and two of the people ahead of me were not buying fishing gear, they were getting their fishing licenses for the coming year. Remember, new licenses are due by April 1st. I would advise everyone to get to their local tackle dealer and get their licenses renewed before there is a huge rush. It will save everyone time. You’ll need it for the next big opening of many lakes in our region. The “April Fool” opener on April first will see more than a couple of dozen lakes become available to anglers. These lakes are in the Columbia Basin Wildlife Refuge, and are scattered from just below Potholes Reservoir almost to Othello. Excellent trout fishing can be had on many of these lakes, while others offer great spiny ray fishing. The weekend following is the first Triple Fish Challenge on Banks Lake, where anglers will compete to catch the biggest trout, walleye and smallmouth bass. I mentioned that my Fishing TV Show can now be viewed through WashingtonLakes.com, and to find them on this site, do a search through there Forum Page and click on the link.