Anglers have been wondering when the Methow River would close to fishing. Success had been very high in the early season, leading to speculation that the river would close early. The WDFW is going to look at the numbers right after Thanksgiving to see where we are on the Methow, but it seems that Mother Nature has stepped in. I got a call from one of my fishing buddies that had a trip booked on the Methow, and it was cancelled. It has gotten very cold up the valley and there is just too much ice for fishing. That could change if we get some warmer weather, but looking at the forecast for at least next week, it is just going to get colder. Until conditions change on the Methow anglers will be out of business. There are other places to go, though. Even if the stretch from Wells Dam to Brewster closes, there is the Bridgeport area and fishing below Wells Dam seems to get better later in the winter. There is also trout fishing at Banks Lake, Rufus Woods and Lake Roosevelt to look forward to right now. Although temperatures are chilly, we will still get some sunshine in the coming week.