I bought a new ice auger last year and never used it. It is sharp and ready to go ice fishing and so am I. I know that there is ice on many of our area lakes, but I didn’t know if it was thick enough to support me and my gear. I did some checking with some of my fishing buddies in the region and this is what I learned. Moses Lake is not there yet. Anglers have been catching jumbo perch, but from the I-90 Bridge and boats. There isn’t enough ice for fishing yet. With the cold weather it won’t be far off. Up north all the lakes, like Rat, Leader and Patterson are frozen, but the ice just isn’t thick enough to walk on. The same is true at Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee. Of all of these lakes I figure Patterson is the one that will offer safe ice first. It is at the highest elevation, being just outside of the town of Winthrop. I hear that an ice fishing derby for Patterson Lake perch is being considered. If it happens I will let you know. I am very eager to get out for perch through the ice. It is a ton of fun and the eating them makes up for the cold.