A good number of anglers are interested in how the ice is holding up on Banks Lake, so when I drove up to Grand Coulee last Thursday I made sure to stop and get some photos of the ice fishers. There were people fishing above the highway off the island, which is a good distance from the Coulee City Marina. This seems to be the most popular spot to fish at the lower end of the lake through the ice. I saw no evidence of anyone fishing right in the marina, which is where I usually found anglers in the past. I pulled into Northrup and could see where some folks had drilled some test holes, but it didn’t appear anyone was fishing there. Where I am seeing the largest groups of anglers is at the very top of the lake. People park at Coulee Playland and drag their sleds out towards the inlet. At both the lower and upper ends of the lake, big lake variety whitefish are the target. These fish are often in the 3- to 4-pound class, and once you get the hang of hooking these extremely light-biting fish you can fill a cooler with them.