The Fishing Magician: January 23, 2026

Sunbreaks have been less frequent this past week, and fog has shrouded the highways and many of the destinations that anglers visit this time of year. Conditions sure are different. We usually have much more snow here in Leavenworth in January. When I look at the forecast for many places in the region, I see temperatures in the 50s.

We had family visiting from Anaconda, Montana, and they like to fish. Last summer I took them out on Lake Wenatchee for sockeye, and I was hoping to get up to Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee, and fish for trout from the dock at the Cove Resort. I wanted to be sure we could do that, so I drove up there to check on conditions. It was a clear and sunny day at the lake, which was a nice change from the foggy weather that we have been covered with in Leavenworth. Unfortunately, I found the cove frozen over. I could see that people had broken off chunks of ice so they could get their baits into the water from the dock. The chunks were an inch or two thick, and the water they had opened up was frozen again. There probably is some open water out on the main lake, and from what I could see, the ice is only two or three inches thick, and I wouldn’t advise trying to walk on it. Looking at the forecast for this area there aren’t many sub-freezing days. It is going to take a while for the ice to get thick enough for people to get out on Fish Lake and drill holes to catch the perch and other species. I know people are eager to fish here, and last year I found a couple of anglers that had traveled from Moses Lake. They were out here on a thin layer of ice! They were, of course, all by themselves. No one else would have risked fishing on such ice. I hear stories every year of people going through the ice. Always take caution this time of year. A few perch aren’t worth the possibility of being plunged into freezing water. This week’s photo is of Dirty Face mountain that overlooks Fish Lake and nearby Lake Wenatchee.

I hope I am the only one that was confused about the date of the actual 4th Annual Bonaparte Lake Ice Fishing Derby. When I was searching for information on the event, I found a second derby scheduled for January 31st. This one is supporting Veterans, but the annual event that most people are familiar with is on Saturday, January 24th. I found out about this one on their Facebook page. I noticed that the event on the 24th has cash and prizes that can be won all the way down to sixth place, for both Adults and Kids. There are a couple of different “classes” that people can enter. I see that there is an Adult Multi-Species class and an Adult Biggest Fish class. The folks at Bonaparte Lake Resort do a fantastic job of gathering prizes from a long list of sponsors. The cost to enter for each class is $15. You can register online or at the morning of the event, from 5:30 to 9:30, and fishing officially starts at 7 a.m. The weigh in will happen at 4 p.m. Sorry about me being confused and I would encourage you to attend both events!

I have posted information about a couple of ice fishing derbies that are happening in the higher elevations of our region on my website and Facebook pages. The first one is at Molson, near Oroville, and the other is at Bonaparte Lake, outside of Tonasket. Both of these get solid layers of ice early in the winter, long before other lakes get ice thick enough to allow for safe fishing. Many of you know that Curlew Lake, near Republic, is a very popular ice fishing destination in the winter. It has reputation of producing large perch, and I know people from Wenatchee who make day trips to this distant lake. I checked with the folks at Tiffany’s Resort about ice conditions and they reported that there is very little ice on the lake as yet. Only the sheltered bay by the railroad trestle has a thin layer. Tiffany’s is closed for the winter and isn’t renting cabins, but they do keep the parking area by the boat launch open for parking. There is a ten dollar fee to park here, but many ice fishers are willing to pay the fee as the perch fishing near here is very good and well worth it.

I like to cook and make a variety of dishes from prize-winning chili to jambalaya. My wife’s favorite, though, is my fish cakes. I will make these from kokanee, sockeye, Chinook or coho salmon. I will bake whatever fish I am going to use and flake the meat off the bones. I put the fish in a bowl that holds about four quarts. To that I add a mixture of onion and red pepper that I have saluted in butter. I use a whole sweet onion and a whole red pepper, and I also put about four tablespoons of dill in this pan. I think it helps bring out the flavor of the dill. I let this cool before I add it to the fish. While this is cooling, I stir up the flaked fish to make sure I have removed all of the bones. I put about four tablespoons of mayonnaise into the fish and then add the cooled onion, red pepper and dill. I crack one or two eggs and stir them in with all the other ingredients. The last thing I add is Panko for a crispy finish and mix it in until I can form cakes that won’t fall apart. I fry them in olive oil and a touch of butter. I always wind up with more than my wife and I can eat in one sitting, so now I have vacuum sealed the leftovers that I can warm up in a fry pan or the oven.