FISHING -- "Brrrrrrr...." That's how Washington Fish and Wildlife Department regional fisheries biologist Chad Jackson starts his report on the March 1 opening of fishing seasons for numerous lakes in the Columbia Basin.

Although the number of anglers braving the cold weather was surprisingly high, it's safe to say that none of the lakes in the region has been fished out and that the best fishing is yet to come.

Here's the rest of Jackson's report, including some promising news about Lenice Lake:

Angler participation was “good” considering how poor the weather was on the opener.  On Saturday, anglers were greeted with temperatures in the low teens (with wind chill), a damp and bone chilling wind blowing constantly at 10-25mph, and light snow.  Had the weather been nicer I wouldn’t be surprised to have seen twice the crowds on the opener, especially considering it finally fell on a weekend.  In spite of the weather though, anglers were generally happy to be out fishing and spending time with family and friends. 

Angler harvest was very good on Upper Caliche and Martha lakes averaging 3 trout/person.  Burke Lake was lower at 2 trout/person.  However, if you only include the interviews of anglers who braved the elements and fished for two or more hours, harvest rates increased significantly to 4 or slightly over 4 trout/angler.  Trout were a smidgen on the small side (10.5-11.5 inches), but very hearty and robust.  The slightly smaller trout size is not too surprising because they’re 1-2 months from a full year of growing.  These same trout will be 12-13 inches in length by April.  Anglers should continue to fish these lakes through the spring.  A few carryovers measuring 14-18 inches were recorded by creelers. 

Lenice Lake also fished very well on the opener, although effort was way down from the previous couple years.  Between 10-12 anglers fished Lenice Lake over the weekend.  Most anglers caught between 12-15 trout ranging in size from 12-20+ inches in length.  Most trout were 14-16 inches.  The trout were very robust and hard fighting.