Washington Ice Fishing Guides?

If you drive by Leavenworth I’ll give ya a rod. I wouldn’t recommend it. Falling in sucks. Gone lots on fish lake near lake Wenatchee and silver lake was a popular spot when I lived near Spokane. I can think of a lot more fun things than freezing ones behind off, like watching grumpier old men in front of a fire, inside, away from any ice covered lake. But perch fry’s are kinda nifty and tasty.
 
If you drive by Leavenworth I’ll give ya a rod. I wouldn’t recommend it. Falling in sucks. Gone lots on fish lake near lake Wenatchee and silver lake was a popular spot when I lived near Spokane. I can think of a lot more fun things than freezing ones behind off, like watching grumpier old men in front of a fire, inside, away from any ice covered lake. But perch fry’s are kinda nifty and tasty.
I hear you and there’s a reason I have never even considered ice fishing until now—and I have spent many years steelheading in rain and snow.
 
Did a bit of ice fishing in EWA my MUCH younger years. Not all that entertaining, often downright unpleasant and potentially quite dangerous. In several cases we witnessed the collapse of ice around a hole because too many people were clustered around it and the ice was too thin. You really need some serious and sustained cold temperatures (which don't seem to occur with much regularity in the PNW). A lot of the people I icefished with were raised in places like Wisconsin and Michigan where the winters were very cold, the ice thick, and popular ice fishing lakes were populated with ice shanties for several winter months.

I can tell you it's a serious pucker factor when you hear and feel the ice popping, see the cracks spread, and water starts welling up out of the hole.

If you're really intent on ice fishing I'd advise finding some gear fisherfolk who know what they doing in our generally marginal conditions.
 
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Did a bit of ice fishing in EWA my MUCH younger years. Not all that entertaining, often downright unpleasant and potentially quite dangerous. In several cases we witnessed the collapse of ice around a hole because too many people were clustered around it and the ice was too thin. You really need some serious and sustained cold temperatures (which don't seem to occur with much regularity in the PNW). A lot of the people I icefished with were raised in places like Wisconsin and Michigan where the winters were very cold, the ice thick, and popular ice fishing lakes were populated with ice shanties for several winter months.

I can tell you it's a serious pucker factor when you hear and feel the ice popping, see the cracks spread, and water starts welling up out of the hole.

If you're really intent on ice fishing I'd advise finding some gear fisherfolk who know what they doing in our generally marginal conditions.
Absolutely my take on it all. I'm not going to DIY for sure. I have a call in to the folks mentioned above. We will see what happens from there.

Maybe my kids will change their minds and pick a more comfortable method of fishing this winter--like steelheading.
 
Ice-Fishing_IMG_5860-1_Brainerd-Jaycees.jpg
Ice fishing done right...
Peppermint Schnapps...a common beverage.
 
View attachment 41997
Ice fishing done right...
Peppermint Schnapps...a common beverage.
That almost has to be the big annual ice fishing tournament in Brainerd, MN? The prizes they give out are impressive, especially because there are some big ones for seemingly random places in the standings, like a bunch of $$ or a 4-wheeler or something for the 500th largest fish, etc!
 
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