Yesterday morning was one of those winter mornings that lets you know that the frigid temperatures have arrived. The temperature in Ellensburg was "0" according to the DOT web site. The thermometer on the tool shed at my place in the Manastash said "-5".
A quick inventory of several local lakes indicated 4 plus inches of ice. Although it wasn't clear ice, it was strong enough to signal an opportunity for some "hard water fishing".
I elected to hit Mattoon lake first. Mattoon is about 25 acres and probably isn't more than 20 ft deep. It is clearly visible from I-90 just south of Ellensburg. Mattoon is one of those popular lakes that get good pressure for plants in the warmer months. It also gets fairly regular plants of broodstock rainbows. Additionally it has been rumored to hold triploids.
After a recheck to make sure the ice was safe I punched a hole in an area that I recalled to be past the summer weedline. The depth according to my Flasher was about 14 ft deep. I dropped a couple of maggots on a small teardrop jig seeking to maybe entice a fat perch or two to hit. Soon I had a fat rainbow on which I quickly released unharmed. In the next hour or so I caught numerous Perch, but all of them were fairly small. While fishing I was visited by one of the locals. Al said he lives in Ellensburg and has been having a bout of 'cabin fever'. He went on to say that he's been able to catch some of the big brooders that were planted recently. And now that he has seen the ice was safe, he plans to try his luck tomorrow. Come to think of it, maybe I'll switch my focus myself.
Since the day had a few more hours open to me I picked up and drove over to the Woodhouse Loop Ponds. These ponds are probably no more than a couple of acres in size. In summers past I've caught some really nice bass out of them. The lower pond has a sizeable population of Crappie in it also. After selecting a spot of about 10 ft depth. I caught an good cross section spinyrays, nothing big, but nonetheless very enjoyable.
If this cold weather holds I'll be headed for Grant Co. and maybe some Walleye's thru the ice.
If this inspires anyone to venture out on the hard water, I wish them luck, just be sure the ice is safe before you do.

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