Were you expecting something else? Do you know something I don’t? I would certainly hope so, but when it comes to fishing in Southwest Idaho and beyond, you would have to be living in a cave or Albuquerque to not know that ice fishing is what’s happening right now.

Several weeks of sub-freezing temperatures have created some prime ice fishing, which is the cover story next week.

Not to give away the obvious, but ice fishing is pretty good right now. In fact, it’s extraordinary. During most winters, you’re more likely to be trolling on C.J. Strike Reservoir than ice fishing, but I was out last weekend standing on a foot of ice and managing to entice a few perch to take my bait.

It was great fun, and Strike joins other places you don’t think of for ice fishing. How about Lake Lowell? I haven’t been there myself, but I hear people were recently ice fishing there. As always, be cautious. Don’t just go trudging out there or any place else without checking ice depths.

But hey, if it looks good (at least 4 inches of solid ice) give it a go.

There’s an ice fishing derby at Lake Cascade, (See Out and About), and I can tell you from recent experience that a dinner of perch fillets is well worth the effort.

If you’re not into ice fishing, I keep hearing the temperatures are supposed to warm up soon. But until they do, do yourself a favor and try some ice fishing. Thousands of Midwesterners and Eskimos can’t all be wrong.

Roger Phillips: 377-6215