FISHING -- The cap of winter ice has disappeared from Hog Canyon Lake in the past 10 days, opening the winter trout lake to the casts of ... hardly anyone.

Since the access road washed out in mid-February, the gate to the lake's public access site has been locked to vehicle traffic at Jack Brown Road south of I-90's Fishtrap Exit. BLM and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife say it will be months before the road is fixed.

But the fishing season on that and several other winter lakes in the region opened just after Thanksgiving and closes March 31.

One angler last weekend was undaunted by the six-mile round trip from the gate to the nearly anglerless shores of the lake.

Here's a report from hiker Steve Heaps, who chatted briefly with the happy fisherman.

We took the Hog Lake waterfall hike the other day. On our way in, a young fellow pedaled out on a mountain bike with fishing rods mounted on his backpack. He said fishing was great for big rainbows.

The trout limit at Hog Canyon is 5 fish a day no more than two over 14 inches may be retained.