I keep trying to ignore the weather, or at least, find a silver lining, but it’s been tough.

Winter brings three types of fishing to mind: ice fishing, steelhead fishing, and trout fishing, and the weather is always a big factor with any of them.

Ice fishing obviously requires thick, secure ice, as well as access and decent fishing. For the third straight week, Cascade is the best bet because it has all three. But here’s the catch. It was raining up there on Wednesday, and forecasters say it could continue into the weekend. Not sure about you, but ice fishing in the rain doesn’t sound that fun. But at least ice fishing there is an option if the weather improves.

Magic Reservoir hasn’t even frozen yet, but there is ice at the north and sound ends.

Next is steelhead fishing. If you’re a hardcore steelhead angler, you have the option between the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater rivers. You can be assure of tough driving conditions to get there and potentially marginal fishing conditions when you arrive.

But there’s always that chance of catching a break and having some good fishing, which is how you end up being a hardcore steelhead angler. It happens just often enough that you’re willing to brave bad roads to give it a try, and when it works, you’ve got some big, tasty fillets for the grill, smoker or freezer.

Finally, there’s winter trout fishing, which is not a bad option. We have three tailwater fisheries in the area: Boise River, South Fork of the Boise River, and Owyhee River in Oregon. All three have dam releases that provide good water temperatures to keep trout active all winter. If you’re a fly angler, who seem to be the most common winter trout anglers, throw on the waders and give it a go. The rivers are low and fairly easy to wade, and if your trip coincides with a bug hatch, you might even catch some on dry flies.

If not, an honest effort nymph fishing will usually hook a few trout or whitefish.