Grand County Fishing Report 6/3/2024

Grand Lake - Fishing in Grand Lake is continually getting better as the warmer temps increase and the cold water inlets continue to pump in water. Right now, oxygen is at its best and the fish are eager to smack just about anything that shows a resemblance to something natural and being flushed in. If you are fishing rainbows and browns, look for current. These areas hold the most oxygen and the most fish.  Anything small and flashy will do the trick right now.  Jerks, spoons and even flys are really putting a hurt on these fish.  Again, fish as early as possible until the fish get an "education" and move to deeper water.  The lake trout fishing continues to improve.  Just a few more degrees in water temp and we will be in the best fishing of the year on Grand Lake. Small tubes and sucker seem to be producing well but trolling is also just as effective if you can maintain a constant depth where the fish are at.  I would focus all effort on the 50 foot deep range right now and look for points.  These transition areas are holding the majority of the fish right now and that should remain into summer. Dont forget to add scent to your jigs. You will be pleasantly surprised on the increased catch ratio. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Grand Lake- Lake trout bite has been fair. Most of the lakers are being caught in 25 to 40 feet of water. Small plastics in the 2 to 4 inch range such as curly tail grubs and tube jigs have been producing most of the fish. The lake trout are spread out across the lake right now so moving around the structure in various depths as well as tipping jigs with sucker meat will help produce more fish. The rainbow and brown bite has been good early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Shallow flats and rocky areas in 5 to 15 feet of water have been productive, especially around the east and north inlets. Small spinners and small jerkbaits have been producing well early in the morning and in the late afternoon. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar.

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. The water level is 96% or about 2.5 feet low. Inflow is 531cfs, out flow is 476cfs. There is some floating and partially submerged debris on the lake, so keep an eye out for it. Surface temp is 49 degrees warming to the low 50's late afternoon. With the lake nearing full and starting to settle down visibility has improved... and so has the Lake Trout bite! The bite is good till about 8:30AM then the bite drops off to a slow crawl by 10:30. By noon you might as well head in for lunch. Look for mixed age groups in 40 to 60 feet of water. Small tubes or grubs tipped with sucker meat fished gently on the bottom is producing hits. Add scent when the bite slows down. Laker's suspended or moving in the water column seem to be a bit more eager to bite than fish on the bottom. Larger tubes worked aggressively may get hit. Rainbow Trout are slow since they haven't been stocked in several years. On paper there shouldn't be any Kokanee left in the lake. Back in the day I'd see a lot of Pike fisherman, these days I rarely see one, which tells me the Northern fishing is slow. Please practice catch and release on all Northern's to help preserve the diminishing resource. Brown Trout are active along the rocky shore line north of the east boat ramp before the sun hits the water. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Randy H.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 91%, approximately 7ft below full. Surface water temp has been right at 50 degrees and warming from there as day progresses. Rainbow trout and brown trout bite has been good along the rip rap and rocky shorelines. A variety of silver spinners, spoons or an erratic retrieve on a crank bait has been producing fish. Focus your time in the early morning or when the wind picks up in the afternoon for the best action. Lake trout bite has been good until the wind picks up and weather rolls in, target main lake structure in the 30-65ft depth range. A Dynamic Twitch Tube in white or orange have been a go to lure as well as a grub on a contrasting color jig head. Tip each bait with a small piece of fresh sucker for best results. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Grand County Fishing Report 5/28/2024

Grand Lake is really starting to heat up for the summer. The fishing is really in full swing and we couldn’t have better conditions for this time of year. Traffic is starting to get pretty high with the summer crowds so please play safe and watch out for one and other. The rainbows and brows have been very eager to strike just about anything that has some flash and is moving pretty fast in the water column. This time of year I love the early morning jerkbait bite but don’t pass on chucking a tazmanian devil or a leech flutter spoon. Right now, the best areas are where there is moving water as the fish seem to really stack up near the inlets. Fish as early as you can and move around to find the freshest fish available. The lake trout is really starting to heat up as well. We are finding the vast majority of our fish in 40-60 feet of water right now and a little bit of chop on the water seems to really fire them up lately. Soft plastics are king right now so with that said, tubes, twisters as well as grubs seem to be taking most of our fish. Like always, put some meat or skin on the hook and load that thing up with scent. We have had a few large fish come out of Grand Lake and it is proving to show that the population of all ages is still very strong. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos.

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. For those that haven't been there yet the inspection shack has moved to the east end of the parking area. The water level is 95% with 501cfs coming in and 416cfs going out. Surface temp has been running in the mid to upper 40's. There's getting to be a lot of debris on the lake, so keep any eye out for that. Visibility is poor, I lose sight of my jigs about 5 feet down. Compared to last season so far this spring the Lake Trout bite has been slow. I'm thinking poor visibility and unstable weather patterns have temporarily slowed the bite. The fish are still catchable, it just takes a lot more patience. Switching up jigs, colors, or adding scent doesn't seem to help much, so keep working what's worked for you in the past. Look for all age groups in 40 to 60 feet of water. Since the last stocking of Kokanee Salmon and Rainbow Trout was five years ago there shouldn't be and Kokes left in the lake, and it's making it tough to catch Rainbow's. Look for Brown Trout along the rocky cliffs near the east boat ramp. Some Browns can usually be had near the inlet, but the water is mud soup down there right now. Northern Pike is slow mostly due to low population density, but I've heard of a few being caught in the shallow bays. Please practice catch and release on all Northern Pike. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Randy H.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 89.5%, approximately 8ft below full. Water Temperature is averaging 50 degrees. Fishing for Rainbow trout and Brown trout has remained good, Rainbow trout colored jerk baits and 2” tubes cast along the shorelines have been working well. Most Brown Trout are being caught along the shorelines in Arapahoe Bay. Lake Trout fishing has been good. Look for fish in 20-65ft of water around the islands and main lake points. Light colored tubes and twisty tail grub tipped with fresh sucker worked right on bottom has been producing fish consistently. If you aren’t marking fish keep moving, once you find them, they have been eager to bite. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Grand County Fishing Report 5/6/2024

Grand Lake - Completely ice free. Boat ramp expected to be open by the weekend 5/11/24. Shore fishing on both Shadow Mtn and Grand Lake has been excellent. Pink Vibramax spinners, 2-3” Jerkbaits and Tungsten bead head wooly buggers in green and brown have been the go to lures. Fish are extremely active along the shorelines and in the inlet areas. Can expect a mixed bag of brown trout, rainbow trout and lake trout, even the occasional brook trout. We are eagerly awaiting the opening of the boat ramp to get out on the water for this hot bite!

Williams Fork Reservoir - Ice free, water level is at 89%. Boat ramps currently closed, anticipated boat ramp opening is middle of May. Shore fishing has been fair for lake trout and brown trout. Best success has been casting tube jigs in dark colors along the rockier shorelines and slowly working them back with a steady lift-fall type retrieve. Also having some success with long casting crankbaits like Rapala X-rap (3-4”) worked with an erratic retrieve. Pike action has been slow, but have been seeing a few follow baits right up to shore.

Lake Granby - Ice free, water level is at 88% full or about 9ft low. Water temp is in the low 40’s. Stillwater boat ramp is open from 6am-8pm. Fishing for all species has been excellent. Rainbow trout and brown trout action can be found along shorelines, target the rocky shorelines or dam faces. Casting spinners in blue and pink colors, Dynamic Twitch Tubes in brown or white/pink, also egg sucking leech pattern streamers have been best producing baits. Lake Trout action has been good as it gets! These fish are loving the cold water and are cruising the lake looking to eat right now. Finding fish in all depths, 5ft to 80ft. Tube jigs in green or brown colors have been consistently producing bites, alternatively when the conditions are right casting crank baits and paddle tail minnows on a jig head has had a ton of action!

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Grand County Fishing Report 3/18/24

Grand Lake - Water is moving through Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain, use caution when traveling the areas in front of tunnel on the east side, in front of the canal connecting to Shadow Mountain, and in the areas between islands and pump canal on Shadow Mountain. Travel on the lake has been tough lately with quite a bit of slush with all the new snow. Fishing has been slow to fair but seems to be picking up by the day as more pumping occurs. Rainbow trout and brown trout action is best very early and again right at sunset. Small 1/32 oz white or black bucktail jigs work gently in 4-12ft of water has been enticing bites. Lake trout action has been slow but picking up, the name of the game right now is finesse and fresh bait, Mysis imitations such has white bucktail jigs, Clam Silkie on a tungsten or SI flies have been go to baits, tipped with a small piece of fresh sucker belly and your favorite scent to keep them interested. Look for fish in 35-75ft of water. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water Level is at 82% of full capacity. Travel on the lake has been good, did not get much snow with the last storm. Rainbow trout and Brown trout action is slow. Lake trout action has been fair and picking up by the day as we get more snowmelt coming into the lake. Look for lake trout in 50-70ft of water, small crayfish imitations such as 2” tubes and larger profile grubs like P&D lure minnow body twist tail grub. Clam Leech flutter spoons in wonder bread color have also been working very well tipped with sucker. Keep a larger bait tied on and accessible, as the larger lake trout are being found in the same areas as smaller fish, when the smaller fish go away drop down that large bait! Pike action has been slow, but expect them to start moving up to shallow spawning locations as we get closer to ice off. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 89% of full capacity or about 8ft low. Ice conditions have been crusty snow in the mornings to deep slush pockets in the afternoons once the top layer gets soft. Total ice thickness is holding up at around 16-18” but is beginning to get softer by the day. Rainbow trout and brown trout action has been fair, 6-12ft off the rip rap dam faces have been great areas to catch them cruising through. A small spoon or micro tube has been producing well tipped with Gulp maggot or wax worm. Lake trout action has been fair to good for fish under 20” and slow for the larger fish. We are finding best action in 50-70ft of water with 3” chartreuse and white tubes or more finesse presentations such as SI Flies with small piece of sucker. Stay mobile, might take a couple spots to find fish that are willing to bite and not just look. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Grand County Fishing Report 3/4/2024

Grand Lake - IMPORTANT! - Ice conditions in the normal areas of moving water (Including Shadow Mtn) will be changing rapidly, the pumps will be turning back on March 5th, ice conditions will be rapidly changing and potentially unsafe in areas that were once safe. Use Caution when traveling the lakes from now until the end of the season. Fishing has been fair for all species. Rainbow trout and brown trout bite has been best on small jointed Clam Pinhead-Mino spoons tipped with a waxie or gulp maggot. Stay mobile and target areas 10ft of water and under at sunrise and sunset. Lake trout action has been best in the 65-90ft range, Radical glow grubs and Power grubs tipped with a small piece of sucker meat and covered in your favorite scent has been producing bites. - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir - The slush conditions have settled down for now and the travel has been good, though we did get a storm this weekend. Fishing for rainbow trout and brown trout has been slow due to the on going gill lice correction and no stocking. Lake trout action has been fair to good depending on the day. Best action for lake trout has been on the break lines in 50-80ft of water, with P&D Lure Co. 3” tubes and grubs in Chartreuse, pink or white colors, If the bite slows that means its time for a deadstick bait resting on the bottom. Tip it with a small piece of fresh sucker to entice extra bites! - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Lake Granby - IMPORTANT! - Ice conditions in the normal areas of moving water (Including Shadow Mtn) and shallow areas will be changing rapidly, the pumps will be turning back on March 5th, ice conditions will be rapidly changing and potentially unsafe in areas that were once safe. Use Caution when traveling the lakes from now until the end of the season. Lake is currently approximately 10ft below full. Rainbow trout and brown trout action has been fair. Best bite has been along the dam faces and inlets of creeks in less than 12ft of water. A Jawjacker with a white atomic tube or bright pink Swedish pimple spoon tipped with waxie has been best producers. Lake trout action has been fair to slow depending on the day. Best action has been in 60-90ft of water on heavier profile grubs and 3” tubes in pink and white colors, when the bite is tough downsize to a Simcoe bug tipped with sucker to keep the finicky fish biting. Action on trophy fish has been slow, but hopefully improving as water starts moving in the system this week. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Grand County Fishing Report Week of 2/20/24

Grand Lake - Travel conditions on the lake have improved for the most part though you will still find some deep snow and slush spots. The bite for rainbow trout and brown trout has been slow. We are finding some success shallow, less than 8ft, at first and last light with Clam Jointed Pinhead spoons in white and pink, tipped with a wax worm. Lake trout action has been fair with best action in the 65-90ft range with brightly colored chartreuse, pink, and glow tubes or grubs, tipped with a small piece of fresh sucker meat or a salmon egg worked along the bottom. We have also been having some success with Flutter Spoons and Jigging raps in blue/silver colors and chasing the suspended fish we are seeing in the upper parts of the water column. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir - Travel on the lake has been difficult with the recent snow and slush across the lake. Bring very good waterproof footwear and travel light, you are going to work getting around. The bite for rainbow trout has been slow. Lake trout action has been fair with best action for fish in the 15-18” size range. Best action has been on 2” tubes or hair jigs in brown or black tipped with a small piece of sucker meat, target the 50-70ft range and stay as mobile as you can if you are not consistently marking fish. Fishing with Bernie Guide Team.

Lake Granby - Travel conditions are as you would expect for this time of year and the amount of snow we have received. There are some large areas with deep snow and slush, while other areas near the most popular access points are rough and frozen solid. Finding more slush and deeper snow the more East you travel on the lake, be prepared in the event you get stuck and we highly recommend waterproof boots. The rainbow trout and brown trout action has been fair with best action along the dam faces early in the morning, a Little Cleo spoon or a tungsten tipped with minnow head or wax worm have been go to baits. Lake trout action has been slow to fair depending on the day which is very normal for our mid-ice conditions. Finding groups of fish willing to bite has been the key, many spots you will mark fish which are curious but will not bite, stay mobile until you find the feeding fish! Look for active fish in 50 to 85ft of water, P&D Lure Co. 3inch grubs in chartreuse or purple tipped with sucker have been consistently producing on most days. We are also starting to see the suspended spoon bite appearing so have a Clam Flutter spoon tied on and ready to drop to those suspended fish cruising through when you mark them on your electronics. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Grand County Fishing Report Week of 2/5/24

GRAND LAKE - Conditions on the lake are changing with every storm that is dropping snow on the lake. There are some very good spots and there are some very bad spots found throughout. The easiest access points are off of the swim beach area and within the docks in town. Please make sure that you have a pair of boots that will shed water as the slush can range from an inch deep to pushing a foot in depth. Rainbows and browns are still hitting well presented bug imitation jigs in fairly shallow water. When fishing for the rainbows and browns, make sure to fish as early as you can and stay as quiet as possible when fishing less than 10’ of water. Tipping your jig will greatly increase the bite ratio. We are tipping our jigs with wax worms and very small pieces of fresh shrimp. The best jigs we have found right now are small CLAM Caviar jigs as well as small ice flys. Keep an eye on your electronics because we have found some very good fishing right below the ice pending you are quiet enough not to spook the fish. The lake trout fishing remains pretty good right now in about 50-80 feet of water. Look for the flattest bottom possible or at the top of a drop off when fishing as they like to have a “room with a view”. Again, I am downsizing my baits this time of year and am focusing a lot of effort with the finesse approach. Small Simcoe bugs by SIFlies are a main staple but don’t overlook a small soft plastic or tube jig as well. When fishing or the lake trout in Grand Lake, keep your baits as natural looking as possible. By that I mean, use smaller jig strokes and hug the bottom as much as possible. Always use a small, small piece of sucker meat or skin and load up on scent. These two pieces of the puzzle will greatly increase you odds. As always, if you are over deep water, keep an eye out for the suspended fish on your graph and put your jig 1-2 feet above the marks. This will almost guarantee a strike! - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork - Lake trout have been fishing well in 50 to 60 feet of water. Small plastic jigs in the 1 to 3 inch range tipped with sucker meat have been catching most of the fish. Drop offs around deep flats have been the most productive areas. Staying mobile and moving around structure has also been key to catching fish. Snow has made travel a little bit more difficult around the lake and we are seeing a few slushy areas as well. - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar

Lake Granby - Conditions on Granby are also changing almost daily. It seems that once we get the fresh snow to from up we get another dumping of the white stuff and that is making for some very slushy conditions. I have found this year that being tied to weigh points and potentially having to fish in a foot of water/snow/slush is not necessary. Study your maps and look for “similarities” in bottom structure in areas that may not be swamped with slush right now. As always, make sure that you have all of the right gear and safety supplies (food, water, etc) because getting stuck might take some time to get out and fishing again. Stay safe and have fun! Rainbows and browns are still biting pretty well throughout the lake. Currently, we are keying in on shoreline structure and fishing around large rock piles. Very small tubes and similar soft plastics are getting most of the attention. Make sure to add a little bit of meat to the jig and load it up with some scent. I would suggest fishing as close to sunrise and sunset in the shallow water as possible. 3-15 feet of water is what is working for us right now. The lake trout fishing remains very strong right now for eater fish as well as big fish. We have found that the fish are much more pressured than they were a week or two ago and paying very special attention to the size of your bait and color are key factors to success. We are using more natural colored tube jigs for the big fish in the 3-5 inch range and fishing them very close to the bottom. The eater lake trout are still smashing just about anything you get in front of their faces. We are finding these fish starting to move towards deeper water as spring approaches. The deeper bite seems to be providing more constant action right now. We are focusing our efforts in 50-70 feet of water right now. For the small lakers, you cant beat a Simcoe bug or certain walleye jigs tipped with a small piece of sucker meat. The morning seems to remain strong and starts to taper off around 2:00 pm. Stay tuned to our facebook page as we will be releasing some more information on a new jig we are working on that is powered by a Trokar hook! Tight Lines and be safe out there! - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Fishing Report 1/29/24

Grand Lake - Travel conditions vary from hard frozen in the frequently traveled areas to deep snow and slush, be prepared for a little of everything. Fishing has been fair to good for all species. Rainbow and brown trout action is best along the north shoreline in 4-12’ of water with Clam jointed pinhead spoons, bull fly jigs or caviar drop jigs tipped with wax worm or gulp. Don’t sleep in because this is an early bite! Lake trout action has been fair. Look for them in 40-90ft of water. Best action has been on a black grub tipped with sucker. Stay moving until you find an area that fish come in to consistently. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir. Travel on the lake is pretty good overall with the sun beating down the deep snow. Fishing has been fair for lake trout and slow for all other species. Look for best lake trout action in 50-70ft of water with crawfish colored tubes and grubs tipped with fresh sucker. Try to find an area where there has been few holes drilled as these areas the fish tend to bite better.

Lake Granby - Travel on the lake varies depending on your location. The areas around the boat ramps are packed down after the traffic from the tournament, as you head east on the lake the snow gets deeper and slush more frequent. Don’t be fooled by what you see in front of the access points, be prepared for just about any and all conditions as we are seeing quite a bit of everything. Fishing for Rainbow and Brown trout was good through the weekend. Best action was in rocky areas with various pink and silver spoons as well as Simcoe bug tipped with wax worm. Lake trout bite has been good to very good. Best action has been in 55-80ft of water with a variety of dark, natural colored plastic lures tipped with sucker meat. As we fish through the week after the fishing contest the name of the game is going to be finding the unpressured areas, as those fish will be more eager to bite! Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude

Grand County Fishing Report 1/22/24

Grand Lake - Ice is 12”+ with plenty of snow on top with slush in areas. Fishing for Rainbow trout and Brown Trout has been good in the mornings and slows during mid-day hours. Jointed Pinhead jigs, atomic tubes and Clam Silkie on a tungsten jig have all been working well. Target the 8-15ft of water range. Lake trout action has been fair, best action has been 40-70ft with dark colored tubes tipped with sucker meat and your favorite scent. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork - Ice is 10”+ and snow covered. Finding a little slush in areas, good water proof boots are a must have. Fishing for lake trout has been good. Target them in 40-80ft of water along the main lake structure and use 2-3” crawfish colored plastics tipped with fresh sucker for best action. If fish aren’t moving through consistently it’s time to move, been taking a few holes to find the active spot but once you find it, don’t leave fish to find fish!

Lake Granby - Ice is 7-10” and snow covered. Slush is present throughout the entire lake, some areas better than others so don’t be fooled if the area you are in is solid. Lots of snowmobiles and a few ATV’s have been out and traveling the lake, be sure to have recovery gear if you are traveling by machine. Fishing has been fair to good for all species. Look for your best rainbow trout action along the dam faces and in the inlets, small tungsten tipped with a wax worm or Clam Silkie has been producing fish. Target the 12 ft and under depths. Brown trout action has been good first thing in the morning and very last light, 2-3” tubes and bright colored spoons worked in the rock to mud transition areas has been a consistent pattern. Lake trout action has been good. Target the 35-75 ft range with deeper water close by. 2” grubs, tubes and minnow imitations in natural colors tipped with fresh sucker meat has been working very well. Make sure those hooks are sharp and you are paying close attention to those light lake trout bites! Good luck to everyone in the tournament this weekend!! Look for the Fishing with Bernie guide team at the weigh station and say Hi. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com, www.facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages https://www.instagram.com/fishing_with_bernie https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithaltitude