Grand County Fishing Report Week of 10/28/24

It’s been an excellent open water season with lots of rod bending action, hope yours was as well! This will be our final report until ice season gets under way.

Grand Lake - Boat Ramp hours 6am-6pm. Ramp will be closing 11/3. Fishing for rainbows and lake trout has been excellent. Look for the active rainbows along the shorelines in less than 10ft of water. Flashy chrome colored spoons and spinners have been most productive. Lake trout are being caught in 20-45ft with chartreuse and silver jigging spoons tipped with sucker. Look for them along the rocky bottomed areas of the lake. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork - As we wrap up the open water season this will my final fishing report for the 2024 season. The east boat ramp hours are 7am to 7pm daily. Thursday October 31st at the end of the day the boat ramp will close for the season. The lake will still be open for non-motorized hand launched crafts. The water capacity is at 95% or about 9.5 feet low. Inflow is 16cfs, outflow is 59cfs. Surface temp has been around 54/55 early am. Visibility is 9 to 10 feet before a jig drops out of sight. The Lake Trout bite is at its fall peak right now... and you don't have to be there at first light to catch them. Around 9:00am the bite lights up and runs till about 1pm. The bite will be good until the fish drop their eggs. Look for mixed age groups in 60 to 70 feet of water. Lakers are a bit difficult to locate on Williams Fork but if you find one stop and drop, there more there than what you can see. Pretty much any small plastic tipped with fresh sucker meat will get bit. I prefer small tubes but anything from crappie jigs to 4" tubes is working well. Northern's are slow, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. Some have moved to deeper water where food is more plentiful (think Lake Trout). Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are active along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Until next season Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby - Boat ramp hours are 6am-6pm and will be open until weekend after Thanksgiving. Water temperatures are in the low 50's. Water level is at 86% or approximately 11ft low. Fishing for rainbow trout has been excellent, Chrome/Blue or Chrome/Pink spoons both cast and vertically jigged are the go to lure right now. Target shoreline transition areas where it changes from rock to mud and along the dam faces. Lake trout action has also been excellent, look for them in 15-40ft of water. P&D Lure Company purple glow grub and crawfish colored tubes tipped with fresh sucker have been working best. If the bite slows a Northland Buckshot spoon tipped with sucker can entice a few more bites out of the group before you move on to the next one. Fall is a great time to be out on the water here in Grand County, don’t miss out on those few last casts before we get some ice! 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 10/14/24

Grand Lake - Boat ramp hours are 6am-6pm. Water temperature is in the mid 50’s. Rainbow trout action has been very good with fish active along the shorelines in less than 10ft of water. A Little Cleo or Kastmaster spoon in blue and silver worked with a lift-fall retrieve has been consistently producing. Lake trout action has been good, look for them in 30-50ft of water. Slab style spoons or Clam Leech Flutter spoons tipped with sucker and jigged aggressively in the schooled up spawning lake trout been producing good numbers of fish.

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 7am to 7pm daily. The lake is about 9 feet low (85% capacity). Inflow is 12cfs outflow is 89cfs. Surface temp at 7am has been running 55 warming to 57 mid-day. Visibility is 9 to 10 feet. The Lake Trout bite has been very good on eater size fish. Right now, we're seeing between 12 to 25 fish per rod depending on the day. Mixed age groups can be found in 60 to 80 feet of water. 70 to 74 feet seems to be producing best right now. Unlike Granby and Grand it's difficult to locate Lakers on Williams Fork with sonar. I'm guessing it's because the large laker's in Will Fork hunt down instead of up which has conditioned the smaller fish to hang tight to the bottom. Once you find a fish stop and drop, there's more there than what you see on the screen. 2 to 3" plastics (we're using small tubes) tipped with sucker meat fished gently on or just off the bottom is getting bit. The bite gets started around 9am and lasts till about 1pm. Northern's are slow, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. Some have moved to deeper water where food is more plentiful (think Lake Trout). Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are active along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby - Boat Ramp hours are 6am - 6pm. Water level is at 86.5% or approximately 10.5 ft low and water temperatures are hanging in the mid 50’s. Rainbow trout action has been excellent around the islands and dam faces. Fly anglers are finding success with Clouser minnow and egg sucking leech patterns in dark colors. Dynamic Twitch tubes and flutter spoons in pink and white have been our go to lure choice when fishing with spinning gear. Lake trout action is very good, use your electronics to locate the large schools of spawning fish in 30-60ft of water. P&D Lure Company glow twisty tail grub in chartreuse and purple on a 3/8oz jig in head in a contrasting color has been our most consistent bait. If the bite slows but you are still consistently marking fish, make a switch to a Clam XL Flutter spoon or a jigging rap to work the reaction bite with these schools, and don’t forget to tip with fresh sucker! The weather forecast looks like it may be a cool weekend, but still an excellent time to get out and enjoy fall fishing in Grand County. 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 9/30/24

Grand Lake - Boat Ramp hours are 6am-6pm. Fishing for Rainbow and Brown Trout has been good. Flashy chrome colored spoons and spinners have been working well cast along the shorelines. Lake trout action has been good, look for them in 35-50ft of water. Chartreuse spoons and P&D Lures glow grubs tipped with sucker meat have been top producing lures. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir - The east boat ramp hours are 7am to 7pm daily. The water level is 87% or about 8 feet low. With the cool nights the surface temp has dropped to 55/56 warming of 59 on a sunny day. Visibility is still excellent; jigs drop out of sight between 10 to 12 feet. We've come full circle on the Lake Trout bite and they're eager to bite again as the fish are grouping up for spawn. Look for mixed age groups in 55 to 75 feet of water. Small tubes tipped with fresh sucker meat worked with any kind of jig stroke on or just above the bottom is getting bit. The fish have moved to banker's hours so you'll only pick up a few more fish with an early start, the bite is lasting thru early afternoon. Northern's are slow as usual, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. Some have moved to deeper water where food is more plentiful (think Lake Trout). Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are active along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby - Boat ramp hours are 6am-6pm. Water level is at 86.5% or approximately 10ft low and dropping daily. Temperatures in the mornings have been 57 degrees and warming as the day goes on. Fishing for all species has been good. Rainbow trout action is excellent in the mornings casting pink and white colored spoons along shorelines and in water less than 15ft deep. Brown trout are being caught along rocky shorelines, Dynamic Twitch Tubes in brown or white and jerkbaits have been go to lures, for fly anglers a black egg sucking leech has been working well. Lake trout action is good and getting better daily. They have started moving up on to their spawning locations, look for them in 30-60ft of water, flutter spoons as well as P&D Lures glow twist tails and tubes on a 3/8oz jig head tipped with sucker have been our go to lures to keep putting fish in the net! Kokanee salmon are schooled up and starting to run, pink, white or chartreuse jigging spoons tipped with a waxie has been working well when you locate a school with your electronics. Great time of year to be on the water with the fall colors and excellent fishing, don’t miss out! 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 9/23/24

Grand Lake - Boat ramp hours are 6am-6pm. Fishing continues to improve as water cools. Rainbow trout and brown trout are active in the inlet areas. A weighted 2” streamer in green or white for the fly anglers has been producing, or a white or green jerkbait for those fishing with spinning gear. Work the shorelines and docks in the area of the inlets as well as the sun rises and the fish move out of the inlet areas. Lake trout bite is good, we are close to spawn temperatures and expect the bite to improve daily. Target fish in 30-55 ft of water, 3/8oz spoons, bright colored plastics on 3/8oz jig tipped with fresh sucker worked right on the bottom has been producing fish. Use your electronics to locate the fish as they are grouping up to spawn. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 7am to 7pm daily. The water level is 88%, just over 7 feet low. The surface temp has dropped to 58 early am warming to near 60 on calm sunny days. Visibility is 10 to 12 feet. The Lake Trout bit has been improving as we get closer to spawn. We're seeing 14+ fish per rod right now. Most of the Laker's are running between 12" to 20". Look for mixed age groups in 60 to 80 feet of water. Small baits are getting bit more frequently than larger baits. Tubes 3" and smaller seem to be working best right now. Tip your jig with sucker meat and work it on or near the bottom with gentle jig strokes. The bite gets slow after noon but picks back up again around 4PM. Northern's are slow as usual, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. Some have moved to deeper water where food is more plentiful (think Lake Trout). Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are active along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby - Boat ramp hours are 6am- 6pm. Water temperatures are in the upper 50’s first thing in the morning warming to low 60’s by end of the day. Water level is at 88% or approximately 9.5ft below full and dropping. Rainbow trout and brown trout action is good right now. Look for rainbows in the inlet areas, streamers, spoons and spinners are all producing fish. Target brown trout along the rocky shorelines and rock to mud transition areas. Dynamic Twitch Tubes, jerkbaits and bead head streamers are all producing fish in a variety of natural colors. Lake trout action is fair to good and improving daily as the fish prepare to spawn. Look for them in pre-spawn locations in 30 to 65ft of water. Spoons, 3/8oz jig head and brightly colored plastic tipped with sucker are producing best right now. Expecting some great fall weather in the next week so come on out, check out the spectacular fall colors and get in on some great fishing! 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 9/16/24

Grand Lake - Boat ramp hours are 6am-6pm. Water temps are in the low 60’s and cooling a little each day. Fishing is picking up for rainbow and brown trout as the water cools. 2-3” chrome or white colored jerkbaits and spoons have been producing fish along the shorelines with most concentrated fish along the rocky shorelines. Lake trout action has been good. Fish are staged for spawn just outside the spawning areas in 40-70ft of water. A 3/8oz glow colored jig head paired with a dark colored body has been best lure choice, tipped with fresh sucker. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 7am to 7pm daily. The water level is 89% or 6.5 feet low. The surface temperature has dropped to 60 degrees, warming to the low 60's by mid-day. Visibility is still good; jigs drop out of sight 10 to 12 feet down. With the cooler temps the Lake Trout bite is picking up and they're just begining to group up. This week's average was 13 fish per rod on a six-hour trip. I'd rate the fishing good right now. Small juvenile fish up to trophies can be found in 60 to 80 feet of water, with our main focus on the 70-foot area on the top of ridges or on the edge of a slope. Small 3" to 4" plastics (tubes, grubs, twisters, paddle-tails) tipped with sucker meat fished on or just off the bottom is producing hits. The Lake Trout bite generally gets slow mid-day. Northern's are slow as usual, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. Some have moved to deeper water where food is more plentiful (think Lake Trout). Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are active along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby - Boat Ramp Hours are 6am-6pm. Water level is currently at 89% or approximately 8.5ft below full with water temperatures starting the morning in the low 60’s and warming during day. Rainbow and brown trout action is improving. Dynamic Twitch tubes worked along rocky shorelines in less than 10 ft of water and spoons such as Little Cleo or Kastmaster in chrome/blue or pink worked with a lift fall retreive has been producing fish. Lake trout action is fair to good depending on the day right now and if you are able to locate actively feeding fish. Look for them in pre-spawn locations in 50-75ft of water with deep water close by. A 3/8oz underspin jighead with a brown/chartreuse colored grub or pumpkin green/pink colored grub has been best producing lure. Tip your bait with a small piece of fresh sucker to keep the fish coming in and interested. Fall action is just starting to heat up and should be just getting better as the water cools, definitely make your plans to come enjoy the beautiful fall colors and weather!! 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 9/2/2024

Grand Lake - Boat ramp hours are now 6am-6pm. Fishing has been fair for all species. Some reports of success from shore anglers for rainbow and brown trout around the east inlet and at the mouth of the canal from Shadow Mountain. Countdown a 1/4oz chrome and blue spoon to approximately 10ft then worked with a lift fall retrieve has been producing fish. Lake trout bite has been fair. Look for lake trout in 60-110ft of water. 1/2 oz glow head jig tipped with a black or chartreuse colored plastic along with fresh sucker has been producing fish. Use your electronics to locate and stay on fish, once you find a productive depth duplicate that pattern throughout the lake! Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork - The NEW east boat ramp hours are 7AM to 7PM daily. The water level is dropping, currently the lake is at 92% capacity or about 5 feet low. Inflow is 20cfs, outflow is 118cfs. Surface temp has been running 63.5 early am warming to 65 mid-day. The free-floating algae on the east side of the lake has dissipated, visibility is about 12 feet. The Lake Trout bite is picking up a bit... but it's still on the slow side. Right now, on average we're seeing 7 to 10 fish per rod. Juvenile and keeper size fish can be found in 70 to 80 feet of water. Trophy Lakers can be found in the same depth you find small Laker's. The best bite is on small tubes tipped with sucker meat fished on or just above the bottom with a gentle jig stroke then a pause then gentle stroke again. Work the spot till the bite drops off then move. Most of the fish are hugging the bottom and difficult to locate. If you see one stop and drop, theirs more there than what you see on the screen. Northern Pike are slow as usual, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. Some have moved nearer to deeper water where food is more plentiful. Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are feeding along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby - Boat ramp hours are now 6am-6pm. Fishing has been fair but should be picking up as the water cools and fall takes hold of the area. Rainbow trout and brown trout action remains best in the early mornings. Target rocky shorelines with Bright orange and bright pink colored spoons or chrome colored jerk baits. Stay mobile and cover water the fish are very scattered. Lake trout action has been fair to good, targeting 65-100ft of water along the deepest drop offs in the lake. 1/2oz jig head tipped with a contrasting color tube, tipped with sucker and worked with a subtle jigging motion has been producing bites. Staying on top of an active group of fish has also been a key factor, this time of year you find some groups are eager to bite, while others seem to be neutral. 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 8/19/24

Grand County Fishing Report Week of 8/19/24

A summer morning Granby trophy!

Grand County Fishing Report Week of 8/12/2024

Grand Lake - Boat ramp hours are 6am-8pm. Starting to see the dog days of summer, the best periods of the day for rainbow and brown trout continue to be sunrise and sunset. Spoons are our primary lure choice right now, as this versatile lure allows us to work different depths until we find the one that is holding fish. A long cast, count your lure down, then lift fall erratic retrieve is producing fish. Vary your counting down until you find what is working. Lake trout bite is fair on most days, finding fish in 60-110 ft of water. A 1/2oz glow head jig with a 2” black power grub tipped with sucker has been our go to lure choice. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. The water level is 97% or about 2 feet low. Inflow is 60cfs outflow is 202cfs. Surface temp has been 66 early am warming to 70 degrees on calm sunny days. Visibility is 10 to 12 feet. The Lake Trout bite is fair right now, we're seeing 5 to 6 fish per rod on a slow day, 8 to 10 on a good day. We're still picking up a few fish as shallow as 60 feet but most have moved to deeper water. Look for Laker's in 70 to 80 feet. Small plastics tipped with sucker meat fished on or just above the bottom seems to be the best presentation right now. Sometimes adding scent helps. Cranking up to a Laker that is suspended or swimming in the column has a good chance of getting hit as these fish are actively looking for food. Releasing big Lakers into warm surface water after a long fight can be challenging this time of year. To help increase the odds of a successful release minimize handling and time out of the water. Patiently work the fish back and forth in the water to help reoxygenate the fish until it ready to go on its own.  If it won't go on its own tools like a SeaQualizer or Fish Saver Pro will deliver the fish back to cooler deep water and release it. Northern Pike are slow as usual, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. They've moved to deeper water where the food is. Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are feeding along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby - Boat ramp hours are 6am-8pm. Water level is at 94.5%, Approximately 4ft low and dropping. Water temperature’s start out in the upper 60’s in the morning warming to low 70’s by end of the day. Rainbow trout bite has been fair, still finding the best action in the areas where there is fresh cool water coming in to the lake. Tungsten bead head wooley buggers, jerk baits and spoons have been catching some fish. Brown trout action is limited to the early and late parts of the day or when storms come in and stir up the water. Small tubes and Rainbow trout colored jerk baits have been lures of choice. Lake trout action has remained good. Look for fish in the 65-100ft depths off main lake points, humps and saddles with deeper water close by. A dark colored 3/8oz jig head with a light colored plastic body has been a staple, tip this with a small piece of fresh sucker fillet and pay attention for those light bites! 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 8/5/24

Grand Lake - Boat ramp hours are 6am-8pm. Just as in the past few weeks if you are looking for rainbow or brown trout, as the saying goes “the early bird gets the worm,” or the last one off the water. Best times will be early and late in the day when the sun is rising or setting. Lures with erratic action such as a Little Cleo spoon, jerkbait or bead head streamers such as a wooley bugger or egg sucking leech have been producing when worked along the rocky shorelines or inlets. Lake trout have definitely moved deeper, though are still not suspending yet. Look for them in 60-100ft of water, a black grub with a 3/8oz glow head tipped with a small piece of sucker and your favorite scent added for icing on top has been best producer for me lately. Traffic on the water is still high though should be winding down in the upcoming weeks, stay safe and watch for others while out! - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir- The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. Currently the water level is dropping quickly, the lake is sitting at 98%. Inflow is 43cfs, outflow is 156cfs. Surface temp has risen to 66 early am warming to the low 70's by mid-day... sending Lake Trout to deeper cooler water. Visibility is about 12 feet on the west side of the lake, 10 feet or less on the east side where free floating alge is accumulating from the west to east winds. We're still catching some lakers in 60 feet of water but most of the fish are in 70 feet plus. The "Dog Days of Summer" are here. The Lake Trout bite is slow, we are seeing 8 to 12 fish per trip right now. Depending on how many fishermen I have in the boat, we're fishing three to four different jig types and colors which all seem to get bit equally, meaning when you find biters they'll bite whatever type of plastics you drop. A gentle presentation fished on or just off the bottom is working right now. Northern Pike are slow as usual, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. They've moved to deeper water where the food is which makes it difficult to catch them. Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are feeding along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Randy H - Guide Fishing with Bernie.

Lake Granby - Boat Ramp hours are 6am-8pm. Water temps are mid 60’s warming to low 70’s by afternoon. Water level is 95% or approximately 3.5ft below full. The early and late in the day pattern for rainbows and browns continues, once the sun hits the water the bite slows until it sets on the other end of the day. Small crayfish colored Dynamic Twitch Tubes worked down rocky drop offs or jerkbaits worked in mud to rock transition areas have been a reliable pattern. Lake trout fishing remains very good despite the warming water temperatures. Look for lake trout in 65-95ft of water on various main lake structure with deeper cooler water close by. A dark colored 3/8 oz jig head with a pink, or glow tube or grub has been producing bites tipped with very small piece of fresh sucker, later in the day when the fish get picky lose the tail on the grub or downsize the tube to keep the fish biting. Like always pay attention to those electronics, if you are on fish and they aren’t biting time to find similar structure and a different group of fish, they are biting somewhere on the lake, guaranteed! 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 7/29/24

The crowds are at a seasonal high right now and there is an absolute ton of traffic on the lake. Please use caution when traveling around because there are a lot of paddle boards, kayakers, and other watercraft. The afternoon winds are also a factor, be sure to plan ahead for that. It seems to be hitting around 11 or 12 in the afternoon, when it hits.  The rainbows and browns can still be caught at the inlets, early in the morning. When fishing these fish, get on the water as early as possible. As soon as the sun comes up and hits the water, these fish go deep. I would suggest chucking HD trout jerks in the moving water and a heavy tazmanian devil in the deeper water. The prime hours are from 6 am to 8 am. The lake trout fishing is still very good on the typical structure points. The majority of the fish are in the 14-22” range and are very eager to smash a well presented, grub style jig tipped with sucker meat. I would concentrate your efforts on the 45-90 foot range right now and fish close to the bottom. The suspended fish haven’t shown up yet due to the water being fairly cool for this time of year. Points, and flat bottom areas seem to holding the majority of the fish right now. Don’t forget to smother your jig with scent this type of year and commit to a high percentage spot for 30 mins.   Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos.

Williams Fork Reservoir - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. The water level has dropped to 99%. Inflow is 64cfs, outflow is 88cfs. From here on out for the rest of the season the lake slowly will keep going down. Unexplainably the Lake Trout bite has slowed to a crawl when the cool front and smoke came in. Every fish I cleaned during the week had empty stomachs. Usually, they're packed with small crawdads which indicates they are not feeding much. Look for Laker's in 60 to 80 feet of water. The best bite is early AM and slows as the day goes on. A slow gentle presentation with small tubes, paddle or twister tails tipped with sucker meat jigged on or just above the bottom is working the best right now. Scent seems to help a little. Northern Pike are slow as usual, in part due to a decrease in population and many of bigger fish no longer live in their traditional habitat. They've moved to deeper water where the food is which makes it difficult to catch them. Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Brown Trout are feeding along the rocks north of the east boat ramp, and in the inlet before the sun hits the water. The lake hasn't been stocked with Rainbow's or Kokes since 2019 in an effort to control gill lice, so there isn't much action fishing for them. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Randy H.

Lake Granby - Boat ramp hours are 6am-8pm. Water level is dropping, currently at 96% or approximately 3ft low. Water temps are mid-upper 60’s first thing in morning and warming to low 70’s by the afternoon. Fishing for rainbow and brown trout has been fair and is condition dependent. Sunrise and sunset are the best times, erratically worked spoons, with a sharp lift and fall retrieve using long casting spoons such as Kastmasters and Little Cleo. Target the inlet areas where the water is moving and cooler. Lake trout action remains good. Fish are starting to bump deeper, look for them in 60-95ft of water. A dark colored 3/8oz jig head with a light colored plastic grub or tube tipped with sucker has been a go to set up. We are working multiple spots until we find active fish, but they are biting somewhere so keep mobile and you will be rewarded! 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

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