Grand County Fishing Report Week of 3/17/25

Grand Lake - With the end of the ice fishing season approaching, the ice has remained in pretty decent condition except for the inlet areas as well as the east portal area. Please use extreme caution when fishing remotely close to these areas. The conditions can change daily and even more so when the pump that pushed water through the system is running. The rainbow and brown trout fishing has been a little bit on the slower side as of late. Most of the fish are being caught when moving around and drilling a lot of holes. The bite has been early in the morning and late in the day and has really tapered off when the sun is beating down on the ice. We are fishing very small jigs with small live bait for the majority of our action right now. The best presentations have been bright colored tungsten jigs with a wax worm in 20-30 feet of water and spread throughout the entire water column. The lake trout fishing has remained pretty good over the past week with most of the fish being caught over 60-80 feet of water. Right now, it seems that the majority of the fish are hanging out near the bottom in these depths and there is also some suspended action over the deep. The suspended fish are hungry as they are already anticipating ice off so they can run up shallow. When fishing the bottom, tube jigs, Simcoe bugs and any soft plastic with some sort of maribou has been getting the best of the action. When fishing the suspended fish, its been all spoons. Regardless of what you are using, make sure to tip your hooks with a small amount of sucker meat and load that jig up with as much scent as possible. There have been a few big fish landed and they were all taken on the smaller presentations. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

 Williams Fork Reservoir - Water Level is continuing to drop and is now at 71%. With the current lack of kokanee and rainbow stocking the best action is lake trout due to the low populations of other species. Lake trout bite has been good in 50 to 60 feet of water. Small jigs such as tube jigs or grubs tipped with sucker meat have been the top producers. When fish get finicky try small spoons worked 1 to 2 feet off the bottom. Walking conditions are excellent right now as there is very little snow and no slush. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 65% or approximately 29ft low. Ice conditions are excellent right now with very little snow on top of ice and very little slush. Ice thickness is holding up at between 12” and 16” of ice and frozen slush combined, clear hard ice is around 6-8”. Fishing for rainbow trout is excellent, look for them along the rip rap dam faces in 15ft of water or less. Small pink or chartreuse tungsten tipped with waxie or Clam flutter spoon in blue/pink color has been producing fish. For brown trout target the natural rocky shorelines in 20ft of water or less where they transition to mud, a brown or white Dynamic Twitch Tube has been the primary lure. Lake trout bite has been very good for fish under 20”, we are finding groups of fish who like to look and not bite, it is imperative that you stay mobile to find the active fish or it can be a frustrating day watching fish who don’t want to bite. Target them in 40-70ft of water along the river channels, 3/8oz Jig head with 2” white tube has been primary lure, but we have also been doing well with small grubs in natural colors and a contrasting-colored jig head. As always tip with fresh sucker meat and load that lure up with your favorite scent. 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 3/9/2025

Grand Lake - The ice conditions on Grand Lake are all over the board and are changing from day to day. There is slush present and can be very difficult to navigate on days and times that present themselves with above freezing temperatures. However, there are other days that seems to have good travel conditions. The traffic on the lake is way down from a month ago and the signs that “Mud Season” is right around the corner here in town. There were a good amount of fish caught at the tournament a couple of weeks ago and the signs of a good spring bite are definitely on the table. There is a very large amount of open water near the bridge on the west side of the lake and that area should be avoided at all times right now due to the amount of water that is moving through that spot. I have found ice up to almost 20” thick in other areas that are holding fish. The rainbow and brown trout fishing has slowed down a little bit. The majority of these fish have moved out of the shallows and are concentrating their feeding in a or over relatively deeper water and are searching for the most oxygenated water.  For this time of year, I like to pick a few spots that have drop off nearby and are within a safe distance to moving water or areas that will contain moving water in the spring. I also like to use a two-rod set up with one of the rods having a very small, bright and flashy spoon that is primarily used as a search/attractor bait. With my second rod, I like to have a very small jig with some type of meat or flavor attached. Nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, wax worms and even a very micro piece of sucker meat with work for the rainbows and browns right now. The lake trout seems to have settled into two distinct areas. I am seeing the largest numbers of bottom fish in 60-80 feet of water and the suspended fish in 80-110 feet of water. The most important tip I can give when fishing the small lakers holding the bottom is to move around quite a bit and when you find a fish in a certain depth, focus there on that same contour line for the best results. The majority of the lake trout we have been catching have been on natural-colored soft plastics. Browns, greens, greys and even blacks have been my top producers. As always, don’t forget the sucker meat and scent when fishing grand lake. Having something that smells fresh will greatly increase your odds. The suspended fish are definitely present and is primarily a waiting game. Pick a spot of two to fish throughout these day in different depths, set up camp and wait for these cruising fish to show up below you. A good fish finder that shows the entire water column is essential in dialing in on these fish. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water level is at 72% of full. Lake trout bite has been good in 50 to 65 feet of water. Small plastics and tungsten jigs tipped with sucker meat have been producing bites. Finding structure such as points, dropoffs and humps are key to finding good groups of fish and staying on a good bite. Walking conditions on the lake are great, all of the slush has frozen and there is very little snow making travel on the lake easy. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 66% or approximately 27.5ft low. Travel conditions are good on the lake, slush is present in the afternoons but is very spotty. Rainbow and brown trout bite has been fair. We are finding best action along the rip-rap shorelines of the dam faces and around the pump house. Look for rainbows and browns in 15ft and shallower water. Best lures we have found have been Dynamic twitch tubes, demons in pink or chartreuse in color. A tungsten and a waxie is a close second for most productive bait. Lake trout bite has been excellent for eater size fish, those 19” and under in size. Target them in 50-70ft of water with 2-4” tubes in light colors such as white or chartreuse, tip with a small piece of sucker. A 1/4oz Buckshot spoon or a blade bait is a great reaction bait for some of those fish that just look. Stay mobile as not all groups of fish are actively feeding but once you find that active group the action can be fast and furious. 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 3/3/25

Grand Lake - Travel conditions have improved with the warm weather. Fishing for rainbows and browns has been good. Look for them cruising around the north or east inlet areas in 10 to 15ft of water. A jointed Clam Pinhead Mino in pink or white has been the go to lure, with a Sierra Slammer tube in pink or gray also producing well. Lake trout action has been fair. Most fish are being caught in 50-80 ft of water. A tungsten jig with a black or glow colored grub and shrimp egg or fresh piece of sucker will produce bites, but pay close attention as these bites are light and fast right now! Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water level is at 72%. Lake trout bite has been good in 45 to 65 feet of water. Working small jigs tipped with sucker meat along the bottom has been producing most fish. We are starting to see some suspended fish so keep an eye on your electronics for fish swimming through off the bottom. When the bite slows down in an area the best solution has been to stay mobile and move around structure or to another piece structure and find a new group of fish. Slush on the lake has mostly cleared up but it's still possible to encounter some especially in the afternoon. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 67% or approximately 27 ft below full. The ice is holding up for now, we are finding 12-16” of ice and frozen slush in most areas of the lake, please pay attention to changes as the warm days continue to make an impact. Travel on the lake has gone from both extremes in a short period of time, deep snow and slush early in the week to melted, compact, crusty snow in the mornings and small pockets of slush and softer snow in the afternoons. Quick reminder machines over 1,000lbs are not allowed on the ice, typically this means the majority of side by sides are not allowed. Fishing for rainbows has been fair along the dike and dam face. Look for them in 15ft of water, a bright flashy flutter spoon or pink tungsten tipped with waxie will produce strikes. Brown trout action has been best right at sunrise, so don’t sleep in. A gold and black jigging rap worked along a rocky shoreline in 8ft of water or less has been working well. Lake trout bite has been slow for the trophy fish be prepared to earn your bites with hard work. The bite has been good to very good for eater size lake trout, fish under 20”. For best action on eater size fish look for them in 55-75 ft of water along break lines and funnels. Pink or chartreuse colored spoons, jigs and plastics 2” and smaller are the hot colors right now, tip them with fresh sucker meat 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 Week of 2/24/25

Grand Lake - The slush and deep snow is still present when you venture away from the area directly in front of the swim beach and town docks. Fishing for rainbow trout and brown trout has remained fair. For best action look to the periods of sunrise and sunset and fish between 4-8ft of water, targeting the fish that are cruising and actively feeding. A Clam Jointed Pinhead spoon, Flutter Spoon, or Pink and white tungsten jig tipped with a waxie will produce fish. Lake trout bite has been fair to good. Look for them in depths of 50-100ft of water, but keep an eye on the entire water column as we are seeing lots of suspended fish coming through. A P&D Glow colored Twist Tail Grub tipped with sucker meat has been working well, as well as 2.5-3” tubes in white or purple when fished close to the bottom or just above the suspended fish moving through. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water level is at 73%. Lake is snow covered with widespread slush making good waterproof footwear a priority. Fishing for eater size lake trout has been good. Small crawfish colored tubes and grubs tipped with a small piece of sucker and covered in a liberal amount of crawfish scent has been producing good numbers of fish. The larger lake trout will move in periodically to same areas as smaller fish so have a bigger bait tied on and ready to drop. Pike and Brown trout action has been slow. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon

Lake Granby - Water level is 68% or approximately 26 ft low. Travel on the lake has been difficult due to the recent snow and slush appearing. The west side of the lake and areas around Stillwater, Sunset Point and Elephant have the best surface conditions right now . As you travel east of Deer Island the conditions deteriorate rapidly to significant amounts of slush with a few reports of stuck machines around the lake. Fishing for rainbow and brown trout has been fair to good early and late in the day. Pink Atomic Tubes, pink and blue Kastmaster or Tungsten Bull Fly have been working well when fished along the dam faces or creek mouths in 15ft or less of water. Lake trout action has been fair to good depending on the day. Look for the best action to be in 45-75 ft of water, green, pearl or glow colored plastics 2-3” in length tipped with fresh sucker have been producing well. At this point in the season the lake has seen some persistent fishing pressure and the fish are becoming wary, when you find a group of fish that just want to look and not bite, its time to move and search out those active groups. The angler that is willing to put in the work to seek out the active fish can be rewarded with a great day on the water for their efforts! - 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 2/17/25

Grand Lake - The snow has been accumulating on Grand Lake and that is causing some very difficult travel when walking out onto the ice. There is slush present and seems to increase with every storm that dumps in the area. Access remains normal and the heavy traffic areas (swim beach, boat docks and the East end) continue to provide the best access to the lake. Fishing traffic has slowed down quite a bit but with the upcoming tournament, that will most likely be changing as a lot of anglers will be “pre-fishing” in the area where the holes will be drilled in order to increase their odds. Rainbow and Brown trout fishing has slowed down slightly in the shallows and these fish seem to be finding the majority of their feed in the 12-25 foot range as of late. As previously reported, the best fishing is during low light conditions and getting on the ice as early as possible is crucial to having a productive morning. We are catching most of our fish on very small tungsten jigs that are tipped with a soft plastic and a piece of nightcrawler or wax worm. The key to catching these fish is to use as small of a jig as possible but heavy enough to get down to the 20’ range in depth. Natural colors like green, black, smoke and brown seem to be having the best success right now. The lake trout fishing seems to have picked up slightly as the lake is getting fed with a good amount of new water from Shadow Mountain. The main food sources are brown and green in color so pay special attention to those colors when selecting your jigs. Currently, there is a nice, suspended bite going on and most fish are showing up over 80 feet of water right now. That will continue to change on a daily basis as spring approaches. Position your jigs a foot or so above the fish for the best chance at a strike right now. The remainder of the lake trout fishing continues to be focused on the bottom in 40-55 feet of water right now in as flat of an area as possible. If fishing a slope, most of the bites are coming with the “dead zone” on your electronics. Tipping your jigs with a small piece of sucker meat or skin that is no bigger than your pinkie fingernail has been best for our team. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos.

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water level is at 74%. Lake trout bite has been good this week in 45 to 65 feet of water. Drop offs and creek beds in that depth range have been productive areas. Small plastics in the 1 to 3 inch range tipped with sucker meat have been producing most of the fish. Working jigs close to the bottom or on the bottom has been the most consistent bite. Recent snow has started to create some slushy areas that will probably worsen throughout the week making travel on the lake more difficult. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 70% or approximately 24.5’ low. With the recent snow storms, slush has shown up as expected.  Have a plan to deal with this slush while walking or traveling on the lake in a machine it can be unforgiving. Rainbow and Brown trout bite has been fair. The rocky dam faces have been the areas to key in on targeting less than 15ft of water. Pink Dynamic Twitch tubes or a pink tungsten jig tipped with a waxie have been best producers. Lake trout bite has been good. Look for your best action in 30-70ft of water. Key in on main lake points with deep water close by. Natural colored plastics (green/brown/ black) 2.5 to 5” in length have been working well when tipped with a small piece of sucker. When the bite gets slow, try changing up to a glow or contrasting color jig. Remember lake trout are notorious light biters, pay close attention to those rods and line and set the hook when there is anything abnormal! 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 2/10/25

Grand Lake - Mid-winter traffic is at an all-time high on Grand Lake right now.  Between the hockey tournament, the ice skating, and the general tourism, there is a lot of traffic on the lake.  With that said, fishing as far away as you can from the high traffic areas will increase your odds for a great day on the ice.  Ice thickness continue to get better but there is still some slush present.  The pump canal is pumping water and the open water area on the west side of the lake, in front of the bridge, contains a large amount of unsafe ice due to the current. The rainbow and brown trout fishing remains fair.  Fishing as early in the day or late in the afternoon as possible will increase your odds of catching fish.  Small jigs tipped with a wax worm have been providing the best opportunities.  These fish are being caught between 10 and 20 feet of water and most are suspended in the water column.  I like to use Clam drop kick and Clam caviar jigs when targeting the rainbows.  The lake trout fishing on Grand Lake has remained steady over the past week.  We are seeing most fish in the 40-to-80-foot range.  Small tube jigs, grub style jigs, and twisters are getting the vast majority of the action.  We are tipping our jigs with a very small piece of sucker meat that is no bigger than a fingernail.  Right now, using scent is also a very important part of the puzzle.  We are loading our jigs up with shrimp flavored scents.  Starting right now, the famous Grand Lake suspended bite has begun.  We are finding the suspended fish 40 to 60 feet down over 80 to 120 feet of water.  When fishing the suspended lake trout, position your jigs 1 to 3 feet above the fish and you will almost be guaranteed a bite. Fishing with Bernie Guide , Jake Foos

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water level is at 74%. A lot of the snow on the lake has melted creating some slushy and slick walking conditions. Lake trout bite has been fair. Small tube jigs and grubs tipped with sucker meat have been producing fish. When the bite on the bottom slows down try switching to small tungsten jig heads tipped with sucker meat a foot off the bottom. Staying mobile and moving around to different pieces of structure has been key in producing more fish. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 71% or approximately 23.5 ft low. Travel conditions on the lake are good after the cold night on Sunday, slush is minimal, but we do have snow in the forecast so be prepared if snow starts to accumulate with the new storms. Rainbow trout and brown trout action has been fair, with the best action being the 30 minutes before sunrise or after sunset. Target the rocky faces of the dikes and dam face with a white or pink colored Dynamic Twitch tube or 1/8oz clown colored Clam Leach Flutter Spoon tipped with a waxie. Lake trout action has been very good since the tournament. We are finding excellent numbers of fish in the 35-65ft depths, a pumpkin green grub or 2 1/2” tube is getting the most bites, but like always staying mobile and keeping on top of active fish is key while ice fishing on Granby. With the traffic on the lake in full swing, now is the time to start thinking outside the box and finding some of that out of the way structure that holds fish. 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 1/20/25

Ice fishing is here and it has been wonderful to get back out on the water again!

Grand Lake - Ice is 6+ inches with a few inches of snow on top and open water in the typical areas out from the channel to Shadow Mtn and in front of tunnel inlet on the east side. Fishing has been good early in the mornings in less than 10ft of water for rainbow trout and brown trout. Pink tungsten jigs tipped with Niku Flutter Fry or Clam Dropper spoon tipped with a waxie. Lake trout bite has been fair. Look for them in 25-50 ft of water. A P&D Lures Twist tail grub in Crawdad color or glow color tipped with sucker jigged close to the bottom has been producing fish. If the lake trout are looking and not biting, try adding scent or a tipping with a salmon egg. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water level is at 76%. Ice is 5 to 8 inches across the lake. Lake trout fishing has been good in 45 to 60 feet of water. Small plastics such as tube jigs and curly tail grubs in a variety of natural colors or glow tipped with sucker meat have been producing well. When the bite slows down going to smaller tungsten jigs with a small piece of sucker meat has been the answer. Rainbow and brown trout bite has been poor. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar.

Lake Granby - Water level is at 75% or approximately 20ft low. Ice thickness is 5-8”. Additionally there is a pressure ridge extending from Elephant Island to South shore of lake by Sunset Point. Use caution traveling this area and crossing the pressure ridge. The rainbow trout bite has been excellent, target them in less than 10ft of water along rocky shorelines. White and Pink Dynamic Twitch Tubes or Demons have been working well. Brown Trout bite has been fair, with best action just after sunrise in 6ft or less of water with rocky bottom. Bright orange and gold colored spoons or 2” Gulp minnows have been producing the best action. Lake trout bite has been fair to good, fluctuating with our big weather swings. Look for best Lake Trout action in 30-65ft of water, 3/8oz jig head with a green or glow colored P&D Twist Tail grub tipped with fresh sucker has been producing well. When the bite slows time to get out the Clam Flutter Spoons or blade baits to entice that reaction bite. Staying mobile and moving to find active fish has been the key to success on those tougher days. Good luck to everyone participating in the 3 Lakes Ice Fishing Contest this weekend! 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 10/28/24

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