Middle Park fishing report for 8-14-2017

This middle park fishing report is being brought to you by "Fishing with Bernie". With the cool nights and PM thunder storms the surface temp at Williams Fork is now 63 in the morning warming to 65 in the afternoon. Temps in deep water have not changed. This week the Lake Trout bite has been good at 90 to 115 foot. My clients are catching fish vertical jigging bright colored grubs tipped with sucker meat. Bite is best early AM but we are catching fish all day. Fishing from shore is slow but some anglers are catching a few Rainbows bottom fishing. Wading anglers are catching Rainbows where the river runs into the lake on spinners. Kokanee trolling is slow. Some trollers are getting small numbers of 16" to 19" fish at 30 to 40 foot. Large Northern Pike have have moved to deeper cooler water. Younger fish are hugging the shore lines. Working the shoreline with spinner or jerk baits should produce some hits. Work deeper water for the larger fish. It doesn't matter what type of lure you are using as long as it can get to the fish. Your best chances are on low light windy days and near sunset. Randy Hall - Guide, Fishing with Berniekeefe@hotmail.com 

Grand Lake – Fishing is up and down depending on the day and weather conditions, which have been unpredictable at best.  Water temp stays in the low to mid 60’s.  Rainbows and Browns are being caught along the shorelines with small cranks and worms below a bobber reeled in slowly.  Trollers are catching them on pop gear with a small spinner tipped with a worm trolled along the shorelines.  Lake trout have moved a little deeper, they are being caught at 70-110’ and there has been a great suspended fish bite at times out over the deep water.  Electronics are key for proper depth presentation to those suspended fish, and small spoons tipped with a small piece sucker have been hot bait.  Dan Shannon – Guide, Fishing with Berniekeefe@hotmail.com 

Lake Granby continues to fish very well. Rainbows are eating bugs on the surface in the evenings. Powerbait and worms are working early and late in the day. A few kokanee are starting to show up in the mouth of Columbine bay, Trolling small spinners and spoons 30-40' deep. Lake Trout are ranging from 50-120' deep. Tube jigs and slab spoons (Reelbait.com) tipped with a small piece of sucker meat has been working. Trollers are catching them on spoons and small cranks.Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in the middle park area for over 25 years. For more info please like "Fishing with Bernie" on Facebook or visit www.fishingwithbernie.com.

Middle Park fishing report for 8-1-2017

Here is your middle park area fishing report for the week of August 1st.

Williams Fork's surface temps remain at 66 in the morning warming to the low 70 by late afternoon. The Lake trout bite is fair to good. We are having success vertical jigging with grubs and rubber minnows tipped with sucker meat between 90 to 120 foot. Use your sonar to find fish, work the spot then move. Fishing from shore is generally slow but some anglers are catching a few Rainbows bottom fishing with power bait or worms. Rainbows are hitting spinners at the inlet, and in the submerged lake bed river channel.Kokanee trolling is slow but some trollers are getting small numbers of 16" to 19" fish at 30 to 40 foot.Large Northern Pike have have moved to deeper cooler water. They will work into shallow water during storms or low light periods. Pike bite is hit and miss. When you find a hungry fish you'll get a hit, it really doesn't matter what type of lure you are using. Your best chances are on low light windy days and near sunset. Randy Hall - Guide, Fishing with Bernie

Grand Lake's water temp remains in the mid 60’s with good clarity of approximately 8’.  Fishing for Rainbows and browns both from shore and the boat remains steady, with best areas to fish being close to the inlets early in the day.  Worms and a slip bobber or small Rapala X-raps worked with long pauses have been getting bites.  Lake trout remain in their mid summer haunts in depths between 50-110’.  Move to find the active fish, they seem to be in different spots daily.  Spoons like the Leech Flutter Spoon by Clam and Reelbait Plane Jane spoons tipped with a small piece of sucker have been the baits to fish for lake trout.  Dan Shannon, Guide – Fishing with Berniekeefe@hotmail.com

Lake Granby's water temp is reaching the low 70's in the afternoon. Lake trout fishing is fair. Fish are being caught 50-110' deep. Tube jigs tipped with sucker meat, Reelbait slab spoons and Gulp shrimp are all accounting for fish. Trollers are doing well with spoons. Rainbow fishing just got a little help from the CDOW, they just stocked the lake with a truck load of catchable. Power bait and worms will catch these fish. Look for rising fish in the evenings and cast small spoons to them. Trollers are catching rainbows on spoons and small crank baits. 

Mornings have been a great time to get out on the water. Afternoon storms have been rolling through, the weather has been getting nice again in the evenings. Eat an early dinner and get out to enjoy the fishing or the animals heading out in the meadows around dark. 

Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in the middle park area for over 25 years

Middle Park fishing report for 7-23-2017

Grand lake 7/23/17
Water temp is mid 60's by afternoon.   Rainbow trout and brown trout fishing has slowed a bit,  but they are still being caught early and late,  or when the afternoon storms roll in.  Small cranks, fly and bubble or worms have been working.   Lake trout are getting deeper by the day and are found up to 110'.  Small jigs and spoons are producing throughout the day,   move often to find active fish.   Dan Shannon, Guide - Fishing with Bernie

Williams Fork Fishing Report

Surface temps have reached 66 in the morning warming to near 70 in the late afternoon. The Lake trout bite is up an down . One day they are very catachable, the next day they are off bite. We are having some success vertical jigging with grubs and rubber minnows tipped with sucker meat between 80 to 120 foot. We are catching one maybe two fish per spot, then have to move. Use your sonar to find fish, work the spot then move. Suspended fish seem to be easier to catch than fish belly down on the bottom. I'm using metal jigs for suspended fish.Fishing from shore is generally slow but some anglers are catching a few Rainbows bottom fishing with power bait or worms. I'm seeing Rainbows rise in the AM and late PM. Cast to the rises with a spinner or fly and bubble.Kokanee trolling remains slow but some trollers are getting small numbers of 16" to 19" fish. 

Large Northern Pike have have moved to deeper cooler water. They will work into shallow water during storms or low light periods. Pike bite is hit and miss. When you find a hungry fish you'll get a hit, it really doesn't matter what type of lure you are using. Your best chances are on low light windy days and near sunset. Randy Hall - Guide, FishingwithBernie

Lake Granby 

Water temp 68-70. Rainbows can still be caught with power bait and crawlers along the shore.In the evenings look for rising fish and cast small spoons to the rises. Trollers are catching rainbows with small spoons, spinners and crank baits.  Lake trout are hitting jigs tipped with sucker meat at depths of 40-100'. Trollers are doing well with spoons and crank baits.

Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in the middle park area for over 25 years. For more info please like "Fishing with Bernie" on Facebook or visit www.fishingwithbernie.com.

Middle Park fishing report for 6-26-2017

Grand Lake -    Water is still coming into the lake fast and the channel to Shadow Mountain has a very strong current,  lots of debris on the water.  Water clarity is about 8ft.   Brown trout and Rainbow tout  fishing has been good both from shore and the boat.  Fish early and late with silver colored spinners and spoons, floating Rapala’s or a small piece of worm worked 3-4 under a bobber slowly along the shore lines.  Lake trout fishing has been fair with the most active fish found along the drop-offs.  Look in depths up to 80’ and use your Lowrance to find them.  Tube jigs tipped with sucker meat has been my go to bait for the lake trout, but don’t be afraid to experiment.  It’s been busy out there on the water with the summer weather, be careful out there and enjoy the great fishing!  Dan Shannon, Guide – Fishing with Bernie

Williams Fork Fishing Report,  This weeks windy conditions has kept the surface temp in the upper 50's in the morning. The wind has mixed warmer surface water with subsurface water sending the Lake Trout a little deeper each week. Lake Trout bite is picking up moving and is fair to good. Tubes or grubs tipped with sucker meat are producing hits in 50' to 100' of water. Rainbows are still breaking the surface feeding on bugs. Fly and bubble, spinners and shallow running crank baits should produce some hits. Rainbows are also in the fast water were the river runs into the lake. Number 2 and 3 spinners are catching fish. Trollers are catching a few Kokanee Salmon and Rainbows. Small Kokanee schools are running between 15' to 30'. Northern Pike remain slow but but the bite is picking up. The lake was just stocked with 350,000 fingerling Kokanee which will reduce the Northern bite in the boat ramp bay until they move to deeper water. Floating crank baits and spoons/spinners are producing hits. Fishing the warm corners of the bays and choppy water is your best bet. Randy Hall - Guide, Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby is fishing excellent for rainbows along the shorelines. Worms or powerboat seem to be the most productive. Check the backs of weedy coves for trout rising in the evenings. This is a great opportunity to catch trout on a fly or a small spoon. Cast at the rises. Browns can still be caught along the rocks, crawdad and minnow colored jigs are working best early or late in the day.  Lake trout are eating tubes, power minnows, spoons jigged while the trollers are doing well on minnow imitating crank baits and spoons. Lake trout are continuing to move deeper as the summer progresses. Look in 50-80 feet of water.  

Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in the middle park area for over 25 years. For more info please like "Fishing with Bewrnie" on Facebook or visit www.fishingwithbernie.com.

Middle Park fishing report for 6-13-2017

Here is you Middle Park fishing report for the week of June 13th.

Williams Fork Fishing Report

Surface temp was 57 at 6AM. Recent winds have mixed warmer surface water with subsurface water sending the Lake Trout a little deeper than last week. Lake Trout bite is slow to fair. Tubes or grubs tipped with sucker meat are producing some hits in 50' to 100' of water. Rainbows are feeding on bugs on the surface. Fly and bubble, spinners and shallow running crank baits should produce some hits. Trollers are catching a few Kokanee Salmon and Rainbows. Small Kokanee schools are running between 15' to 30'. Northern Pike remain slow but can be found in shallow water on a sunny day. The lake was just stocked with fingerling Rainbow's which will reduce the Northern bite for a couple of weeks. Floating crank baits and spoons/spinners are producing an occasional hit. Fishing choppy water is your best bet. Randy Hall - Guide, Fishing with Bernie

Grand Lake

Grand Lake fishing has been fair to good.  The water is warming into the low 50’s by the afternoon and clarity approximately 8ft.  The inlets are running full and dumping lots of water into the lake, the current in the channel to Shadow is very strong and there is lots of floating debris around the lake,  use caution while boating.  Rainbows are biting well from shore on worms below a bobber throughout the day and Browns are being caught with more aggressive tactics such as crankbaits, spoons and spinners.  Lake trout fishing is fair  we are finding fish scattered throughout the lake on the drop offs 50 to 100’ deep.  Tube jigs and jigging spoons, the Reelbait Plane Jane spoon in various colors depending on the day has been the go to bait.  – Dan Shannon, Guide – Fishing with Bernie

Lake Granby,

The water is warming to the mid 50's in the morning and close to 60 by 5pm. Rainbows fishing is awesome near running water. We were catching lots of rainbows with a size 8 Eagle Claw snelled hook, split shot and a piece of worm. Cast it out and reel it in slowly. Brown trout are still hanging around the shorelines, cloudy, windy weather or when the sun is behind the mountains is a great time to throw lures along rocky shorelines. Lake trout are continuing their move from shallow water. Tube jigs, spoons, spinners and crank baits are catching lake trout in 20-80 feet of water. 

For more information, tips or to book a trip please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com . Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in the Middle Park area for over 25 years.

Middle Park area fishing report 6-5-2017

Lake Granby

Water temps are in the 50's in the morning. The lake is filling 1/2-1' a day. Please. be careful there is a lot of floating debris on the lake. Rainbow fishing is great around the inlets, those willing to hike into Columbine bay from Shadow Man spillway will be rewarded with some great fly fishing. Browns are still eating minnows and crawdads around the rocky areas during low light periods, tubes, jerk baits and spoons are all producing fish. Lake trout have started to move out of the shallow water. They can still be caught from the banks, try casting to steep dropping shorelines. Boaters are doing well with tubes, hair jigs, spoons and minnow style baits. 

Grand Lake 6.5.17

 Water is coming in fast right now,  all the inlets are full.  Lots of floating debris in the water be careful out there!  The water temp is in the upper 40’s in the morning and warming to low 50’s by the afternoon.  Water clarity is 3-4ft.  Fishing has been good, fish are active and feeding.  Rainbows and browns are biting on floating Rapalas and X-Raps cast from shore or trolled along the shore lines.  The lake trout are being caught between 35 and 80 ft on spoons tipped with sucker fishing up and down the drop offs.   Get out and enjoy the water here in Grand County, summer is not far off!  Dan Shannon – Guide, Fishing with Bernie

Williams Fork Fishing Report

Surface temp is in the low 50's. Lake Trout bite is slow to fair. Tubes or grubs tipped with sucker meat are producing hits in 50' to 100' of water. Rainbows are feeding on bugs on the surface. Fly and bubble, spinners and shallow running crank baits should produce some hits. Trollers are catching a few Kokanee Salmon. Small schools are running at 30'. Northern Pike remain slow but can be found in shallow water on a sunny day. Floating crank baits and spoons/spinners are producing an occasional hit. Fishing choppy water is your best bet. Randy Hall - Guide, Fishing with Bernie 

For more information, tips or to book a trip please check out www.fishingwithbernie.com . Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in the Middle Park area for over 25 years.

Middle Park area fishing report 5-30-2017

Grand lake has been fishing fair to good depending on the weather.   Water clarity is approximately 6ft, with lots of water coming in.  Best time to be out is early and late.   Brown trout and rainbow trout are biting on worms,  chrome spinners,  and crankbaits fished along the shorelines. Lake trout are moving deeper as the water warms and can be caught fishing the drop offs with tube jigs and sucker meat,   the depth varies depending on the day but typically between 30-75 ft.   Dan Shannon - Guide,  Fishing with Bernie

Granby has been great for rainbows, browns and lakers. The water temp still has a few lake trout shallow, with the warm weather forecasted the fish could be moving deeper. Lakers are biting on crank baits, jigs and bait. Rainbows will continue to swim along the shorelines. Worms, powerbait and spoons are working well. Moving water seems to attract a lot of rainbows. Browns have been chasing crank baits during lowlight periods and jigs while the un is up. Fishing around rocks has been very successful.

Williams Fork has been good for lake trout. Tubes with sucker meat and spoons have been producing some good fish. Pike fishing has been slow. The warming water should help the bite out a little. Try fishing the windy side of the lake in the afternoons. Rainbows are being caught along the shorelines. Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in Grand county for over 25 years.

Middle Park area fishing report 5-22-2017

The spring like conditions are keeping a lot of fish in the shallow water. The water temps in the 3 lakes area are still below 50 degrees.

Rainbows are eating worms, flies, power bait and an assortment of lures. Fishing seems to be best around running water and in the backs of coves.

Brown trout can be caught around rocks with crank baits, spoons jigs and worms. Fishing has been best during cloudy, windy and wet conditions.

Lake trout have been caught from 5-100 feet deep on an assortment of lures and bait. We have been getting limits of 17-19" lake trout on Havoc tubes with a small piece of sucker meat attached. Trollers have been doing very well on Kastmaster and Krocodile spoons along with crank baits.

Bernie Keefe has been a fishing guide in Grand county for over 25 years. For more information www.fishingwithbernie.com or https://www.facebook.com/Fis

Surefire Spring Trout Strategies

Submitted by Bernie Keefe

on Thu, 03/30/2017 - 08:21

Late winter is a time of transition for trout and the anglers who pursue them. Admittedly, figuring out productive patterns while shifting from ice fishing to open-water mode can be intimidating, but those who know where and how to tackle spring trout can enjoy some of the year’s best fishing.

“Rainbow trout are a great example,” says veteran trout guide Bernie Keefe. “They’re active, hungry and willing to bite.”

Keefe targets tributaries and lakes in the Colorado high country a short cast west of Denver, but his spring rainbow strategies produce results in systems across the continent.

One part of his game plan hinges on the spring spawning run. “Lake-run rainbows migrate into tributary streams, and resident river fish may also move upstream and even into smaller tributaries,” he explains. “They run up rivers and streams until they find suitable spawning sites, which usually offer the right mix of gravel and riffles.”

Keefe doesn’t disturb spawning fish, preferring to let them focus on their efforts to continue the species. Instead, he keys on areas just below spawning sites. “With a good pair of polarized glasses, you can often see the spots where trout have cleaned mud or silt off the gravel for their spawning beds,” he says. “When you spot a bedding area, watch for dark shadows moving around just downstream. These trout are feeding on eggs and ripe for the catching.”

Small, egg-imitating jigs like the Clam Caviar Drop Jig are a top pick for such situations. “Because you’re sight-fishing trout in shallow water, often only 10 feet away from the bank, swinging the bait gently out to the fish with a lob-style cast is key,” he adds.

To execute such maneuvers, he gears up with a medium-light power, 7-foot, moderately fast action Fenwick HMX spinning rod spooled with 6-pound-test Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon line. “A long rod allows you to swing the jig out for a quiet splashdown just upstream of the fish,” he says. “Let the jig fall to bottom, then, holding the rodtip high, bounce the jig downstream. When the jig stops or you feel a bite, set the hook.”

While the rainbow’s wariness is legendary, Keefe says the smorgasbord of eggs drifting down from the beds often overrides such caution. “There’s so much food coming down to the fish, they get so caught up in feeding you can often catch five or six fish from one spot,” he says.

Keefe also bounces egg-imitating jigs in deeper holes, where trout hold en route to feeding and spawning areas. “Doll flies, tubes and marabou jigs also work in the holes,” he adds. “These resting fish aren’t moving much, so methodically work each hole before pulling the plug on it. The good news is, if you get bit, chances are there’s more than one fish down there.”

To cap off a perfect day on the tributaries, Keefe often heads for the lake in late afternoon. “Whether the ice is off or just starting to pull away from the bank, shorecasting open water off points, along dark

shorelines and near incoming streams is a great way to pick up a few more fish before calling it a day,” he says. “Low-light conditions toward evening are great, but the fish may bite all day long if it’s overcast. Small jerkbaits like Berkley Flicker Shads and Flicker Minnows work great.”

Keefe also throws 3- to 4-inch softbaits such as a Berkley Gulp! Jerk Shad or PowerBait Minnow on a 1/8- to 3/8-ounce jig head, directing long casts toward deep water offshore. “Let the jig fall to bottom and swim it back by raising your rodtip, then reeling in slack as you lower the rod back toward the water,” he says.

Together with the tributary tactics, Keefe’s lakeshore tricks offer the means to enjoy great rainbow trout fishing during the dreaded seasonal transition as winter fades away. Use them to make this your best spring yet.

Middle Park area fishing report 3-29-17

The ice is off of Wolford and Williams Fork. Trout fishing is awesome early and late in the day. Crank baits, ice jigs under a bobber, spoons, bait, tubes are all working very well.

The rivers are fishing very well with an assortment of nymphs, small crank baits and other lures.

Granby and Grand Lake still have ice, a snow movie went through the ice on Granby last week. It took 2 guys all day to get it out, proceed with caution and at your own risk.