Grand County Fishing Report Week of 1/24/22

Grand Lake - The low temperatures remain below zero degrees, the ice is definitely thickening on the lake. Currently, the cap is averaging about 10 inches in most places and the fishing is holding fairly strong. Hitting the ice early in the morning seems to be very important right now with a lot of traffic venturing out as the morning progresses. Rainbows and browns seem to have changed what they are eating as of late, and the bite is really starting to turn to more of a finesse pattern. Natural colors and well presented soft plastics are getting the most bites right now. When determining what to tie on the end of your line right now, think about “matching the hatch”. On Grand Lake, this means small nymph type plastics and very small jigs. Don’t be afraid to explore sections of the shoreline that have not seen a lot of pressure as of late. Finding fresh fish and staying as mobile as possible is really key right now. Our best bites have been on jigs in the 1/64-1/80 oz weights and tipped with a natural-colored soft plastic or a wax worm/spike. The earlier you can get on the ice, the better your chances are at having a good bite. As the day progresses, don’t be afraid to venture out into the 20’ depths looking for hungry fish. Now that we are close to the beginning of February, the lake trout seem to be a little bit spread out. We are now starting to see the suspended fish showing up over deeper than usual depths. Small spoons tipped with a small piece of meat have been the beat producers when you find the suspended fish. Additionally, there has been some action when jigging the bottom but these fish are starting to show up a little deeper than they were in the past couple of weeks. We would suggest that you focus you efforts in the 50-70 foot range when targeting the lake trout. At these depths, you will find a bottom bite as well as the suspended fish. When fishing the bottom, small tube jigs have been producing the beat in the past lake and like the rainbows and browns, think “natural” when determining what color of tube jig you would like to drop. A very small piece of sucker meat will not at all hurt your chances at some table fare. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork - The ice conditions on the lake have been good for foot travel with limited new snow its been easy to get around. The fishing has mostly been fair as it is trending towards that mid ice pattern. Lake trout are being caught in depths between 45-70’. We typically have to move one or two times to find the groups of fish that are interesting in biting. Downsizing our baits has been key to success with small ice flies or tungsten tipped with sucker worked right on bottom being our best bait. While fishing for smaller lake trout have a bigger bait handy as the the larger fish seem to come through at unpredictable times in the same spots as the small lake trout. Pike fishing has been generally slow, with an occasional fish caught in some of the shallow bays on reaction type baits, like lipless crankbaits or large jigging raps.

Lake Granby - Fishing has definitely been dependent on the day, though still generally a good bite. Ice conditions are varied from 6-12” with growing areas of slush, some of them are currently quite large and deep the farther east on the lake you go. Rainbows and Browns are most active early in the day. Look for rainbow trout in them 12’ and shallower range and target areas with current or moving water like creek inlets. Tungsten jig tipped with wax worm or a small finesse spoon in pink or white seems to be most productive. Brown trout are being caught along the natural rocky shorelines or transition area between mud and rocks. Small tubes, minnow imitations or aggressively worked Leech Flutter spoon has been most productive baits. Lake trout bite has been tougher as of late, we are having to move often to find the groups of fish who are willing to bite. Most productive depths have been 50-72' with small panfish tubes, tungsten jigs tipped with sucker or a bright colored spoon. Going to be a busy and fun weekend on the ice for the 3 Lakes Fishing Contest, stay safe and hope to see you at the weigh station! 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 1/17/22

Grand Lake - Already starting to fish a little but different due to the amount of pressure that the fish are seeing. Now that the ice is gaining much needed thickness, a lot of the lake is now possible to access. Hopping around and changing depths seems to be the game right now. On my last guided trip, I drilled roughly 60 holes that day to find that special depth and structure. The rainbows and brows have still been in the shallows (5-9') but have been sliding off quite a bit deeper as soon as the sun starts to penetrate the ice. Once the sun rises, we tend to do better in the 20-25 foot range. By far, the most productive baits for us have been the CLAM Leech Flutter Spoon or a small Simcoe Bug by SiFlies tipped with a waxworm or spike (I like spikes because they last longer). When fishing the deep water, pay special attention to the entire water column because the rainbows have a tendency to come in suspended and that is a really fun bite. The lake trout have been pretty active as of late despite the crowds. All fish we caught in the past week were on small tube jigs tipped with a piece of sucker meat. Color didnt seems to matter just as long at the jig was fished as slow as possible and touching the bottom on every jig stroke. Again, start a bit shallower in the early morning (20-30') and slide off into the depths (40-70') as the sun hits the ice. The bite has generally been tapering off around 11:00 am.  Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork - We have had some crisp and cold days in the negatives and ice has been growing well. 8-10" of good ice with minimal snow pack, there is some slush pockets around the west end but most of the lake is easy traveling. The road grader made its way around the lake so parking has been much easier with more options. Top producing baits have still been small jig heads with meat, flutter spoons, and tube jigs. I have seen some good action from fish chasing far up the water collum but it has been day by day. If fish are chasing vertical then 3-8" flukes have been getting lots of attention but the hook up ratio has been low. Depth ranges from 40-70FOW have been the most productive zones for my groups this week.  Fishing with Bernie Guide, Rhett Feltman.

Lake Granby - Ice conditions vary lake wide right now. We are seeing 4” to 10” of ice depending on location, with quite a few slush pockets for this early in the season. Also starting to see some ice heaves as the ice sheet grows, be very cautious traveling on this early ice and have your safety gear on hand. Fishing has been good for all species. Rainbow trout are being caught in water under 8’ on small spoons, or tungsten jigs tipped with a wax worm, chartreuse or pink have been best colors. Target the areas where water is moving into the lake. Brown trout are biting best along the rocky shorelines, black maribou jigs or 1.5” tube jigs worked just off bottom tight to the rocks has been most consistent. Lake trout - currently catching fish at various depths 20’-65’. Key has been moving to find the active fish. Most productive baits right now have been dark colored plastics such as tubes, grubs and minnow imitations. Tipping with sucker or using a scent does not seem to matter if you are in the right location. 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 1/10/22

Finally! With the recent storms and cold temperatures in the county, Ice Fishing is starting to kick off on the nearby lakes. The snow has put some tremendous weight on the thin ice causing for some very inconsistent ice conditions. We always ask that Ice Anglers please keep in mind that safety comes first when venturing out on the ice and ask not to forget to pack your safety gear. First Aid Kits, Throw Ropes, Spud Bars and making sure that you are properly dressed for the conditions are just a few suggestions to make sure when planning an trip. By looking at the extended forecast, conditions will improve. We are only a couple of weeks away from the 3 Lakes Ice Fishing Contest and we cant wait to see all of the new and familiar faces.

Lake Granby- The lake is completely capped and the ice is very inconsistent throughout the lake. There are areas holing at 3” of ice and there are areas with six inches. Testing the ice as you walk out is very important right now during this phase of the season. Currently, we are NOT seeing many snowmobiles or other off-road vehicles quite yet. Rainbows and Browns have been pretty active in the early mornings before the sun beats down on the ice. These fish are definitely keying on shallow structure like rocks, river channels and points in about 7-15 feet of water. The best presentations for these fish have been small jigs tipped with a wax worm or a small plastic on a dead stick. With the second rod, a search and attractor lure like a Tikka Minnow or Leech flutter spoon have also been producing. The lake trout have been biting fairly well for the guys walking out looking for some deeper water. Most of the fish have been being caught on small tube jigs with a piece of sucker meat in 25-45 feet of water. The early mornings have been best with the bite tapering off around 11:00 am. With the lake gaining more ice on a daily basis, more areas will open up giving more opportunities to target specific areas that hold fish. Please keep in mind that the lake is VERY low this year and areas will fish differently that years past. We suggest that you look at a map and put a game plan together before venturing out. - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork-   Ice conditions are relatively good, some slush pockets are to be found and the ice is anywhere from 3-6" thick that I have found. A spud bar is still going to be essential the next few days as I have heard reports of thin ice near the inlet and around the west end points. Roads are not being maintained around the lake so your best bet is to park in the main lot or near the dam. Most of our snow has been blown off the lake so walking is manageable. The lake has been fishing well for all classes of fish. Small and large fish have been found from 30-50 FOW. The hottest baits have been a bare jig head with an small piece of meat or a spoon jigged aggressively. Lots of fish are showing aggression to baits that are falling towards the bottom. Don't be afraid to quickly pull a bait several feet away from a fish, just to have it fall back down and get hit on the way. Move until you find the fish your after and then work through them until they shut down. At that point you can either wait for a new pod to move in or relocate to fresh fish.  Fishing with Bernie Guide, Rhett Feltman.

Grand Lake-   The ice season has started off strong on Grand Lake. Ice conditions do very throughout the lake but for the most part, we are finding 4-9 inches. Snow has become a problem accessing the water on the East end of the lake but is still very manageable. Rainbows and Browns have been eager to eat small jigs  early in the morning in the shallow water next to shore. The most effective patterns have been 1/16th-1/80th oz jigs like the CLAM Caviar, Drop Kick as well as the Leech Flutter Spoon fished in 5-11 feet of water between 6:00 and 9:00 am. Lake Trout have also been chomping pretty well on 2-3” tube jigs tipped with a small piece of sucker meat in 30-70 feet of water and fished very slowly and as close to the bottom as possible. Please pay special attention to you electronics when fishing for lake trout on Grand because you never know when that hungry suspended fish will come in looking for its next meal. One of our Guides found some brookies the other day while fishing with some clients and that just shows that you never know what you are going to hook into out of this lake. -  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