Weekly Fishing Reports — Fishing With Bernie

Grand County Fishing Report 2/24/2023

Grand Lake- Currently, the lake is in very good condition, especially if you plan on fishing the areas with quite a bit of traffic. Ice is averaging 8-15” throughout the lake. The area in front of the pump canal can be very dangerous as water flows out of Shadow Mountain so please use extreme caution in this area. The rainbows and browns have been eggar to strike a well-presented tungsten jig in the shallows, very early in the morning. CLAM Pro Tackle’s Drop kick and caviar jigs have been a pretty solid bet for us this year. Concentrate your efforts in 5-12 feet of water and as the day gets warmer, slide off into the deeper water and utilize a flashier type of hardware like a small spoon. Lake trout are still taking the typical Grand Lake presentations. Small tubes and grub type jigs have been very good as of late in the 30-60 foot range. If fishing these lake trout over the deeper water, keep your eye out for the suspended fish. This late in the season, it’s not uncommon to see fish suspended in well over 100’ in depth. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork- Certain areas still have some slush on top of the ice and are difficult to navigate through when traveling on foot. The lake is at around 44% of capacity so the usual walks are a bit longer than past years. The fishing for all species other than lake trout has been fairly slow for us as of lake. Late trout are super hungry and have been slamming small grub style jigs like a Simcoe Bug when tipped with a small piece of sucker meat. Again, load that jig up with some craw or shrimp scent for best results. We are concentrating our efforts in 40-70 feet of water right now for the hungry lakers. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Lake Granby- With the latest sub-zero temperatures and lighter snow storms mixed with some very strong winds, the lake is really starting to firm up quite nicely. There are still some very problematic, slushy, wet areas around the center of the lake so please use extreme caution, the slush monster is not quite 100% gone yet. The black ice is averaging 8-12” below the frozen slush layer that is up to 14 or so inches thick right now. Rainbows and browns are starting to stack up in the inlet areas. As soon as runoff starts, these will be fantastic areas to concentrate on for these fish. Right now, the key to the rainbows is to fish early and stay as quiet as possible on the ice. Small jigs tipped with a wax worm are fishing the best. Lake Trout are continuing to produce quite well, even as we get closer to spring. We are still finding fish in almost every depth range throughout the lake. With the high water this year, pay special attention to shoreline features and structure for the early morning bite in the shallows. As the day progresses, we are pushing off into deeper water in search of the numbers that are showing up. If you find one fish right now, you will usually find a whole pile of them. 40-50 feet of water has been producing best for us. JCP grubs and small tubes have been our top producers in more “natural” like colors. When fishing these lake trout, don’t forget to load that jig up with some scent and tip them with a very small piece of sucker meat no bigger than a finger nail. A lot of our fish have been chasing baits up to 15’ off the bottom and it’s a ton of fun when you can get them to bite in those conditions. 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

Grand County Fishing Report 2/17/2023

Grand Lake - Travel conditions are still slushy in areas, but improved. Fishing for Rainbows and Browns has been fair for the first hour of day light in 6-10’ of water once the bite slows its time to bump out deeper to stay on fish. Ice flies, maribou jigs and micro tubes have been working well, tip with a wax worm or butter worm to entice finicky fish. Lake trout action has been slow to fair depending on the day. We are seeing increasing numbers of suspended fish but finding the majority still working the bottom in 40-85’ of water. Using electronics to locate fish has been key, once you find them they are biting a variety of baits such as glow grubs, tungsten jig with silkie, tubes, flutter spoons and hair jigs. Add a small piece of sucker and pay close attention to detect the light bites. Dan Shannon, Guide Fishing with Bernie.

Williams Fork - Water Level 44%. Recent snow has made movement on the lake tougher with snow and slush in areas on the lake. Lake trout can be found 50 to 70 feet of water on the bottom. Small tungsten heads tipped with sucker meat have been producing alot of fish. Moving around on structure in these depths has been the key to finding and catching lake trout. Fishing for rainbows and kokanee has been slow as the lake is not being stocked right now due to gill lice. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar

Lake Granby - Water Level 82%. Travel conditions continue to improve, but still some large slush pockets to contend with. Fishing has been fair for rainbows and browns, the key is to fish early and late, then locate the rocky shorelines that hold active fish. Micro tubes, small spoons, and ice flies in pink or white have been most consistent. Lake trout action has been fair, finding most active fish in 40-70’. Jig tipped with a dark natural colored tube or grub and a small piece of fresh sucker has been producing, but keep a glow tube or grub , or blade bait handy for when the bite slows to change it up and entice a few extra 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 2/10/23

Grand Lake - 12”+ of ice in most places with deep snow and slush in spots. Fishing has been fair for all species. Best rainbow and brown trout action is along the rocky shorelines early in the day. Small ice flies, maribou jigs and brightly colored tungsten jigs tipped with wax worm will produce fish. Lake trout are being caught in 30-70’ of water, Small glow grubs and tubes tipped with a small piece of sucker worked right on the bottom will produce bites. Keep an eye out on you electronics for suspended fish as well, we are starting to see a few cruising around. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon

Williams Fork Reservoir - Water level is at 44%. 12”+ of ice, some snow and slush forming with recent snows. Fishing for lake trout has been fair. Most fish are being caught between 45 and 55 feet of water. Small plastics (1 - 2 inch) and tungsten jig heads tipped with sucker meat are producing most of the fish. When the bite slows down moving around on the structure you are fishing will produce more bites.  Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar

Lake Granby - Water level is at 82%. With the recent cold temps machine travel is improving. Use caution and be prepared for if you get stuck, deep snow and slush are still very present. Fishing for rainbow trout and brown trout has been fair. Look for them in 10-15’ along rocky shorlines and main lake points. Pink and white tungsten ice flies, Dropkick jigs tipped with a silkie or micro tubes are producing well. Fishing for lake trout has been fair to good depending on the day. Fish have moved a step deeper as is typical in February. Most productive depths have been 40-75’ on top of structure with deeper water close by. Tubes, grubs, spoons and a plain tungsten jig tipped with a piece of sucker skin have been producing bites. Color varies by the day with darker colors and glow working best on most days. 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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