Grand County Fishing Report Week of 3/14/22

Grand Lake - With the heavy snow that has hit the lake in the past couple of weeks and springtime conditions hitting the County a few times a week comes a different strategy when planning a trip on Grand Lake. The best entrance and exit points are from main lake areas but the freshest fist have been found away from the community holes. Rainbows are starting to think about moving water again and that means we have to move towards where the spawn will take place. We suggest focusing efforts on river channels and being in the nearby areas. Match the hatch- scuds and crustaceans will produce the best. Now is the time in the year to think “natural” when selecting a color. Soft plastics drop shotted have been the best bait as of late in 2-15 feet of water. Lake trout are definitely getting ready for their ice out pattern and that means there is a suspended bite right now. Hole hop, fish a lot of water and find those fish. Once you have found the area they are at, stay planted, you might just have the best day of dishing yet. Fish these suspenders with something that will draw attention. Spoons have been best. —Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork - Snow and slush has been the experience on the lake lately. If you’re headed out be prepared for both and WATERPROOF boots are a necessity. Lake trout fishing for numbers has been good in 40-80’ of water with small plastics tipped with sucker meat, or a small tungsten jig with just sucker meat. Stay attentive to your rod those bites are light! As the weather continues to warm we expecting the larger predatory pike and lakers to start being active in the shallows, so don’t be afraid to venture from those deeper parts of lake.

Lake Granby - Lake is currently 41 ft low. Travel by foot or machine varies depending on location on the lake. The conditions change from snow to slush the farther east and away from the boat ramps you travel. Be prepared for lots of deep slush and snow, have waterproof footwear and a plan to get un-stuck. Fishing has been picking up lately with the rainbows congregating in the inlet areas and feeding at first light. Small ice flies and tungsten jigs in pink and white are working best. For brown trout find rocks and work a more aggressive jigging action with spoon or minnow imitation bait. Lake trout are still being found at a variety of depths from 20’ to 85’. Natural colored plastics such as tubes or grubs tipped with sucker has been the go to bait, but have a bait that glows as well as this seems to trigger the more passive fish. The ice is still holding up but average temps are increasing daily and conditions can change fast as spring approaches, stay safe as you head out on the 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 2/28/22

Grand Lake - Spring is right around the corner in Grand Lake. Some days are warm to almost “hot” and other days are still well below zero. Nevertheless, the ice continues to grow and it is reaching two feet right now. With that said, make sure you have sharp blades on your auger because it’s going to take a little while to get down and reach the water. The rainbow and brown trout fishing has been a little spotty as of late due to the amount of fishing pressure that the lake has seen over the last couple of weeks. Finding “fresh” fish is what will really drive success and that means moving around a lot. Don’t be afraid to venture into uncharted territory, away from the community holes, in order to find the most willing fish. When you do find them, we suggest fishing something flashy like a small Leech Flutter Spoon one one rod and a small, bright colored tungsten jig tipped with a waxie on the hook. The Lake trout seem to be holding their own right now with the best bite happening pretty early in the morning. Most of the fish we are catching are in 40-90 feet on gradual slopes or points. The suspended bite has been red hot one day and nonexistent the next but keep your eye glued to the full water column on your fish finder. When the suspenders show up, bring that jig up about 2-5’ above the fish and watch them charge to eat your bait. It’s a lot of fun. Dark colored tubes/soft plastics have been working well on the fish towards the bottom and brighter, flashier colors have been working best for the suspenders. As spring progresses, we stress that everyone keep their distance from the pump area and the inlets. Water will start to flow soon and that will change the ice conditions in minutes. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork - With the recent snow travel has become more difficult with slush present and a big factor in your day, make sure you have appropriate footwear to deal with the slushy conditions. Lake trout bite has been slow to moderate with most fish being caught in 50 to 70 feet of water. Small plastics (less than 2 inches) tipped with sucker meat have produced most of the fish. On days with tougher bites staying mobile and moving around has produced more bites. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Sam Hochevar

Lake Granby - With the recent snow comes a bit more slush, but overall travel conditions are good on the lake. Rainbow and Brown Trout fishing has been fair. The key has been finding those transition areas from rock to mud or the edges of drop offs. Typical baits are still getting bit such as small spoons or tungsten tipped with a waxie, but location is key. Lake trout bite has been fair to good depending on the day. Mobility, finesse and attention to details has been the key to success this past week. We are finding fish in 35-70ft of water, and finesse baits in mysis imitations such as a small tungsten with Clam Silkie or small panfish tube have been very productive baits. As always don’t forget your tube jigs, as some days the larger profile baits are out producing the small baits, and a little fresh sucker meat tipped on your jig can be a big help. 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