Grand County Fishing Report 8/28/2023

Grand Lake - Boat Ramp Hours are 6am-8pm. Water temperature is in the mid 60’s. Daily traffic on the lake has started to slow. Fishing for rainbow trout and brown trout has been fair. Kastmasters, Flutter spoons and small crankbaits have been producing fish. Best action has been early and late in the day along the shallow to deep water breaks or in the inlets where water is cooler. Lake trout action has been fair to good depending on the day. Look for the lake trout in 50-100ft of water, down size your presentation and pay close attention as these fish bite light! A dark colored head 1/4-3/8oz, with a glow grub tipped with a small piece of fresh sucker has been a great producer lately. Look for some suspended fish moving through as well and have a spoon handy as the suspended fish when they are around are eager to bite that more active presentation. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM. Water capacity is at 98%. With the recent rains inflow has temporally increased to 203cfs, out flow is 115cfs. Surface temp is 67 warming a degree or two by mid-day. Visibility is excellent at 12 to 15 feet. I don't really know if all the recent storm fronts effected the Lake Trout bite, or if the dog days of summer finally hit, or a combination of both... but the Lake Trout bite has slowed dramatically from my last report. Look for all age groups in 70 to 90 feet of water. This last week brightly colored jigs or tubes tipped with sucker meat and scent fished gently on the bottom produced a bite every 20 to 30 minutes. Small Brown Trout have been active in the inlet and along the rock cliffs north of the boat ramp early AM. Due to low population density Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon are slow. Please practice catch and release on all Northern Pike. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Randy H.

Lake Granby - Boat Ramp hours are 6am-8pm 7 days a week with both Stillwater and Sunset ramps open. Water level is dropping and is currently at 95% or approximately 4 ft low. Water temperatures are hovering in the high 60’s. Fishing for rainbow and brown trout has been fair. Best action has been in the early evenings until sunset. Best action is on a slip bobber with either a small atomic tube or piece of worm. Drift this presentation in the current around the inlet creeks or cast and retrieve very slowly along the rocky dam faces. Some success is also reported by trollers or casting shorelines with pink spinners or spoons. Lake trout action has remained very good. Starting to see some groups of fish who are lure shy, but with a move to another location and plenty of eager fish to bite. Look for lake trout in 60-90 ft of water. 3/8oz jig head with a contrasting color head and small natural colored plastic tube, grub or crawfish imitation tipped with sucker has been best producing bait. When dealing with finicky fish, don’t forget your spoons or minnow imitation baits, that change of pace can turn on negative 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 8/14/23

Grand Lake - Boat ramp hours 6am-8pm. Fishing has been good for all species. Rainbow trout and brown trout action has been best early and late in the day. Target the inlet areas of lake where the cool water is entering the lake. Small natural colored jerkbaits and silver colored spoons worked with an erratic lift-pause retrieve have been producing fish. Look for lake trout in 50-90ft of water. A 3/8oz jig head with contrasting colored plastic body such as a fuzz-e-grub, tipped with a small piece of sucker has been working well. Stay mobile and cover water to keep on the actively biting groups of fish, this will greatly improve success throughout your day. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. Water capacity is at 100%. At last report both inflow and outflow are 61cfs. With last week's cool weather, the surface temp has dropped to 65, warming to 70 on sunny days. Visibility is about 12 feet. Lake Trout jigging is good if you don't fish the same ol pressured spots. Juvenile keeper size fish are eager to bite most any small plastics fished tight to the bottom tipped with sucker meat. When the bite drops off try adding your favorite scent, if that doesn't work... it's time to move. Look for all age groups in 50 to 90 feet of water. Big Lake Trout have checked the calendar and knows it's the "Dog Days of Summer". This time of year, extreme patience is required to hook up with a big Laker. Sitting on active juvenile Lakers can be a plus to hunting big Lakers as they are now the primary food source. Brown Trout have been active in the inlet and long the rocky shoreline north of the boat ramp. Small spinners or jerk baits fished early AM, and around sunset should produce some hits. Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon are slow due to low population. Northern Pike is slow. Once or twice a week I hear a report of someone catching one. As with Lake Trout, Northern Pike's food source has also changed, I keep finding Northerns where they've never been before. Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught to help sustain a declining population. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Randy H.

Lake Granby - Boat ramp hours are 6am-8pm. Stillwater and Sunset ramps are now open 7 days a week. Water temperature is in the upper 60’s in morning and reching low 70’s by the afternoon. Lake is at 97% capacity or approximately 2ft below full pool. Fishing for rainbow and brown trout has been fair, with the best action right at sunrise in the mouth of the creek inlets. A carefully drifted worm, gulp minnow or slow and steady retrieval of a vibramax spinner has been producing fish. Lake trout action has remained excellent. Look for fish in 45-90ft of water, brightly colored 3/8oz jig head with a white or glow body tipped with sucker has been producing numbers of fish. Key locations seem to be the structure along the main lake channels, stay moving to keep on the active groups of fish once biting slows. When targeting larger fish the key is to find the kokanee and the lake trout won’t be far away. 6” and larger tubes or minnow imitations in kokanee colors have been producing bites with the best action being early in the day. Please practice catch and release with quick, careful handling of these larger fish, some can be 30+ years old! 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 8/7/23

Grand Lake - Boat ramps are open 6am-8pm 7 days a week. Water temp is in the upper 60’s and fishing remains good. Rainbow trout and Brown trout action is good along the docks and inlets with 1/8oz Blue Fox spinners with pink or silver blades or small crank baits. Trollers are reporting success with cow bells and pink spinners tipped with small piece of worm inBlack or glow colored grub tipped with sucker meat worked right on the bottom is producing good early in the mornings. When the lake starts to get busy with traffic, its time to fish flutter spoons and blade baits to get more of a reaction bite, tip with a small piece of sucker for the extra enticement but don’t make it too big so it effects how the jig works. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Dan Shannon.

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. Water capacity is holding at just under 100%. With all the recent rain inflow has increased to 157cfs, outflow is 92cfs. Looks like surface temps may have reached the summer high of 67 early am warming to 72 mid-day. Visibility is good, I lose sight of jigs at about 12 feet. Lake Trout fishing is still good early AM while the fish are actively feeding, but by time the chill has left the air the bite gets slow until late afternoon. Keeper size fish are eager to bite small tubes or grubs tipped with sucker meat worked gently on the bottom. Start adding scent when the bite slows. I'm seeing mixed age groups in 50 to 90 feet of water. Big Lakers are feeding on small Lakers, so sitting on juvenile fish can be a good thing. Brown Trout have been active early am biting small spinners in the inlet where the river meets the lake. Browns can also be found along the rock cliffs north of the boat ramp. Rainbow Trout, Kokanee Salmon and Northern Pike are slow due to low population. Please practice catch and release on all Northern's caught. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Randy H.

Lake Granby - Water Level is 98%. Boat ramp hours are 6am-8pm at Sunset Ramp 7 days a week and Stillwater ramp Friday-Sunday. Surface water temps are in the upper 60’s in the morning warming to about 72 by the afternoon. Fishing for rainbow trout and brown trout has been fair. Target 10-20ft depths for these fish along the rocky dam faces or in the areas of moving water. Pink and silver spoons, spinners and worms drifted under a float have been working well early and late in the day. Lake trout action has been very good to excellent depending on the day. Look for the most active fish on main lake structure in 50-90ft of water. A 3/8oz or 1/2 oz Chartreuse jig head with a glow or purple grub jigged slowly on the bottom has been producing good numbers of fish. A contrasting colored jig head seems to help as well as moving until you find an active pod of fish. The bite for the larger fish is as good as it gets right now, a larger presentation like 6” plus tube jigs, in natural colors such as green, brown, or gray has been the ticket. Slow down that presentation to maximize the number of bites you get. Please practice good techniques and quick release, limiting time out of water with all released fish in these warmer water temperatures. 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 7/31/23

Grand Lake - Grand Lake continues to fish very well for all species now that the water temps have stabilized. The lake continues to be very busy and timing is everything when looking for fish. Try to get on the water as early as possible and find the “fresh fish” for the day before they start to get pressured. Rainbow and Brown fishing is still very strong in the early morning hours. The typical jerkbait bite remains strong up until the sun starts to beam down on the water and the fish move a bit deeper. After the sun comes up and really starts to warm the surface, don’t be afraid to break out the trolling gear and drag the same jerks around on a small amount of leadcore. Keep a close eye on your electronics and adjust your depths according to what distance from the top the fish are holding in. One good tip is to make sure your baits are running above the fish and not below them. This time of year we are using more “natural” colored baits as they provide a little more finesse to your presentation. Dynamic HD Trout, Tazmanian Devils and countdown rapalas have been producing the best for us as of lake. The Lake trout are grouping up pretty well on structure and are eager to smash a well presented soft plastic tipped with a very small amount of sucker meat. Currently, we are finding most of the hungry fish in about 50-90 feet of water. When fishing over the deeper water, keep your eye out for the suspended fish. If you can get your jig a foot or two above them, its almost a guarantee that you will be getting bit. When looking for a spot to start, make sure to look at the ambush areas- “A room with a view” especially with the water temps climbing. There is a short window of opportunity to hammer down while the water temps are favorable in the am but after that, the fish seem to be sliding off into a little deeper water- especially if it a clear day. Small tube jigs in white, brown and green have been producing the best for us lately.  - Fishing with Bernie Guide, Jake Foos

Williams Fork - The east boat ramp hours are 6AM to 8PM daily. Water capacity is just under 100%. Inflow is 101 cfs, outflow is 93 cfs. Surface temp went up to 67 warming to 72 mid-day. Visibility is about 12 feet. I was expecting it, the "Dog Days of Summer" have arrived. The Lake Trout bite has slowed but it's still possible to easily catch limits of keeper size fish in the early AM. Look for juvenile fish in 50 to 90 feet of water. Most any small plastics tipped with sucker meat fished gently on the bottom will get bit. Once the sun is shining strongly the bite drops off and it's time to start adding scent. Big Lake Trout have moved to deeper water. Focus on them in 70 to 90 feet. Bites are scarce, but tubes tipped with sucker meat has been somewhat effective. Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon are slow due to low population. Please practice catch and release on all Northern Pike. Small Brown Trout are active in the inlet area and along the rocky east shore line north of the boat ramp early AM. Mepp's, Vibrax and Rooster tail type spinners are getting bit. Fishing with Bernie Guide, Randy H.

Lake Granby - Water Level is 98.6%. Temperatures are reaching upper 60’s by the afternoon. Boat ramp hours are 6am-8pm, Sunset ramp is open 7 days a week and Stillwater is open Friday through Sunday. Fishing for Rainbow Trout and Brown trout has been fair. Best success is being had by trolling dodgers and pop-gear with a Chartreuse or orange spoon tipped with a small piece of worm in 12-20ft of water. Shore anglers are finding success along the dam’s and rocky areas of lake with crank baits, bright and flashy spinners and a wooly booger on fly and bubble early in the morning or right at dusk. Lake trout fishing remains good for both numbers and larger fish. Finding fish in 45-90ft of water along the main lake channels. Small plastics 2-3” such as grubs, tubes and minnow imitations in glow or white tipped with a small piece of sucker has been most consistent bait when jigged along the bottom. The fish are feeling the daily angling pressure and some of the groups are becoming lure shy, if you are finding fish and they are not biting, it is typically more effective to move to find the actively biting 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