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Fishing with Bernie: A great time to get out on the water

Dan Shannon
Fishing with Bernie
Brown trouts are biting, particularly in windy conditions on Lake Granby.
Fishing with Bernie/Courtesy photo

Grand Lake

Water temperature is around 50 degrees Fahrenheit by the afternoon. Water clarity varies depending on location. Fishing remains good for all species with the cooler water temperatures. A slip bobber and pink or chartreuse tungsten jig tipped with a wax worm, salmon egg or earthworm drifted in the inlets is producing multi-species action in the mornings and afternoons.

Good rainbow and brown trout action along the shorelines with smaller crank baits like a Dynamic J-spec or X-rap, work them erratically with frequent pauses. Silver, pink and blue spoons or spinners are also producing rainbows and browns. Lake trout are being caught in 25-50 feet of water. A small dark colored or glowing grub tipped with sucker meat are producing the best action. Lake is starting to get busier daily, use caution while traveling around.

Williams Fork

Williams Fork is open to motorized boats. Ramp hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Water capacity is at 73%, or 18 feet low. In flow is 657 cubic feet per second, out flow is 17 cfs. Surface temp is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The water is stained, visibility is only 5-6 feet with the heavy runoff. There is a lot of debris on the surface so keep an eye out for hazards. On my initial trip I found lake trout jigging to be very good until about 8:30 a.m. when the sun got bright, then the bite slowed dramatically with occasional bites throughout the day. Mixed age groups can be found in 30-50 feet of water. They were eager to bite twisters or tubes tipped with sucker meat.



I saw several lakers breaking the surface, so casting swim or glide baits from a boat or the shore early morning is still an option. I haven’t fished for northern pike since it’s prime lake trout season, but they can be found sunning in shallow water midmorning. Some small rainbows are being caught on flies and small spinners in the inlet where the river runs into the lake on the edges of an eddie. Shore fishing the bottom with bait is slow since the lake hasn’t been stocked in several years.

Lake Granby

Water level is 87%. Water temperature is reaching 56 degrees Fahrenheit by the afternoon. Sunset Boat Ramp is open seven days a week 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. while Stillwater Boat Ramp is open Friday-Sunday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fishing for rainbow trout has been excellent first thing in the morning in the inlets and areas of moving water. A small pink spoon or Tungsten jig tipped with a Clam Silkie under a float have been producing fish. Trollers are also reporting success along the shorelines in 8-12 feet of water with silver cowbells and a bright pink spinner tipped with a small piece of worm.



Brown trout bites remain very good particularly in the wind, look for rocky wind blown shorelines. Crank baits, spoons or small tube jigs fished along the banks will produce bites, the brown trout have been averaging over 16 inches and is fast action in the right conditions. Lake trout bites have been good. Look for lake trout in 30-60 feet of water along structure breaks and changes. White tubes in 2-3 inch size tipped with a small piece of sucker has been consistent producer, but when they are finicky try to down size to grub or a jig head with a contrasting color to entice more strikes.

Great time of year to be on the water in Grand County, hope to see you out there!

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more info please check out FishingWithBernie.com, Facebook.com/FishingWithBernie/ or our Instagram pages Fishing_with_bernie and FishingWithAltitude. Call us at 303-956-3804.

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