Grand Lake: The bite is starting to get a little bit tougher with the added pressure this year. Time of day and a perfect presentation are very critical for success.

It’s been a soft plastic game as of late for all species in the lake. Downsizing presentations and paying special attention to the water column is a must.

Rainbows and browns continue to strike small jigs tipped with a small bit of bait or a natural like soft plastic. Again, the earlier the better and being away from the traffic has helped a lot.

Focus efforts in 2-10 feet early and 15-30 feet of water as the day progresses. Lake trout are being caught on a variety of baits, but again, it’s a natural colored soft plastic game right now.

As always, please stop in and grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat at some of the small businesses in the area. A small purchase goes a long way for some of the local families still dealing with the aftermath of the fire.

Williams Fork: Ice thickness is right around 14 inches with only an inch or two of crusty snow on top. The lake trout bite has been steady until around 10-11 a.m. and then slows drastically. A one-eighth ounce leech flutter spoons have been the ticket.

Sucker meat and eggs have been producing well. Bring a light action rod that can work smaller baits and still feel bites. Fishing has still been best around 50-60 feet with soft bottom.

Don’t be surprised if a big fish swims through your area after you start catching a bunch of smaller lake trout.

Lake Granby: Fishing has remained good. There are areas of thin ice around Deer Island, a large pressure ridge off Sunset Point all the way to Elephant Island and many ice heaves throughout the lake. Use extreme caution while traveling the lake.

Fishing has remained good this week. We are finding lake trout at 35-70 feet deep. Small plastics and spoons tipped with sucker have been the lure of choice, and the best colors have been white and chartreuse.

The fishing report is brought to you by Fishing with Bernie. Bernie Keefe and his team have been fishing guides in Grand County for more than 25 years. Jake Foos, Rhett Feltman and Dan Shannon contributed to this report.