As the summer progresses, the lake crowds have started to dwindle. Soon, the leaves will be changing and the elk will be bugling on the shorelines.

School is back in session, so lake traffic is decreasing by the day. The cool, crisp mornings are a quick indicator that fall is right around the corner and the lake trout will start their migration toward the spawning grounds.

As the water cools, fishing is just going to get better by the day!  

Grand Lake

Boat ramp hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Surface water temperature is 65-68 degrees.

The lake trout bite has been fair in 35-55 feet of water. Small plastic jigs in the 2- to 3-inch range, such as tube jigs and curly tail grubs, tipped with sucker meat have been producing fish. Fish have been most active in the early mornings and late evenings.

The rainbow and brown bite has been slow. Trolling or casting small spoons and spinners in 10-15 feet of water has produced a few fish. Shore anglers have reported some success with garlic-scented Powerbait and worms.  

— Guide Sam Hochevar

Williams Fork Reservoir

The east boat ramp hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The water level is 94%, or about 3 1/2 feet low. Inflow is 52 cubic feet per second, and outflow is 114 cfs.

This week, early morning surface temps have been running around 63.5 degrees and only warming to 64.5. The lake is starting its annual cooldown. It won’t be long, and great fall fishing will upon us!

Visibility is excellent on the west side, with jigs dropping out of sight at a little over 12 feet in depth. Visibility is less on the windblown east side as algae is clouding the upper layers of water.

The lake trout bite is pretty good for August. We’re seeing mid- to high teens of catch-your-limit-size fish on most of our trips. Look for scattered groups of fish in 70 to 90 feet of water. Small tubes tipped with sucker meat jigged very gently on or just off the bottom is working best for us. The best bite is during the first few hours of the morning. By late morning, the fish are slow.

The northern pike bite is slow. I did see a baby pike hanging out in the shade of my motor in deep water, so there is some reproduction going on. Please practice catch and release on all northern’s caught.

The rainbow trout haven’t been stocked for several years, so it’s doubtful that bank fishermen will have much luck. There are some small rainbows that came into the lake via the Williams Fork River and some brown trout in the inlet area. The recently stocked kokanee are small and won’t be catchable for a few years.

— Guide Randy Hall

Lake Granby

Ramp hours continue to be from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please keep in mind that the Arapahoe Bay boat ramp is no longer in service. The water level is at 91% or about 7 feet low.

The rainbow and brown trout continue to fish pretty well, but being on the water early is absolutely critical. With the inlets not pumping fresh water, these fish are finding themselves feeding in or over deeper water day by day. Currently, you want to focus your efforts as early or late in the day as you can to have a shot at these fish. Covering a lot of water, trolling, seems to be the best method. 

Tasmanian devils, Dynamic HD trout and small hardware are getting the most attention. For shore anglers targeting rainbow and brown trout, I would highly suggest focusing your efforts where you can cast into 20 to 30 feet of water. The fly and a bubble technique is also producing fish, but timing is everything, and you must be on the water well before the sun penetrates the surface. Buggers and minnow-like flies are taking the majority of the fish.

The lake trout fishing remains strong, but downsizing your jig will absolutely increase your odds this time of year. Whether you’re targeting big fish or small, I would suggest starting in a depth no shallower than 50 feet. For the big fish, the calorie-burning spawn is right around the corner. The top producers lately have been 3- to 5-inch tube jigs loaded with scent. 

For the small fish, twisters, grubs and anything natural have been putting a lot of fish in the boat. When fishing for smaller fish, sucker meat no larger than the size of your fingernail has been critical. 

As fall approaches, spawning fish will always gravitate toward cobble-like structures, but we still have some time before that starts.

— Guide Jake Foos

The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. Find more info at FishingWithBernie.com