Happy anglers pose with a Grand County trophy lake trout.
Dan Shannon/Fishing with Bernie
Great Lake: Ice remains at 6-8 inches. with deep snow and mud on the lake in places. Be careful while walking, the temperatures haven’t been cold enough to refreeze the holes, and with the snowpack it can be very difficult to locate them before you hit it with your foot! Fishing has been good to very good for rainbow trout at first light. A small tube, an ice fly, or an articulated pinhead with a wax tip have been our baits of choice. Aim for 12 feet of water or less and don’t sleep, this is definitely the early bird bite. The lake trout bite has been fair, with fish active in 30-50 feet, a small tube or suction cup tipped spoon has been most consistent.
Williams Fork: The ice holds up well, with minimal mud, but lots of snow. Wax up that sled and be prepared to put some effort into getting to the lake and traveling. The water level is at 46% of its capacity. The lake trout bite has been good. We are finding big fish mixed in with the fish numbers so you never know what a bite will bring. Make sure your equipment is the right size. Small twist tails, tubes, hair spinners and suction tipped spoons have been producing bites. Aim in 40-70 feet of water and stay mobile if the fish show up and aren’t biting, sometimes just a little movement makes all the difference.
Lake Granby: The water level is at 87% of its capacity. Ice conditions are inconsistent and have been deteriorating due to the lack of cold temperatures and persistent snow accumulation. Expect deep snow and large pockets of slush on top of 3.5-6 inches of ice. A few machines have been seen around the lake, but we have parked ours until conditions improve for safety reasons. Rainbow trout fishing has been good in the early morning along rocky shorelines in 6-10 feet of water. Small ice flies or wax-tipped tubes produce bites. The lake trout bite has been good. Look for them in 35-60 feet of water. Small hair jigs, tubes, or a classic tipped grub with a small piece of fresh sucker worked right on the bottom have been producing hits. If you’re heading out, be sure to keep safety at the top of your list, bring a friend, a floatation suit, a barbell and a rope. We need a cold pot to make some ice!
The Fishing with Bernie team has been guiding in Grand County for over 25 years. For more information, check out FishingWithBernie.com, Facebook.com/fishingwithbernie or our Instagram pages @fishing_with_bernie and @fishingwithaltitude
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