Grand county fishing report, Jan. 13: Ice is mostly holding up across the county, but be careful

Grand Lake: Ice is holding at 6-8 inches. with deep snow and slush on the lake in spots. Beware while walking around, temperatures have not been cold enough to re-freeze holes, and with the snow cover it can be very hard to locate them before you find it with your foot! Fishing has been good to very good for rainbow trout at first light. A small tube, ice fly or jointed pinhead tipped with a waxie has been our go-to baits. Target water 12 feet or less and don’t sleep in, this is definitely the bite for the early bird. Lake trout bite has been fair, with active fish in the 30-50 foot depths, a small tube or spoon tipped with sucker has been most consistent.

Williams Fork: Ice is holding up well, with minimal slush, but plenty of snow. Wax up that sled, and be prepared to put a little effort in getting to the lake and traveling around. Water level is at 46% capacity. Lake trout bite has been good. We are finding large fish mixed in with the numbers fish, so you never know what a bite will bring. Make sure your gear is sized appropriately. Small twisty tail grubs, tubes, hair jigs and flutter spoons tipped with sucker have been producing bites. Target 40-70 feet of water and stay mobile if fish are showing up and not biting, sometimes just a small move makes all the difference.

Lake Granby: Water level is at 87% of capacity. Ice conditions are inconsistent and have been deteriorating with 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 seen around the lake, but we have parked ours until conditions improve for safety reasons. Fishing for rainbow trout has been good early in the mornings along rocky shorelines in 6-10 feet of water. Small ice flies or tubes tipped with waxie are producing bites. Lake trout bite has been good. Look for them in 35-60 feet of water. Small hair jigs, tubes or a classic grub tipped with a small piece of fresh sucker worked right on the bottom has been producing strikes. If you’re headed out, be sure to keep safety at the top of your list, bring a buddy, a floating suit, spud bar and rope. We need a cold snap to build some ice!

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