Lake Granby fishing report, Friday, October 23, 2026
What's biting
Dan Shannon of Fishing with Bernie, in Sky-Hi News today, says lake trout action has picked up over the past few days. He is fishing 20 to 50 feet with 2.5- to 3.5-inch tubes and grubs in glow or chartreuse. He puts surface temperatures in the mid to upper 50s.
He says rainbow trout have been good along the dam and at the east end of Arapaho Bay, on silver spoons and small streamers. Brown trout have been fair on windy afternoons in rocky areas, on Goldie streamers or 2-inch green-pumpkin tubes pitched along shore.
How CPW describes the same lake
CPW's Lake Granby page, read this morning, lists lake trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, cutbow, and kokanee salmon, and says Granby has the highest density of lake trout in the state. The page's own standing advice, separate from Shannon's column, says dawn and dusk lures and plugs around cattails and sunken logs are the rainbow approach, and that trolling cowbells at medium depths is an effective kokanee approach. Eggs are taken here each year for restocking.
What you can keep
Read on that page this morning: the lake trout bag and possession limit is 12, and only one may be longer than 24 inches. Trout other than lake trout, plus kokanee, are four fish in total. Gaffs and tail snares are prohibited. Ice fishing shelters must be portable. Fishing is prohibited in Columbine Bay from the Twin Creek inlet upstream from October 15 through November 30, which includes today. The one-lake-trout-over-32-inches rule is Blue Mesa's rule. It is not Granby's.
Getting a boat in
Shannon's column says the Stillwater boat ramp is closed because of low water, and that Sunset Point runs 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. through a November 29 close. CPW's page is written as inspection stations: Sunset Point Inspection Station is listed 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from September 2 to October 5, and Stillwater Inspection Station 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from September 2 to December 1. The same page says launching is prohibited when inspectors are not present, and that hand-launched, human-powered craft are exempt from the mandatory inspection. Those two accounts do not match. Call before you trailer a boat.
Rusty crayfish have been detected. Clean, drain, and dry before the next water. Shannon expects ice earlier than usual because the lake is low. We do not print a thickness.
Plan the trip
Check CPW regulations for your water before you go. Browse Colorado fishing reports, ice fishing gear, and VCO merch (made to order, ships from Grand Junction), or open the VCO Trip Builder to map out your day.
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