When most people think of a New Year's Celebration they think of parties, dressing up and champagne. Well a friend and I had a different plan this year. We headed to Granby Lake for New Year's Day. To get to Granby Lake from Denver, take I-70 west to US40. Head north through Granby, CO and follow the signs. It is famous for Lake Trout and Kokanee, but they also have Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout.
We left early in the morning on New Year's Eve and everything was going great until we hit the continental divide and ran smack into a blizzard. There was six inches of fresh, unplowed snow on the ground and strong winds. All this combined allowed me to see to the front of my truck. It was a white knuckle drive for over an hour at a snails pace. We thought about turning around, but kept the faith and continued on. When we reached Winter Park, CO the storm had lifted and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. We checked into the cabin and hit the lake. The wind was howling (30-40 MPH) so getting the shelter up was a bit of a challenge. We started fishing in 50 ft. of water and the action that afternoon was slow. We only managed 3 lakers between us, but the wind was so bad there was no way we were moving.
The next day we were on the lake just before sunrise and left at sundown. The temperature was a brisk -2 so the heater got a workout for quite a while. We caught 13 fish that day and missed several that were either short striking the bait or we were just too slow. The ice was about 7 inches thick, which is plenty safe, but it was loud. There was a ton of cracking and groaning sounds. There was even a wave that came through and it felt like the whole ice sheet lifted and then settled again.
The next day we only fished for three or four hours before heading home. We still managed three fish even though the bite was much slower.
The trip was great and I got to fish with a friend that I rarely see anymore. You always hear stories about deer camps being the best part of deer hunting, and I believe that's true. But let me tell you, sharing a hut with a good friend swapping stories and leaving the world behind for a couple days is as good as deer camp. Here is a pic of Lake Granby at sunrise.
