Fourth of July weekend
With the Fourth falling close to the weekend and a forecast of 95 to 100 degrees, light rain chances and lighter winds, Jeff expects one of the busiest weekends on Grand Lake in a long, long time. People will come from everywhere to enjoy this recreational paradise.
Big-boat waves
Down the lake, where the high bluffs line the shore, the water gets rougher. A wave needs a shallow, gradual slope to crawl up on the shore and die. When it hits a flat bluff it bounces back across the lake, like splashing water against the wall of a bathtub, so it gets really squirrely when the big boats are running. Do what the GRDA asks: wear those life jackets and pay attention to what's going on around you. Nobody wants an accident on such a wonderful Fourth of July weekend.
Crappie
If you fish, go early in the morning. Haydn with Williams Guide Service has been catching a lot of fish on a small soft-plastic jig in a clear body with red, white and blue glitter flakes. Clear-water Crappie are absolutely destroying it.
Catfish
Drift fishing should be great. Blue Cats are smacking from about 10 to 40 feet depending on where you find them. They move shallower at night, early in the morning and in the evening, and out to deeper water during the day.
White Bass
An absolute ton of Sand Bass are surfacing all over the lake. Catch them on small topwaters or small jigs, or troll in the mornings and evenings around Grand Lake's islands, the Bernice bridge, up to Sailboat Bridge, Patricia Island and the islands around Sailboat.
Summertime pattern
It's a typical summertime pattern right now. Grand Lake is a fish factory and we're blessed with all the fish there are to target. Stay safe and have a wonderful time.