Lake Champlain, Vermont/New York Fishing Report Today

Hey there, it's Artificial Lure coming to you with today's Lake Champlain fishing report for Monday, December 1st.

We're looking at a challenging day on the water, folks. The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory from 7 AM through 7 PM for portions of northern New York and Vermont. South winds are running 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 45 mph expected—strongest along the northern Adirondack slopes and Lake Champlain's shores. Conditions are going to be rough out there, so exercise caution if you're heading out.

Now, for the fishing itself, recent reports from Lake Champlain have been solid. Winter fishing patterns are taking hold as water temperatures continue to drop. Smallmouth bass are the primary target right now—hit Valcour Island on the east-facing side if you can brave these winds. The recent Major League Fishing event on Champlain showed success with finesse techniques. Anglers were putting up solid numbers using small jigs and drop-shot rigs. A 1/5-ounce Z-Man Finesse TRD on a light head proved effective, as did small marabou jigs paired with Berkley PowerBait MaxScent offerings like flat worms and finesse tubes.

For bait, your best bets are small minnows and soft plastics in natural colors. The water's clarity should be good after recent weather, so natural hues will outperform bright patterns today.

With this wind advisory in place though, I'd honestly recommend either staying shore-based or waiting it out until conditions settle. Safety first, always.

Thanks for tuning in to the Lake Champlain fishing report. Make sure to subscribe for daily updates, and remember—tight lines out there.

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Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure coming to you from beautiful Lake Champlain on this Sunday morning, November 30th, 2025. Let me break down what's happening on the water right now.

First, sunrise was around 7:15 AM this morning, and you're looking at sunset hitting around 4:30 PM, so you've got a solid window to get out there. Unfortunately, I don't have real-time tidal data or current weather conditions for this exact moment, but Lake Champlain doesn't experience significant tides like ocean waters do, so that's not a major factor here.

Now here's the exciting part – the lake just hosted an incredible Toyota Series tournament earlier this month, and the bite was absolutely phenomenal. Anglers were catching smallmouth that we haven't seen in years. The fishing reports show postspawn smallmouth dominated, with some anglers putting together bags over 19 pounds consistently.

If you're heading out today, here's what's working: minnow patterns are absolutely crushing it right now. The top anglers were using 5-inch shad imitations – think Yamamoto Shad Shape Worms and Deps Sakamata Shads paired with light jigheads, typically 1/4 to 3/8 ounce. Some guys were throwing Ned rigs with Picasso heads too. For your setup, go with a medium-light spinning rod around 6-10 to 7-4, paired with a quality spinning reel spooled with light braid and a fluorocarbon leader.

Topwater is also producing, especially early and late. Emil Wagner was having success with Berkley J-Walkers throwing shallow and deep.

For hot spots, you've got to check out Malletts Bay – that's where the consistent action was firing. The secondary points with grass lines in 8 to 12 feet of water are absolutely loaded with aggressive smallmouth right now. Also scout the current breaks around pinch points where the water funnels – Kyle Patrick absolutely hammered them around current-holding structure.

The fish are feeding heavily on alewives and baitfish right now, so anything that mimics that profile will work.

Thanks so much for tuning in today, folks. Make sure you subscribe for more Lake Champlain reports and fishing intel throughout the season.

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Good morning, anglers! This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Saturday, November 29th, 2025.

We're heading into late fall here on the lake, and conditions are cooling down nicely. Sunrise was around 7:15 this morning, and we're looking at sunset around 4:45 PM, so get out there early if you want to maximize your daylight hours.

Water temperatures are dropping as we approach the winter months, which means the fish are transitioning their feeding patterns. Based on recent reports from the Lake Champlain fishing community, anglers have been having solid success with both bass and panfish throughout the lake. The hard water fishing season is ramping up, so if you're planning ice fishing outings, start scouting your favorite spots now.

For your tackle box today, I'd recommend bringing crankbaits, ChatterBaits, and soft plastics like Neko rigs and drop-shots. Green pumpkin Senkos have been producing well, and don't sleep on Texas-rigged worms in watermelon patterns either. If you're targeting shallow structure, a weedless ChatterBait with matching trailers is your friend. For deeper work, drop-shots with 4.5-inch worms are solid choices. Live shiners and crawfish remain excellent natural bait options if you prefer the traditional approach.

Focus your efforts around boat docks and laydowns along both the Vermont and New York shores. The midsection of the lake around deeper structure—targeting 12 to 20 feet of water—has been producing. Also, work grass beds mixed with shallow cover; that combination seems to be holding active fish right now.

Remember, we're in transition season, so be prepared to adjust. Work your presentations slowly, and don't be afraid to experiment with different retrieves.

Thanks for tuning in to the Lake Champlain Fishing Report. Be sure to subscribe for daily updates on conditions, catches, and expert tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Good morning, folks—Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Friday, November 28th, 2025.

We're waking up to that classic late-November chill this morning, with air temps hovering in the upper 30s and climbing just into the low 50s by midday. Water temps are sitting in the mid-50s across the shallower bays, and we've got partly cloudy skies with westerly winds gusting up to 10 miles per hour. No tide to worry about here on Champlain—she's a freshwater lake—but keep an eye on that wind for your drift and wave action today.

Sunrise came in around 6:45 this morning, and we're looking at sunset around 4:35 PM, so you've got just about 10 hours of good fishing light. Don't sleep on that early morning bite.

As for the bite, things are still heating up despite the cold. Lake trout and landlocked salmon are ramping up along the deeper drops—Split Rock and Thompson's Point are producing fish pushing the 8-pound mark if you're working heavy spoons and white tubes in 60 to 100 feet of water. Smallmouth are stacking along deep weed edges and rocky transitions in 8 to 20 feet, and you're seeing plenty of two- to five-pounders coming off points and humps. Largemouth are tucked into dying weedbeds in the back bays—Kelly Bay and Catfish Bay are holding good numbers on black and blue jigs and creature baits.

Walleye action is solid near the mouths of the Lamoille and Missisquoi Rivers at dusk on jig-and-minnow combos. Don't overlook perch either—they're schooling up in Malletts Bay and Dunn Bay on small minnows and chartreuse jigs.

For lures today, focus on blade baits like Steelshads, finesse drop-shots in green pumpkin and natural shad, 3-inch white or perch-colored swimbaits, and jigs with chunk trailers. If you're throwing live bait, shiners and fathead minnows are your money makers, especially in those cold morning hours.

Head to The Gut near Grand Isle for some reliable smallmouth action with walleye cruising the edges at dusk. Missisquoi Bay is holding largemouth stacked in the dying cabbage beds, plus some bonus slab crappie.

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# Lake Champlain Fishing Report - November 27, 2025

Well folks, this is Artificial Lure coming to you with your Thursday morning Lake Champlain report. We're looking at late November conditions here on the water, and there's still some solid fishing to be had despite the season winding down.

## Weather & Water Conditions

It's a chilly November morning out there. The National Weather Service Burlington indicates we're in their Lake Champlain recreational forecast period, though conditions are getting tighter as we head into winter. Winds and water state are factors to keep a close eye on, so make sure you're checking that official NWS forecast before heading out. The water's cold this time of year, so dress accordingly and wear your life jacket.

## Recent Action

We've had some excellent fishing reported on Lake Champlain lately. Major League Fishing documented some early morning trophy catches right here on our lake back in early November, with anglers using a nice variety of baits and approaches. The bass have been active, and that's encouraging for us heading into the tail end of November.

## What's Working

Based on recent success in these waters, you'll want to have several patterns dialed in. Green pumpkin soft plastics continue to produce—think Zoom Z-Craws and Yamamoto Senkos. SwimBaits are putting fish in the boat too, especially over deeper structure. For chatterbaits, go with black and blue colors around grass and brush. Don't sleep on drop-shot rigs either—they're excellent for targeting bluegill beds in five to eight feet of water.

## Prime Spots

Head to the areas around Grand Lake for some good early morning action. The offshore structure near brush piles is holding quality fish right now.

Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain fishing report! Make sure to subscribe for daily updates and tight lines out there. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.

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Artificial Lure here with your November 26th Lake Champlain fishing report, serving up the latest straight from the cool Vermont and New York shoreline.

Weather’s got that classic late-November bite to it: air temps in the mid-30s to low 40s this morning, and the wind’s settling down after yesterday’s blowout conditions. If you were out on the water yesterday, you know it—20+ mph south winds had most of us keeping to the sheltered bays. Sunrise came at 6:55 AM and you’ve got daylight to fish right up to sunset at 4:17 PM. Those early hours and late afternoons are still prime.

Lake Champlain isn’t tidal, so no incoming or outgoing water to watch, just let the wind and weather tell you where to set up. Water temps are sliding toward the high 40s in much of the main lake—the bite’s slower, but fish are still feeding up before true winter sets in.

After the wild weather, the bite today is focused deep: postspawn smallmouth are schooling in 20 to 50 feet just off those mid-lake flats and ledges. Plattsburgh to the north and the deeper stretches around The Gut and Inland Sea are lighting up with suspending smallmouth. Anglers running forward-facing sonar are spotting big schools; the winning pattern is dropping finesse baits right on ‘em. Just a couple days ago, pros were hauling in limits that pushed 40 pounds for ten-fish bags—Tucker Smith took the win, working around the Inland Sea and down toward mid-lake, picking off fat smallies roaming after schools of alewives.

If you’re after largemouth, the southern end near Ticonderoga remains hot, especially in milder pockets out of the wind. Look for the classic weed edges and any remaining green grass. Recent tournaments showed jigs and frogs still produce when worked slow along the thicker stuff. Jacopo Gallelli fished nothing but a green pumpkin jig and a black Booyah Pad Crasher frog, putting over 57 pounds in the boat in a four-day stretch.

Best baits this week:

- For smallmouth: Ned rigs (like the Googan Baits Rattlin’ Ned in Smelt, Green Pumpkin Goby), drop shot setups with dark shad-profile worms, and small swimbaits in alewife or goby colors. Pros are mostly using light line—think 8-10 pound fluorocarbon—and focusing where you see bait on electronics.

- For largemouth: 3- to 5-inch stick worms (Yamamoto Senko), 1/2-ounce green pumpkin jigs with a creature trailer, and black frogs if you can find warm, matted shallows. Texas-rigged craws, especially Klone Crawsome in green pumpkin or blue fleck, flipped into cover, are solid too.

Recent catches are mostly bass with a few bonus pike and the occasional big perch mixed in for those working blade baits on deeper breaks. Smallmouth continue to dominate the main lake; largemouth numbers are strongest down south but the average size is up north too for those who find green weeds.

Local hot spots to check:

- The Flats off Valcour Island: early morning, fish stacking just past the drop-off.

- The Gut and Carry Bay: look for moving water and bait scho

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Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your November 25, 2025, Lake Champlain fishing report.

A chilly late fall morning greets us with air temps in the lower 30s and a light northwesterly breeze. According to the National Weather Service, highs will sneak up to the low 40s by early afternoon. Expect partly sunny skies, patchy morning ice on sheltered coves, and a persistent hint of winter in the air. Sunrise came at 6:59 AM with sunset at 4:18 PM—clock’s ticking, so get your lines wet early.

While Lake Champlain isn’t tidal, the lake’s water levels can show daily changes, especially after strong winds or rain. The lake remains seasonally stable this week, offering classic late fall structure fishing.

Bass fishing is still going strong. Major League Fishing’s November tournaments showed post-spawn smallmouth feeding hard along the flats, edges, and secondary points. Tucker Smith and other top pros hammered chunky smallmouth in the 3- to 4-pound range, picking up fish from both deep and mid-depth grass beds, as well as rocky breaks around Malletts Bay and Alburg Passage. There have been reports of 18- to 22-pound tournament bags, mostly smallmouth but with a kicker largemouth helping some leaders[Major League Fishing, November 2025].

For your best bet today, go finesse. Anglers are killing it on 5-inch minnow-imitating soft plastics like the Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm and Deps Sakamata Shad, rigged on a light 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jighead. Ned rigs, especially the Yamamoto Ned Senko on a Picasso Rhino Ned Head, are picking off aggressive fish holding tight to the bottom. If you’re after some topwater action, don’t hang up the Berkley J-Walker or Strike King Sexy Dawg just yet—a few folks found mayhem in the evenings over isolated grass flats, with multiple blowups in a row.

Grass beds (especially in 8-15 feet near Malletts Bay) and secondary points along the eastern shore have been loaded with bait and hungry bass. For a shot at numbers, don’t ignore the north end—Alburg Passage and The Inland Sea have been consistent. If it turns sunny and calmer, chase suspended fish around deeper alewife schools, especially mid-lake on the New York side.

Kicker largemouth are still being caught shallow—try flipping a compact creature like a 6th Sense Bongo into thick reeds or channels, especially afternoons after sun warms the shallows. Some anglers report hundreds of 2- to 4-inch perch schooling up, and that’s a prime draw for both bass and late-season pike.

Other catches from this week include steady action for yellow perch, white perch, and the occasional slab crappie around rocky points and marinas near Swanton. Small blade baits and live minnows are producing for panfish when bass get finicky.

Best lure choices today:

- 5-inch minnow baits (Shad Shape Worm, Sakamata Shad)

- Ned rigs (Ned Senko)

- Jerkbaits for deep grass

- Topwater walkers (late afternoon, low wind)

- Compact soft plastics for largemouth in the reeds

Live bait options remain

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Artificial Lure reporting in from Lake Champlain on a crisp Monday morning, November 24th, 2025. The lake’s settled deep into late fall—temps are hovering near freezing at sunrise, with the mercury set to climb just into the low 40s by midday. Winds are steady out of the north-northeast, 8 to 12 miles per hour, making for a little chop but nothing the local fleet can’t handle.

Sunrise hit at 6:58 AM today, with sunset due around 4:24 PM. That gives us a short window, so best to focus efforts during peak bite: locals say the hot periods are an hour on either side of dawn and dusk. No tide movement to report this far inland, but wind-driven currents have baitfish piling into leeward bays and points.

Recent catches have been most impressive: plenty of solid smallmouth bass with numbers popping in the three to four-pound range, especially during the cloudy weather we’ve seen the last few days. According to Major League Fishing, the recent big tournament out of Plattsburgh saw over 64 pounds of Champlain smallies across three days, with anglers hammering them on finesse presentations and deep structure. Lake trout are also biting well below 30 feet, with a few trophy fish hitting the scales over 10 pounds. Northern pike action is picking up as water temps fall into the upper 30s—target weed edges for the best shot.

If you’re rigged up for bass, now’s the time to throw drop-shot rigs with goby or shad colored plastics, or go with classic tubes in green pumpkin or smoke. Edges of mid-lake humps hold big schools. Small swimbaits in natural colors are solid, and a suspending jerkbait like Yo-Zuri 3DB or Duel Hardcore Minnow works wonders for those hesitant, cold-water fish—twitch and pause near docks and rocky points for the best results. For smallmouth, keep your baits subtle and slow your retrieve.

Lake trout hunters: vertical jigging spoons and heavy white bucktails tipped with cut bait put numbers in the boat—focus on deep ledges near the ferry channel or the Split Rock area. For northern pike, large spinnerbaits rolled slow along the dying cabbage beds are producing strikes. In the back bays, a big golden shiner under a float rarely gets ignored.

Looking for a couple local hotspots? The area off Valcour Island is prime for smallmouth right now, with baitfish holding close to rock piles. The mouth of the Saranac River is producing mixed bags—bass, pike, and a few surprise walleye, especially when the wind is up. Don’t overlook Shelburne Bay for late-season crappie if you’re after panfish, and the bridge piers at Crown Point still have fish lurking in the shadows.

For bait, minnows are at the top of the list for multi-species success, followed by nightcrawlers for walleye and perch. Shiners and smelt are key offerings for everything from lake trout to jumbo bass; local shops in Plattsburgh and Charlotte are well stocked.

Weather for the week looks stable, with more clouds and scattered light rain possible toward Wednesday. Layer up, keep your h

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Artificial Lure here with your Friday morning Lake Champlain fishing report, and folks, we’re in the thick of late November—arguably a rewarding but tricky time for anglers across Vermont and New York. If you love a real challenge and some brisk North Country air, today’s conditions will suit you just fine.

First, the weather: It’s a **crisp, classic fall morning on Champlain**, with temps around the mid-30s at sunrise and barely nudging above 43 degrees by early afternoon, so dress in layers and keep those hands warm. We’ve got a light northwest wind at 7 to 10 mph, occasionally ramping up to 12. That’ll push some chop on open water but it’s great for stirring up the edges near structure—prime real estate for late-season smallmouth and lingering largemouth bass.

Sunrise hit at 6:54 AM and sunset drops in at 4:23 PM, meaning your best bite window is right after daybreak and in that midafternoon pre-sundown stretch. According to the latest regional weather updates, don’t expect any significant precipitation today. Cloud cover will roll in by late morning, which—if you know Champlain—means fish could stay up shallow a little longer, feeding aggressively before winter really locks in.

Now, Lake Champlain doesn’t have true tides, being a freshwater system, but wind-driven currents are very real, especially up north around the Inland Sea and down toward the Missisquoi and South Bays. Northern coves and protected bays are top bets on a windy day like today, so think about working Malletts Bay, the inland corners of Shelburne, or Plattsburgh City Docks for a windbreak and a concentrated school of fish.

Recent catches have been strong, with plenty of fat **smallmouth bass**—many in the 3 to 4 pound class—and the odd stud largemouth pushing 5 pounds popping up in deeper grass and off rocky points. Coldwater **lake trout** remain active in 40-70 feet off Thompson’s Point and the broad flats near Split Rock. Some salmon are still getting hooked trolling small spoons off the Shelburne shoreline, with a few rainbow trout mixed in.

Best lures? Think subtle and natural. Locals are having the most luck on **3/8-ounce finesse football jigs** in green pumpkin or black/blue, especially when dragged slow off rocky drop-offs. If you’re targeting smallmouth in 10-30 feet, don’t ignore a **marabou jig** or a **drop-shot rig** tipped with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm or similar soft plastic—brown or watermelon are the ticket. When bass are sluggish, a slow-rolled swimbait or a tube jig can coax reaction bites. For trout and salmon, a hammered brass or silver flutter spoon trolled at 1.5 mph has been doing damage, especially early.

As for live bait, it’s tough to beat a medium shiner or fathead minnow under a slip bobber for big smallmouth or a lively nightcrawler fished deep for trout. But most folks this week are reporting their best bass on artificials, given how focused predators are on baitfish right now.

Hot spots for today? Focus on:

- **The rocky

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It's Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Thursday, November 20, 2025, coming to you straight from the Champlain Valley, where the mornings are crisp, and the lake is showing off its late-fall personality.

Today, anglers are waking to cloudy skies, temps hovering in the low 40s, and light winds out of the northwest. Weather outlets are hinting at a little warming trend mid-day, maybe nudging toward 50, but you’ll need to layer up, especially if you’re heading out early or plan to stick it into the evening. Sunrise hit at 6:50 a.m., and sunset will close the day at 4:24 p.m. There’s no tide on Champlain, but watch for wind-driven currents, especially near the causeways and bridge narrows, where bait schools will get pushed around – that’s a pattern worth following this week.

The main game right now is still the smallmouth bass bite. After a stormy Toyota Series event just last week, anglers found fat, hungry fish moving off the beds and feeding up on alewives and perch[Major League Fishing]. Pro Tucker Smith hauled in a winning bag just over 40 pounds with a string of smallies – and the key was targeting deeper transitions off flats, particularly edges where the alewives were pushing in. Some of those fish were cruising as deep as 50 feet and coming up onto the edges by mid-morning. The postspawn bite is firing.

Multi-species catches have been solid. Lakers are showing good color, and it’s not unusual to hook a decent Vermont Master Angler-class smallie when targeting trout this time of year, as seen on recent local Instagram highlights. Walleye action is moderate but steady for those trolling stickbaits on the drop-offs at dusk and after dark.

Top baits have been textbook autumn Champlain: a 5-inch shad-style worm on a Picasso ball head gets the nod as the best minnow imitator, with both the Ned rig and Ned Senko on a finesse head pulling double duty when the bite gets tough. Drop-shotting with goby or green pumpkin Roboworms is a close second, especially in that 20-30 foot range. For reaction strikes near the surface, keep a Strike King Sexy Dawg handy if you see bait pushing up. Local shops report that white and silver remain the ticket for color, matching those alewives.

If you’re after numbers and not just size, focus on the Inland Sea, particularly the southern shoals and the edges of Savage Island. The sand and rock transitions here are loaded with prey and those big smallmouths aren’t far behind. Another hotspot: Cumberland Bay outside Plattsburgh – deeper grass beds there are holding both largemouths and some sneaky big bronzebacks. If the wind is light and you’ve got the gear for it, trolling for lake trout north of Valcour Island has been a solid option.

The low lake level from this autumn’s drought is making launch ramps a little tricky – Burlington and Converse Bay remain the most reliable. Navigation is safe, but pay attention to your electronics along the shallow shoals and mud flats.

In summary: T

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