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: This week on Champlain, lean into your finesse game for smallmouths, keep an eye on those alewife schools, and don’t be afraid to try multiple depths – fish are scattered but actively feeding. The bite window is still best mid-morning and again late afternoon as the sun drops. Bundle up, bring some hot cider, and get after it!

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