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Late Fall Fishing on Lake Champlain: Smallies, Largemouth, and More
This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Champlain fishing report for November 13, 2025. Folks, if you’re up early on this brisk Thursday, you’re met with classic late-fall conditions—expect chilly air, surface temps in the upper 40s to low 50s, and a stiff northwest wind kicking up the water. The National Weather Service out of Burlington has us clear this morning, highs only get up near 45 this afternoon, and if you’re planning the long haul, sunrise came right about 6:44 a.m. and sunset rolls in at 4:27 p.m.
As for tides, Lake Champlain being a freshwater body doesn’t have traditional ocean tides, but water levels can fluctuate from wind and dam management—today’s a little lower on account of last night’s blow.
Bass action has been prime lately, with the Toyota Series wrapping up just a few days ago in Plattsburgh. Smallmouth are still the stars of the show, especially postspawn fish chasing bait on the flats. Local pros have been doing real well with finesse tactics—stick with a 5-inch minnow-style bait or a Ned rigged Senko on quarter-ounce heads. Tucker Smith and others found their gold mines on those breaks just outside Malletts Bay and up near Alburgh Passage, so those are two spots worth your effort this week. If you’re up for a little adventure, head north late in the afternoon and work the grassy edges with topwater lures—the bite’s still explosive when you hit those warm patches and find hungry smallies chasing alewife schools.
Just to mix things up, keep an X Zone Rally Shad or Deps Sakamata Shad handy, especially if you’re seeing fish suspended off the bottom. Several anglers mentioned the Strike King Sexy Dawg for topwater; give that a go on calmer stretches, especially as the sun starts dropping and bait comes up in the water column. For your spinning gear, a medium-light rod in the 6'10" to 7' range matched with a 3000-size reel and light braid gives you all the feel and casting distance you want.
Largemouth guys are still flipping the last green weeds—think inside bends around Missisquoi Bay and Sandbar. Stay patient, and if the day warms up, a Texas-rigged creature bait can pull a few hawgs from heavy cover.
As for panfish, local guides have been picking up solid numbers of white perch off the points using small jigs tipped with bits of worm or soft plastics; try anywhere there’s a rocky transition. The Reel Vermont Guide Service swears by slow presentations right now, as the bite goes subtle with colder water.
On the broader ecological front, invasive round goby are not confirmed in Champlain proper yet, but there are heavy monitoring efforts in the canal, so keep an eye on your bait bucket and clean your gear to prevent spread.
Recently, catches have been solid. Top boats in last weekend’s pro circuit weighed in bags nearing 22 pounds, with four-pound smallmouth not uncommon around the drops near Cumberland Bay. Reports from local tackle shops and social media echo lots of smaller bass caught, plus a late push of yellow perch and even the occasional northern pike tightening up near weed edges. And for trout folks, that stocking truck is still making rounds in the rivers that drain into the lake per the New York DEC, so shore anglers have a shot at fresh fish on spinners or bright dough baits.
To wrap it up, best lures today: minnow baits, Ned rigs, and topwaters for bass, small hair jigs for panfish. As always, keep an eye on the wind—Malletts Bay and Alburgh Passage are hot, but don’t write off the Sandbar or even the south end near Ticonderoga if you’re hunting big largemouth.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report—remember to subscribe so you don’t miss an update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
As for tides, Lake Champlain being a freshwater body doesn’t have traditional ocean tides, but water levels can fluctuate from wind and dam management—today’s a little lower on account of last night’s blow.
Bass action has been prime lately, with the Toyota Series wrapping up just a few days ago in Plattsburgh. Smallmouth are still the stars of the show, especially postspawn fish chasing bait on the flats. Local pros have been doing real well with finesse tactics—stick with a 5-inch minnow-style bait or a Ned rigged Senko on quarter-ounce heads. Tucker Smith and others found their gold mines on those breaks just outside Malletts Bay and up near Alburgh Passage, so those are two spots worth your effort this week. If you’re up for a little adventure, head north late in the afternoon and work the grassy edges with topwater lures—the bite’s still explosive when you hit those warm patches and find hungry smallies chasing alewife schools.
Just to mix things up, keep an X Zone Rally Shad or Deps Sakamata Shad handy, especially if you’re seeing fish suspended off the bottom. Several anglers mentioned the Strike King Sexy Dawg for topwater; give that a go on calmer stretches, especially as the sun starts dropping and bait comes up in the water column. For your spinning gear, a medium-light rod in the 6'10" to 7' range matched with a 3000-size reel and light braid gives you all the feel and casting distance you want.
Largemouth guys are still flipping the last green weeds—think inside bends around Missisquoi Bay and Sandbar. Stay patient, and if the day warms up, a Texas-rigged creature bait can pull a few hawgs from heavy cover.
As for panfish, local guides have been picking up solid numbers of white perch off the points using small jigs tipped with bits of worm or soft plastics; try anywhere there’s a rocky transition. The Reel Vermont Guide Service swears by slow presentations right now, as the bite goes subtle with colder water.
On the broader ecological front, invasive round goby are not confirmed in Champlain proper yet, but there are heavy monitoring efforts in the canal, so keep an eye on your bait bucket and clean your gear to prevent spread.
Recently, catches have been solid. Top boats in last weekend’s pro circuit weighed in bags nearing 22 pounds, with four-pound smallmouth not uncommon around the drops near Cumberland Bay. Reports from local tackle shops and social media echo lots of smaller bass caught, plus a late push of yellow perch and even the occasional northern pike tightening up near weed edges. And for trout folks, that stocking truck is still making rounds in the rivers that drain into the lake per the New York DEC, so shore anglers have a shot at fresh fish on spinners or bright dough baits.
To wrap it up, best lures today: minnow baits, Ned rigs, and topwaters for bass, small hair jigs for panfish. As always, keep an eye on the wind—Malletts Bay and Alburgh Passage are hot, but don’t write off the Sandbar or even the south end near Ticonderoga if you’re hunting big largemouth.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report—remember to subscribe so you don’t miss an update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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By Inception Point AiThis is Artificial Lure with your Lake Champlain fishing report for November 13, 2025. Folks, if you’re up early on this brisk Thursday, you’re met with classic late-fall conditions—expect chilly air, surface temps in the upper 40s to low 50s, and a stiff northwest wind kicking up the water. The National Weather Service out of Burlington has us clear this morning, highs only get up near 45 this afternoon, and if you’re planning the long haul, sunrise came right about 6:44 a.m. and sunset rolls in at 4:27 p.m.
As for tides, Lake Champlain being a freshwater body doesn’t have traditional ocean tides, but water levels can fluctuate from wind and dam management—today’s a little lower on account of last night’s blow.
Bass action has been prime lately, with the Toyota Series wrapping up just a few days ago in Plattsburgh. Smallmouth are still the stars of the show, especially postspawn fish chasing bait on the flats. Local pros have been doing real well with finesse tactics—stick with a 5-inch minnow-style bait or a Ned rigged Senko on quarter-ounce heads. Tucker Smith and others found their gold mines on those breaks just outside Malletts Bay and up near Alburgh Passage, so those are two spots worth your effort this week. If you’re up for a little adventure, head north late in the afternoon and work the grassy edges with topwater lures—the bite’s still explosive when you hit those warm patches and find hungry smallies chasing alewife schools.
Just to mix things up, keep an X Zone Rally Shad or Deps Sakamata Shad handy, especially if you’re seeing fish suspended off the bottom. Several anglers mentioned the Strike King Sexy Dawg for topwater; give that a go on calmer stretches, especially as the sun starts dropping and bait comes up in the water column. For your spinning gear, a medium-light rod in the 6'10" to 7' range matched with a 3000-size reel and light braid gives you all the feel and casting distance you want.
Largemouth guys are still flipping the last green weeds—think inside bends around Missisquoi Bay and Sandbar. Stay patient, and if the day warms up, a Texas-rigged creature bait can pull a few hawgs from heavy cover.
As for panfish, local guides have been picking up solid numbers of white perch off the points using small jigs tipped with bits of worm or soft plastics; try anywhere there’s a rocky transition. The Reel Vermont Guide Service swears by slow presentations right now, as the bite goes subtle with colder water.
On the broader ecological front, invasive round goby are not confirmed in Champlain proper yet, but there are heavy monitoring efforts in the canal, so keep an eye on your bait bucket and clean your gear to prevent spread.
Recently, catches have been solid. Top boats in last weekend’s pro circuit weighed in bags nearing 22 pounds, with four-pound smallmouth not uncommon around the drops near Cumberland Bay. Reports from local tackle shops and social media echo lots of smaller bass caught, plus a late push of yellow perch and even the occasional northern pike tightening up near weed edges. And for trout folks, that stocking truck is still making rounds in the rivers that drain into the lake per the New York DEC, so shore anglers have a shot at fresh fish on spinners or bright dough baits.
To wrap it up, best lures today: minnow baits, Ned rigs, and topwaters for bass, small hair jigs for panfish. As always, keep an eye on the wind—Malletts Bay and Alburgh Passage are hot, but don’t write off the Sandbar or even the south end near Ticonderoga if you’re hunting big largemouth.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report—remember to subscribe so you don’t miss an update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
As for tides, Lake Champlain being a freshwater body doesn’t have traditional ocean tides, but water levels can fluctuate from wind and dam management—today’s a little lower on account of last night’s blow.
Bass action has been prime lately, with the Toyota Series wrapping up just a few days ago in Plattsburgh. Smallmouth are still the stars of the show, especially postspawn fish chasing bait on the flats. Local pros have been doing real well with finesse tactics—stick with a 5-inch minnow-style bait or a Ned rigged Senko on quarter-ounce heads. Tucker Smith and others found their gold mines on those breaks just outside Malletts Bay and up near Alburgh Passage, so those are two spots worth your effort this week. If you’re up for a little adventure, head north late in the afternoon and work the grassy edges with topwater lures—the bite’s still explosive when you hit those warm patches and find hungry smallies chasing alewife schools.
Just to mix things up, keep an X Zone Rally Shad or Deps Sakamata Shad handy, especially if you’re seeing fish suspended off the bottom. Several anglers mentioned the Strike King Sexy Dawg for topwater; give that a go on calmer stretches, especially as the sun starts dropping and bait comes up in the water column. For your spinning gear, a medium-light rod in the 6'10" to 7' range matched with a 3000-size reel and light braid gives you all the feel and casting distance you want.
Largemouth guys are still flipping the last green weeds—think inside bends around Missisquoi Bay and Sandbar. Stay patient, and if the day warms up, a Texas-rigged creature bait can pull a few hawgs from heavy cover.
As for panfish, local guides have been picking up solid numbers of white perch off the points using small jigs tipped with bits of worm or soft plastics; try anywhere there’s a rocky transition. The Reel Vermont Guide Service swears by slow presentations right now, as the bite goes subtle with colder water.
On the broader ecological front, invasive round goby are not confirmed in Champlain proper yet, but there are heavy monitoring efforts in the canal, so keep an eye on your bait bucket and clean your gear to prevent spread.
Recently, catches have been solid. Top boats in last weekend’s pro circuit weighed in bags nearing 22 pounds, with four-pound smallmouth not uncommon around the drops near Cumberland Bay. Reports from local tackle shops and social media echo lots of smaller bass caught, plus a late push of yellow perch and even the occasional northern pike tightening up near weed edges. And for trout folks, that stocking truck is still making rounds in the rivers that drain into the lake per the New York DEC, so shore anglers have a shot at fresh fish on spinners or bright dough baits.
To wrap it up, best lures today: minnow baits, Ned rigs, and topwaters for bass, small hair jigs for panfish. As always, keep an eye on the wind—Malletts Bay and Alburgh Passage are hot, but don’t write off the Sandbar or even the south end near Ticonderoga if you’re hunting big largemouth.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report—remember to subscribe so you don’t miss an update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI