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Late Season Lures for Lake Champlain's Smallmouth, Trout, and Perch
Artificial Lure here, checking in with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Monday, November 17th, 2025. Today we’re waking up to crisp fall air, with sunrise at 6:53 AM and sunset around 4:24 PM. The mercury’s hovering in the low 30s early and is expected to rise into the 40s by noon. Skies are mainly clear, but bundle up as north winds bring a steady chill off the water. There’s no tidal influence on Champlain—it’s a freshwater lake—but wind can push surface currents, so sheltered coves or lee sides will fish calmer.
Overnight, surface temps reportedly dipped into the 40s, and the shallows are cooling fast. This late-fall transition puts most fish on the move. According to the Lake Champlain Fishing Report Today on Spreaker, bass and trout are key targets right now. Smallmouth are stacking on rocky points, drops, and humps, especially near the mouths of creeks where bait is still active. Largemouth have slid deeper—try channel edges and green weed beds and don’t overlook marinas for stacked schools.
Recent Derby results and angler buzz point to smallmouth as the big producers. Just this weekend, boaters landed upwards of 20 pounds across three days, pulling in 60-plus fish per crew, many between 2 and 4 pounds. Trout catches are decent, with some lake trout in deeper holes and a few Atlantic salmon showing around the Inland Sea. Perch are biting well near South Hero and Missisquoi Bay; Burlington waterfront anglers have had good luck with crappie.
On lures, match the hatch! Mike Iaconelli’s advice always rings true—late season is all about mimicking baitfish. Productive choices this week include swimbaits like the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow, finesse tubes in natural colors, and Ned rigs tipped with Z-Man TRD worms. Marabou jigs in black or olive have fooled cruising smallmouth, while drop-shot rigs with straight-tail worms (Morning Dawn color from Googan Baits gets results in clear water) are deadly when fish run deep. For largemouth, try a Texas-rigged Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw or a 1/2-ounce Picasso Old School Dock Rocket around remaining weed beds.
Live bait’s still catching: medium shiners and fathead minnows are top picks, fished on slip bobbers for perch or slow-trolled on bottom for trout. Berkley PowerBait sticks and salted shiners are solid choices if you can’t wrangle up fresh bait.
Hot spots? The Inland Sea remains reliable for multi-species action—try the flats off North Hero and the rock piles near Butler Island. Wilcox Dock in Burlington is producing afternoons, especially for perch and crappie. Thompson’s Point south of Charlotte is an excellent bet for smallmouth, while Malletts Bay is drawing trout and bass chasers with steady catches.
As the bite shifts with colder water, keep your retrieve slow. Fish are still feeding up before winter but they’re less aggressive, so work jigs and rigs gently; let them sit longer between pops. Watch for pockets of bait—if you see casters or shad pushed up, work that area hard.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates, tips, and local stories. This has been a quiet please production—for more, check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Overnight, surface temps reportedly dipped into the 40s, and the shallows are cooling fast. This late-fall transition puts most fish on the move. According to the Lake Champlain Fishing Report Today on Spreaker, bass and trout are key targets right now. Smallmouth are stacking on rocky points, drops, and humps, especially near the mouths of creeks where bait is still active. Largemouth have slid deeper—try channel edges and green weed beds and don’t overlook marinas for stacked schools.
Recent Derby results and angler buzz point to smallmouth as the big producers. Just this weekend, boaters landed upwards of 20 pounds across three days, pulling in 60-plus fish per crew, many between 2 and 4 pounds. Trout catches are decent, with some lake trout in deeper holes and a few Atlantic salmon showing around the Inland Sea. Perch are biting well near South Hero and Missisquoi Bay; Burlington waterfront anglers have had good luck with crappie.
On lures, match the hatch! Mike Iaconelli’s advice always rings true—late season is all about mimicking baitfish. Productive choices this week include swimbaits like the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow, finesse tubes in natural colors, and Ned rigs tipped with Z-Man TRD worms. Marabou jigs in black or olive have fooled cruising smallmouth, while drop-shot rigs with straight-tail worms (Morning Dawn color from Googan Baits gets results in clear water) are deadly when fish run deep. For largemouth, try a Texas-rigged Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw or a 1/2-ounce Picasso Old School Dock Rocket around remaining weed beds.
Live bait’s still catching: medium shiners and fathead minnows are top picks, fished on slip bobbers for perch or slow-trolled on bottom for trout. Berkley PowerBait sticks and salted shiners are solid choices if you can’t wrangle up fresh bait.
Hot spots? The Inland Sea remains reliable for multi-species action—try the flats off North Hero and the rock piles near Butler Island. Wilcox Dock in Burlington is producing afternoons, especially for perch and crappie. Thompson’s Point south of Charlotte is an excellent bet for smallmouth, while Malletts Bay is drawing trout and bass chasers with steady catches.
As the bite shifts with colder water, keep your retrieve slow. Fish are still feeding up before winter but they’re less aggressive, so work jigs and rigs gently; let them sit longer between pops. Watch for pockets of bait—if you see casters or shad pushed up, work that area hard.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates, tips, and local stories. This has been a quiet please production—for more, check out quietplease.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 AiArtificial Lure here, checking in with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Monday, November 17th, 2025. Today we’re waking up to crisp fall air, with sunrise at 6:53 AM and sunset around 4:24 PM. The mercury’s hovering in the low 30s early and is expected to rise into the 40s by noon. Skies are mainly clear, but bundle up as north winds bring a steady chill off the water. There’s no tidal influence on Champlain—it’s a freshwater lake—but wind can push surface currents, so sheltered coves or lee sides will fish calmer.
Overnight, surface temps reportedly dipped into the 40s, and the shallows are cooling fast. This late-fall transition puts most fish on the move. According to the Lake Champlain Fishing Report Today on Spreaker, bass and trout are key targets right now. Smallmouth are stacking on rocky points, drops, and humps, especially near the mouths of creeks where bait is still active. Largemouth have slid deeper—try channel edges and green weed beds and don’t overlook marinas for stacked schools.
Recent Derby results and angler buzz point to smallmouth as the big producers. Just this weekend, boaters landed upwards of 20 pounds across three days, pulling in 60-plus fish per crew, many between 2 and 4 pounds. Trout catches are decent, with some lake trout in deeper holes and a few Atlantic salmon showing around the Inland Sea. Perch are biting well near South Hero and Missisquoi Bay; Burlington waterfront anglers have had good luck with crappie.
On lures, match the hatch! Mike Iaconelli’s advice always rings true—late season is all about mimicking baitfish. Productive choices this week include swimbaits like the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow, finesse tubes in natural colors, and Ned rigs tipped with Z-Man TRD worms. Marabou jigs in black or olive have fooled cruising smallmouth, while drop-shot rigs with straight-tail worms (Morning Dawn color from Googan Baits gets results in clear water) are deadly when fish run deep. For largemouth, try a Texas-rigged Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw or a 1/2-ounce Picasso Old School Dock Rocket around remaining weed beds.
Live bait’s still catching: medium shiners and fathead minnows are top picks, fished on slip bobbers for perch or slow-trolled on bottom for trout. Berkley PowerBait sticks and salted shiners are solid choices if you can’t wrangle up fresh bait.
Hot spots? The Inland Sea remains reliable for multi-species action—try the flats off North Hero and the rock piles near Butler Island. Wilcox Dock in Burlington is producing afternoons, especially for perch and crappie. Thompson’s Point south of Charlotte is an excellent bet for smallmouth, while Malletts Bay is drawing trout and bass chasers with steady catches.
As the bite shifts with colder water, keep your retrieve slow. Fish are still feeding up before winter but they’re less aggressive, so work jigs and rigs gently; let them sit longer between pops. Watch for pockets of bait—if you see casters or shad pushed up, work that area hard.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates, tips, and local stories. This has been a quiet please production—for more, check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Overnight, surface temps reportedly dipped into the 40s, and the shallows are cooling fast. This late-fall transition puts most fish on the move. According to the Lake Champlain Fishing Report Today on Spreaker, bass and trout are key targets right now. Smallmouth are stacking on rocky points, drops, and humps, especially near the mouths of creeks where bait is still active. Largemouth have slid deeper—try channel edges and green weed beds and don’t overlook marinas for stacked schools.
Recent Derby results and angler buzz point to smallmouth as the big producers. Just this weekend, boaters landed upwards of 20 pounds across three days, pulling in 60-plus fish per crew, many between 2 and 4 pounds. Trout catches are decent, with some lake trout in deeper holes and a few Atlantic salmon showing around the Inland Sea. Perch are biting well near South Hero and Missisquoi Bay; Burlington waterfront anglers have had good luck with crappie.
On lures, match the hatch! Mike Iaconelli’s advice always rings true—late season is all about mimicking baitfish. Productive choices this week include swimbaits like the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow, finesse tubes in natural colors, and Ned rigs tipped with Z-Man TRD worms. Marabou jigs in black or olive have fooled cruising smallmouth, while drop-shot rigs with straight-tail worms (Morning Dawn color from Googan Baits gets results in clear water) are deadly when fish run deep. For largemouth, try a Texas-rigged Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw or a 1/2-ounce Picasso Old School Dock Rocket around remaining weed beds.
Live bait’s still catching: medium shiners and fathead minnows are top picks, fished on slip bobbers for perch or slow-trolled on bottom for trout. Berkley PowerBait sticks and salted shiners are solid choices if you can’t wrangle up fresh bait.
Hot spots? The Inland Sea remains reliable for multi-species action—try the flats off North Hero and the rock piles near Butler Island. Wilcox Dock in Burlington is producing afternoons, especially for perch and crappie. Thompson’s Point south of Charlotte is an excellent bet for smallmouth, while Malletts Bay is drawing trout and bass chasers with steady catches.
As the bite shifts with colder water, keep your retrieve slow. Fish are still feeding up before winter but they’re less aggressive, so work jigs and rigs gently; let them sit longer between pops. Watch for pockets of bait—if you see casters or shad pushed up, work that area hard.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain report. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates, tips, and local stories. This has been a quiet please production—for more, check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI