Artificial Lure here with the September 10, 2025, Lake Champlain fishing report.
Sun’s up at 6:23 this morning and it’ll dip below the horizon at 7:08 tonight. It’s a humid one out here—temps started in the high 60s pre-dawn and are on track to hit the mid-80s by late afternoon. Winds are light out of the south at around 6 mph, but keep an eye on the sky. With all this humidity, pop-up storms are possible later today. Water levels are still a bit low from the drought watch that New York State DEC mentioned back in August—expect rocky shorelines and a few extra sandbars up north, especially in the bays.
Water clarity is decent overall, but watch for patches of algae bloom in Missisquoi Bay and other shallow northern flats. The Lake Champlain Basin Program says water quality improvements are being prioritized, but late-summer means we’re still seeing some phosphorus-fueled green streaks, especially in the northwest end. If you’re targeting Missisquoi, stick to early morning or head for deeper, moving water during the warmest part of the day.
Now, onto the bite! Angler chatter from this past weekend has been all about aggressive smallmouth action. Swimbait guys are showing off some fat bronzebacks, with several reports of four- and five-pounders landed near Valcour Island and the Sandbar Causeway. On YouTube, recent videos out of Burlington Bay and Converse Bay show big smallies choking down 3-inch craws and ned rigs, and one big drum crashed the party. The bite’s been slower mid-day, but it lights right back up when dusk rolls in.
Largemouth are holding tighter to thick weed beds and under docks—especially in the southern and central lake. A couple tourney crews reported solid limits tossing topwater frogs at sunrise, then switching to slow-rolled paddle tails and wacky rigs once the sun got high.
Lake trout are still active in deeper water, stacking up along dropoffs in the Charlotte Deep Hole and around Split Rock. Folks trolling eight-inch white tubes and chartreuse spoons at 50-80 feet had steady action last week. Wild lake trout numbers have rebounded, according to Vermont Daily Chronicle, but rainbow and salmon catches have tapered since midsummer.
For baits, best bets right now:
- Smallmouth: Green pumpkin ned rigs, 3-inch craws like the BKK Dragon in black, and drop-shot minnow imitations. Tie on a swimbait if you’re chasing bigger fish around rocky islands and bluffs.
- Largemouth: Black or white frogs over mats at dawn; switch to senkos or creature baits in junebug or watermelon as the day goes on.
- Lake trout: Bright spoons, white tubes, and deep-running crankbaits behind downriggers.
Live bait? Still hard to beat a fat nightcrawler for panfish and smallmouth, or a live shiner drifted deep for lakers and the occasional brown trout near creek mouths.
For hot spots, check these:
- **Valcour Island drop-offs**: Smallmouth on the chew, especially on the east side where current sweeps bait over rocky ledges.
- **Sandbar Causeway** (north of Colchester): Both bass species are holding tight to current breaks and submerged grass.
- **Charlotte Deep Hole**: Lakers are stacked; troll spoons in the main channel and watch for thermocline shifts in the afternoon.
- **Shelburne Bay docks**: Largemouth feeding heavy after dark and just before sunrise, especially around deeper pilings.
Watch your depths, check the weather radar, and bring extra water—the sun’s been harsh on exposed decks by midday, and there’s no sign of a cool-down yet. Also, local DEC officers are out checking for licenses and keeping an eye on catch limits—so play it straight, and pack out what you pack in.
That’s it for your Lake Champlain fishing report for today. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe for the latest updates before you hit the water. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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