Champlain Fishing Update: Smallmouths, Largemouths, and More on the Late Summer Bite

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Friday, September 5th, 2025.

Sunrise splashed the water at 6:20 AM, with sunset expected around 7:20 tonight. It’s crisp out here—surface temps are sitting in the low 50s near shore, and the air feels fresh with a hint of humidity hanging on from summer. Skies are mostly clear with light northwest breezes forecast for midday. Water levels continue to run low—about a foot below average, with the drought still taking its toll, so expect more exposed rock and weed edges than usual this time of year. According to Vermont Daily Chronicle, these lower lake levels are making for thinner shoreline cover but are bunching bait up in tight spots, which makes for feisty bites.

The tidal influence on Champlain is next to nothing, but these north winds stack surface water a bit against the southern shores. Water clarity is holding steady, slightly stained in the bays but mostly clear main lake.

Early September is what a lot of folks call the "shoulder" season for fishing: bass are transitioning, baitfish are schooling, and the water temperature is on the fall. This week saw local anglers doing well on both largemouth and smallmouth—Champlain’s famous for both, and there’s definitely still action to be had if you know where to look. Several reports, including chatter from the Grand Isle launches and Missisquoi Bay area, mention smallmouth pushing shad up on rock points and humps. Anglers at North Hero and South Bay have been landing mixed bags, catching everything from chunky largemouth in the weeds to smallies patrolling the edges.

Best catches this week included:
• Numerous smallmouth bass in the 2–4 pound range—caught mainly on drop-shot rigs and Ned rigs fished off rocky points and around deeper grass lines.
• Largemouth success came from thick mats near Ticonderoga and the southern bays, with some locals reporting 3–5 pound fish taken on hollow-bodied frogs and Texas-rigged plastics.
• Decent reports of northern pike and a few surprise bowfin from the weedier backwaters, with chatterbaits and white spinnerbaits doing the damage.
• A handful of walleye and a couple of bonus lake trout were picked up trolling deep off Valcour Island and in the Inland Sea. Jigging blade baits in 30–45 feet has been effective, especially around first light.

Top lures lately:
• For bass: Green pumpkin and watermelon plastics, Senko-style worms, and swimbaits have been the local staple. When the wind picks up, 3/8 oz. spinnerbaits and crankbaits in perch or silver patterns have produced.
• For pike: White or chartreuse spinnerbaits, large spoons, and jerkbaits.
• For those targeting trout or walleye: Silver blade baits and small white paddle tails dropped down deep.

If you’re looking for bait, local shiners and nightcrawlers are always solid—especially after sunrise when a slower presentation helps. Top spots I'd recommend this weekend: the drop-offs around Sandbar State Park, the rocky humps off Valcour Island, and the weed beds off Ticonderoga in the south end. Early mornings and late afternoons are your best bet—midday sun gets the fish a little bored.

Boat traffic is thinning out since Labor Day, giving bank and kayak anglers more elbow room, especially along the Vermont shorelines and around Grand Isle. Water clarity’s been better in the north section lately, less stirred up than the southern bays.

That’s your Lake Champlain report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss out on the latest fish tales, hot spots, and where the bite is best.

This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn