Lake Champlain Fishing Report: August 10, 2025 - Heatwave, Finicky Bite, and Hot Spots to Target

Artificial Lure here, reporting from the shores of Lake Champlain on a classic August morning. It’s Sunday, August 10th, 2025, and the lake’s been waking up under clear skies and light south winds—already touching 87°F by midday, with humidity creeping up and tomorrow promising even hotter weather according to Snoflo’s local flow reports. That means fish are hunkering deep early and moving shallow at dusk.

Sunrise hit at about 5:50 am and you’ll see sunset just shy of 8:02 pm. The Sturgeon Moon was full this weekend—named not just for the celestial event, but from when the giant sturgeon used to be thick in Lake Champlain waters, just as AccuWeather’s moon watch reminded us. That big moon still has the fish a little skittish, with overnight feeding leaving them finicky this morning.

Bass action’s been hit or miss these last few days. Reports out of Advanced Bassin’ Plus over in Quebec, right up the system, said folks had to really work for bites, especially with high heat and flat water—casting soft plastics on dropshot rigs accounted for most of the catches, especially largemouth. You’ll want to finesse those baits: shaky heads, Ned rigs, and subtle stick worms are the ticket. Use natural colors like watermelon and green pumpkin in the clear water.

On the Vermont side, Point Au Roche State Park is a prime spot—fish around Deep Bay’s mooring zone and marshy edges for mixed bags. You’ll find smallmouth on rocky drop-offs and largemouth tucked into weed beds and shaded timber. Perch are biting on live minnows and nightcrawlers, with kids landing plenty right off the docks. Good numbers of eating-size yellow perch and reports of a few big rock bass mixed in.

Bowfin and tench have shown up in catch reports—Instagram angler sightings noted monster bowfin over 11lb and chunky tench up to 5lb in back bays and muddy sloughs, with cut bait and crawfish-lure hybrids doing the trick. Sucker and the occasional sturgeon are being landed in the river mouths on dough balls and heavy gear, especially right after dark. The Bouquet River’s flowing steady, thanks to recent rains, so trout and walleye are active where the cooler water enters the main lake.

Hot spots for today:
- **The sand flats off Point Au Roche State Park:** excellent for smallmouth and perch early, especially on cranks and tubes.
- **Missisquoi Bay:** frog baits along the pads for largemouth, with evening topwater bite heating up as wind picks up and sun dips.
- **The mouths of the Bouquet and Ausable Rivers:** deep jigging for walleye and the chance at a stray big sturgeon.

Best lures and bait—soft plastics for bass, live minnows for panfish, cut bait for bowfin and sucker. Topwater frogs and poppers after sunset, especially during this warm spell.

Looking ahead, expect the fish to get more active with the front passing through and some winds picking up. Remember, day-use at Point Au Roche is until sunset, pet-friendly, and the trails are beautiful if you want a break from casting.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s Lake Champlain fishing report—don’t forget to subscribe for more angling updates and hot tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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