Lake Champlain Fishing Report: Smallmouth Crushing Topwaters, Lakers Lurking Deep

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Saturday, June 21, 2025, covering both the Vermont and New York sides—let’s get right into the action.

We started our day with a sunrise at 5:13 AM, and anglers have until tonight’s sunset at 8:40 PM to put in work on the water. No tidal swings to worry about here—Lake Champlain is an inland lake, so fish patterns are driven by weather and daylight. Today’s weather is shaping up to be just about perfect: highs in the upper 60s to low 70s, partly cloudy skies, and a gentle south wind at 5 to 10 mph. Water temps are sitting around 54°F in the main basin, which is keeping the bite steady but concentrated, especially around those sun-heated shallows and rocky structure.

Smallmouth bass are the stars of the week. The spawn is winding down in most spots, with fish either guarding nests or cruising flats. According to the latest reports out of the central lake, it’s not uncommon for anglers to haul in up to 20 smallmouth in a session, with several fish in the 2- to 4-pound range and a few tanks pushing past 5 pounds. Early and late in the day, topwater frogs have been the ticket, especially around shallow bays and weedy lines. Once the sun gets up, switching to jerkbaits—like that PXR Mavrik 110 in Metallic Yellow Perch—or a Green Pumpkin Black Senko, Texas-rigged, is putting numbers in the boat. Don’t sleep on the classic tube baits, either, especially along rocky drop-offs and submerged humps.

Largemouth bass are biting pretty well in the southern bays and backwaters—go slow with a weedless jig or a wacky-rigged stickbait in the thicker stuff. Northern pike are always ready to ambush, especially on flashy spinnerbaits or big soft swimbaits near weed beds.

If you’re targeting cold-water species, the lake trout bite is solid from the Westport area north to Cumberland Head. Lakers are starting to slip deep with the warming surface temps, and trolling with long, narrow spoons or plug baits will get you results. Smelt imitations are hands down your best bet. Folks running downriggers are picking up steady numbers, with occasional bonus landlocked salmon, especially off Thompson’s Point and around Split Rock.

Hot spots to hit? The Inland Sea, particularly around the islands and Sandbar Causeway, is loaded with smallmouth right now. Plattsburgh Bay is another solid bet, especially for numbers of bass and a shot at big pike. If you want to chase lakers, set up between Westport and Split Rock—the thermocline is forming, and big marks are showing up in 40–60 feet.

That’s the scoop for today from beautiful Lake Champlain. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for future reports. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.