Lake Champlain Fishing Update: Largemouth, Smallmouth, and More for September 6, 2025

Morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Saturday, September 6, 2025. If you’re just getting your tackle ready on the Vermont or New York shore, here’s what you need to know before you hit the water.

Let’s start with the weather. Sunrise came in at 6:22 AM, and we’re expecting mostly clear skies for most of the day. Temps are mild, hovering in the upper 60s early, rising to the low 80s this afternoon. Winds will be 6–8 mph out of the south-southwest, which will stir up a slight chop—ideal conditions for working some surface baits and moving water presentations.

Worth flagging: Lake Champlain’s water levels are noticeably down due to continued regional drought conditions. Vermont Daily Chronicle reports the lake’s a couple feet lower than normal, exposing more shoreline and shallow rocks—so keep an eye on your prop and use the low water to your advantage by targeting drop-offs and weedlines the fish are relating to right now.

There’s no tidal action on Champlain—the main influence on fish movement is wind and sun angle. Cooler nights are bringing water temps into the mid-to-upper 60s, signaling early-fall patterns are starting to show.

On to the bite: The bass fishing is what brings folks from across the Northeast this time of year, and for good reason. Both largemouth and smallmouth are active. This week during the Day 1 weigh-in at the Toyota Series, several bags over 18 pounds hit the stage, with the majority of anglers reporting smaller bass catches early and quality fish mixed in later in the morning. Smallmouth dominate the deeper edges around the Inland Sea and north of the bridge, with largemouth tucked into the thicker milfoil and cabbage beds in the southern bays.

Hot baits right now include:
- Booyah and War Eagle spinnerbaits (especially double willow blades), which are drawing aggressive smallmouth strikes along blown-in shorelines when there’s a ripple—tips shared during this week’s Toyota Series coverage.
- Drop-shot rigs with 3”–4” minnow plastics, particularly around main-lake points and the steeper gravel humps.
- For largemouth, topwaters at dawn are getting blowups in the shallows—think Pop-Rs and black buzzbaits. Once the sun gets up, switch to jigs and heavy Texas rigs in the inside weedlines.

Other catches: There’s been steady action for northern pike and bowfin up in Missisquoi Bay, mostly on big swimbaits and white chatterbaits. Some anglers also picked up lake trout trolling deeper just off Valcour Island, running spoons 50–70 feet down. Panfish—yellow perch and big bluegill—are stacked in the marinas and around docks on both sides of the lake.

If you’re after action, two hot spots to check out:
- The mouth of Otter Creek near Ferrisburgh: mix of moving water, grass, and rocky flats is holding smallmouth and even a few late-season walleye.
- Carry Bay up north on the Vermont side: rumors say an early push of big smallmouths were taken on Ned rigs near the isolated boulders mid-channel.

For bait, best results are coming on live shiners or nightcrawlers for multispecies, but most bass tourney anglers are sticking with natural-shade plastics and flashy reaction baits right now.

Remember: boat traffic’s a bit lighter now that Labor Day’s passed, and there’s opportunity all over the lake with these water conditions. Stay safe, keep your PFD handy, and be respectful of low water around launches and shoals.

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