Lake Champlain's Late Summer Bass Bonanza: Inland Sea & Otter Creek Shine

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Sunday, August 17th, 2025, right at sunrise.

Lake Champlain greeted us with a mild, almost glassy surface at dawn, with locals commenting on how “the lake’s got that still-water magic today.” The National Weather Service in Burlington calls for partly cloudy skies this morning and a fresh breeze picking up from the southwest around midday. Temps are starting in the high 60s, expected to nudge past 77 by afternoon. Keep an eye out—the wind’s forecasted to reach 10–15 knots later, which could kick up a light chop for boaters. Sunrise hit at 5:59 a.m. and tonight’s sunset rolls in at 7:55 p.m.

Now, onto the bite. Anglers are still riding the late-summer action, especially around the Inland Sea and the mouth of Otter Creek. Over the last couple of days, local guides report “solid bags” of smallmouth and largemouth bass, with some folks pulling up 4- and 5-pounders using crankbaits and soft plastics. Just this week, My Chaotic Fishing’s Peter shared a video showcasing nice offshore largemouth action—that season turnover bite is hitting hard, and folks fishing deep have been rewarded. The best part is the “numbers are up,” with most boats comfortably landing ten or more keepers in a morning. Instagram’s @phillipwade posted a 15-11 bag from Champlain in the last tournament, mentioning lost fish meant the potential for an 18-19 lb. haul—so the big ones are absolutely here.

On the lure front, orange’s still ruling for lake trout—the crowd’s raving about orange tubes and swim baits dressed with a touch of scent like F.A.T Sauce. Bass are hitting on mid-diving crankbaits in shad, perch, and bluegill patterns, especially where baitballs are marking deeper structure. If you’re after smallies, don’t overlook Ned rigs or drop-shots with natural finesse worms; the clearer water lets them shine. Worm harnesses and live nightcrawlers over rocky humps also produce, especially for those drifting in deeper basins. With the minor cold snap last week, evening topwater is picking up along breaklines, particularly with walking baits and poppers.

For shore anglers, docks around the Burlington and Plattsburgh marinas have offered steady perch and panfish, too—small live minnows and cutworms are pulling up eater-sized slabs for family anglers.

Two hotspots not to miss: the Inland Sea just northwest of Grand Isle, and the weed beds along Carry Bay. Both zones have been big-fish factories lately, with steady catches from sunrise right through mid-morning. For a shot at big bronze, hit the rocky drops near Valcour Island late morning, working jigs and swimbaits.

There’s no significant tidal swing on Lake Champlain, but these calm August mornings mean peak fish activity early—plan to hit your prime spots by 6 a.m. before winds and weekend traffic pick up.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s Lake Champlain fishing update with Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe for tomorrow’s report, and tight lines out there! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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