Springtime Bounty on Lake Champlain: Bass, Trout, and Salmon Abound

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for April 20, 2025.

It’s a classic spring morning on the lake, with sunrise around 6:15 AM and sunset at 7:27 PM, giving everyone plenty of daylight to work the water. Weather is holding up beautifully -- clear skies, mid-50s, and just enough breeze to keep the bugs down but not enough to ruffle your drift. Waters are cool but warming fast, and fish activity is as hot as you’ll find all spring.

Bass anglers are reporting outstanding action on both smallmouth and largemouth. Smallmouth bass are especially aggressive right now, stacking up on rocky points and boulder shorelines in 12 to 20 feet of water. Largemouths are cruising submerged grass and shallow bays, feeding heavily in the midday sun. Green pumpkin and white swim jigs, bladed jigs, and slow-rolled crankbaits are top picks. For the smallmouths, a drop shot rig with something like a Berkley Flat Worm or Ned rig is money. If you’re on largemouths, don’t shy away from a Senko along the edges of fresh grass.

Lake trout have been stealing the show this spring, thanks to a rebound in the wild population. Anglers are finding them active near deep humps and ledges, especially in the mid-lake region between Westport and Cumberland Head. Try jigging with dead alewife in about 20 feet of water. Landlocked salmon are also biting well, particularly near the mouths of the Winooski and Ausable Rivers, where trolling small bright spoons is getting the job done. Recent catches for both species are solid, with lake trout averaging 4 to 6 pounds and salmon running 2 to 4 pounds[1][2][5].

Northern pike are busy in the shallows, especially around South Bay and Bulwagga Bay. Large spoons, swimbaits, and live bait under a bobber are your best bet. If panfishing is your style, crappie are moving into the backwater shallows, and a small jig tipped with a minnow will fill a bucket fast.

Hot spots to target today include Chimney Point for bass, the flats off Cumberland Head for trout, and South Bay if you’re chasing pike or panfish. The bite has been so strong lately, some anglers are reporting 50 to 75 bass on a good day, mixed with bonus trout and salmon if you put in the time[2][4][5].

With the lake trout now self-sustaining and the spring bite wide open, it’s tough to find a better place to wet a line right now. Tight lines and good luck!