Champlain Giant Bass Bonanza: Minnows Dominate, Glides Slay, and Wintering Fish Concentrate

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025.

We're heading into prime giant bass season right now, and conditions are shaping up nicely despite some weather moving through. Snow's expected today with accumulations of 3 to 9 inches depending on where you are on the lake, so bundle up out there.

Water temps are dropping fast as we move deeper into December, and both smallmouth and largemouth are transitioning to their wintering grounds. The good news? This is when they concentrate in predictable spots. Look for steep main-lake points, rocky bluff walls, and deep edges in 20 to 40 feet of water. The fish are efficient hunters now—minimal movement means they're stacked tight in specific zones.

For baits and lures, minnows are absolutely crushing it right now. The recent Toyota Series on Champlain showed us that 5-inch shads paired with 1/4 to 3/8-ounce jigheads are producing big fish. Ned rigs with small plastics are money in cold water, and don't sleep on blade baits like Fish Sense Binsky or Molix Trago Vib worked right near bottom.

Speaking of that tournament, anglers were landing quality smallmouth consistently on glide baits, topwater presentations early and late, and good old-fashioned minnow imitations. Postspawn fish are still around, but they're moving deeper.

Hot spots right now? Malletts Bay is holding suspended fish and schooled smallmouth around secondary points in 8 to 12 feet. The Alburg Passage area also had anglers connecting with decent numbers both days.

Weather-wise, that snow system will make travel tough this morning and evening, so be careful out there. Once this system clears, stable conditions—even if brutally cold—will concentrate fish tighter to structure.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI