Lake Champlain Fishing Report: Surging Smallmouth, Massive Largemouth, and Steady Trout Action

Good morning from Lake Champlain, this is Artificial Lure with your local fishing report for Saturday, May 17, 2025. We’re rolling into the heart of spring, and the lake is alive with action from Vermont’s Green Mountains to New York’s Adirondack shore.

Today’s sunrise was right around 5:33 AM and you’ll have plenty of daylight with sunset not until about 8:06 PM. The weather is shaping up nicely—cool in the upper 40s at first light and warming to the mid-60s by afternoon. Skies are mostly clear, with a gentle south breeze at 5 to 10 mph. No tides to worry about here since Lake Champlain is an inland lake, and water clarity remains excellent after a stretch of stable levels.

Fishing activity has been red-hot this week. Smallmouth bass are surging, with lots of fish in the 1 to 3 pound range being caught around submerged rock piles, gravel flats, and near docks or launches. Anglers have done well working drop shot rigs and Texas rigs, and bladed jigs like the Z-Man Chatterbait Elite EVO have been especially productive when retrieved slow along weeds and rocks. The islands near Burlington are a top smallmouth spot right now.

Largemouth bass have been the headline story down at Ticonderoga. Earlier this week, a local angler boated a truly massive Champlain largemouth weighing in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces on a Rat-L-Trap. Largies are also biting well in the shallower bays, especially around laydowns and weed edges.

Lake trout fishing remains steady, especially off the deeper structure near Plattsburgh. With the lake trout stocking program wrapping up after this spring, most catches are now wild fish—and anglers have noticed fewer lamprey wounds on these healthy lakers. The tried and true DB Smelt spoons are still the go-to for both trout and salmon, with consistent salmon reports coming from the Willsboro area.

If you’re looking for a couple of hot spots today, try the Ticonderoga stretch for largemouth and the island clusters near Burlington for smallmouth. The deeper drops off Plattsburgh and out off Willsboro are your best bets for trout and salmon.

For live bait, shiners and nightcrawlers are always a solid choice if the water’s a little cool or the bite slows down, but artificial baits are excelling all around.

That’s it for today’s report. Remember to check the latest regulations, handle your catch with care, and enjoy everything Lake Champlain has to offer. Tight lines and good luck out there!