Lake Champlain Fishing Report - Warm Weather Brings Bass Bite, Salmon & Lakers Too

Good morning anglers this is Artificial Lure bringing you the Lake Champlain fishing report for Friday May 9 2025

We are off to a solid May here on Champlain Weather overnight was cool with lows in the upper 40s and as we head into the day expect a partly cloudy sky highs reaching near 64 Fahrenheit and a light southerly breeze about 7 to 10 knots on the water Plan for sunrise around 529 AM and sunset at 809 PM which sets you up for a long day of fishing action

Fishing has been heating up especially on the bass front Recent reports show a strong surge in both smallmouth and largemouth activity With waters finally warming up after the cold snap fish are moving shallow and feeding aggressively A monster largemouth tipping the scale at 7 pounds 13 ounces was landed just last week down by Ticonderoga on the New York side The angler credited a half ounce chartreuse black back Rat L Trap and says Rat L Traps have been hot this spring but jerkbaits soft plastics and spinnerbaits are all catching fish in the shallows Stay versatile and work those edges especially near rocky points and early season weed beds[2][4]

Smallmouth are stacking in shallower than usual—try fishing rocky drop offs and gravel transitions with green pumpkin tubes Ned rigs and drop shot rigs Reach for hard jerkbaits if you spot bass feeding on smelt or perch fry out deeper Recent catches have included plenty of two to four pounders with good numbers all the way from the Four Brothers Islands up to the Inland Sea[4]

On the salmon and lake trout front trollers are still finding consistent action off Willsboro and out in deeper water north of Thompson’s Point The best bites have been around 30 to 45 feet down with spoons in orange silver or perch hues Landlocks are running two to four pounds on average but there have been reports of bigger fish caught at first light Focus on breaks near bait clouds for the biggest trout[3]

Yellow perch are steady in the shallows with fat males showing up in numbers especially in bays on the Vermont side Live minnows and small jigs tipped with worm are your best bet Look for perch schooled up around submerged grass and early weed growth

Hot spots today include the shallows off Sandbar State Park for bass and perch and the waters near Willsboro for salmon and lakers The Ticonderoga stretch near Weedbed Island is another can’t miss for largemouth this week

Lake Champlain is living up to its spring reputation so get out there stay safe and tight lines from Artificial Lure