Late Fall Frenzy on Lake Champlain - Your Weekly Fishing Report

Good morning, anglers! This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Friday, November 28th, 2025.

We're deep into late fall now, and Champlain's showing us what she's got. Water temps have dropped into the mid-to-high 40s, and that means the fish are feeding with purpose. We don't have tidal movements to worry about on Champlain—that's a freshwater advantage—but wind is absolutely shaping how you'll want to work your spots today.

**The Bite**

Smallmouth are still the headliners up here. Recent pro tournaments have shown us these fish are stacked in impressive numbers, with solid bags consistently topping the scales. The postspawn bite is transitioning nicely, and fish are relating to deeper structure and flats with rocky transitions. You're looking at depths of 15 to 30 feet where the real action's happening right now.

**What's Working**

Drop-shot rigs with finesse minnows are absolutely money. Tournament pros have been dialing in Yamamoto Shad Shape Worms and Ned rigs with great success. Green pumpkin colors are killer in this clear water. Blade baits like the Steelshad are also producing solid strikes over mid-depth flats. Don't sleep on topwater walking baits at first light either—that's when you'll see some explosive action.

For live bait, fresh shiners and fathead minnows continue to produce, especially in the morning hours. If you can source fresh smelt, that'll get attention from walleye cruising the deeper edges too.

**Fish Species & Recently Caught**

Walleye are heating up along rocky points and current seams, particularly in the 15-to-20-inch range. Lake trout are active in deeper water around Split Rock and Thompson's Point—some pushing 8 pounds. Largemouth are still tucked in dying weedbeds in the south lake bays, with a few surprises up to 4 pounds still willing to bite. Yellow perch are schooling up between boats in Malletts Bay, and limits are possible if you find the school.

**Hot Spots Today**

Hit **The Gut near Grand Isle**—it's a reliable smallmouth haunt with walleye cruising edges at dusk. Then work over to **Missisquoi Bay**, where largemouth are stacked in the dying cabbage beds with bonus slab crappie pulling off the edges.

Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Champlain fishing report! Make sure to subscribe for daily updates on what's biting and where. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

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