Smallmouth Dominance on Lake Champlain: Minnow Patterns Shine in Malletts Bay and Alburg Passage

# Lake Champlain Fishing Report - November 30th, 2025

Well folks, it's Artificial Lure here with your Sunday morning Lake Champlain report, and let me tell you, conditions are looking pretty decent out there today.

First up, the tides. Burlington area is showing a low tide at 11:27 AM at minus 2.9 feet, so you've got some decent water movement this morning. Sunrise was at 6:49 AM and we're looking at sunset around 5:28 PM, so you've got a solid eight and a half hours of good light.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Just a couple weeks back, the Toyota Series wrapped up on the lake, and the fishing reports were absolutely stellar. The smallmouth bite was dominant out there—postspawn fish were aggressive and hungry. Tucker Smith won the event throwing minnows and Ned rigs, particularly 5-inch Yamamoto Shad Shapes paired with Picasso jig heads. Multiple anglers in the top ten were keying on minnow patterns, specifically X Zone Rally Shads and Deps Sakamata Shads on light jig heads. These fish were hanging around flats, secondary points with grass lines or rock, and current breaks in areas like Malletts Bay and the Alburg Passage.

The water depth sweet spot was between eight and twelve feet where fish were schooled up and aggressive. Several anglers reported catching five to ten fish per day on minnow patterns alone. One competitor even mentioned seeing hundreds of little perch and alewives, which tells us the baitfish are abundant right now.

For your hot spots today, I'd focus on those secondary points with grass structure around Malletts Bay—that's producing consistent smallmouth. Also check out current breaks and pinch points where baitfish ball up. Minnow imitations are your bread and butter right now, particularly in three to five-inch sizes on 1/8 to 1/4-ounce heads.

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