Smallmouth Surge, Trophy Largemouth, and Restored Lake Trout - Lake Champlain's Exceptional Spring Fishing

LAKE CHAMPLAIN FISHING REPORT - May 11, 2025

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Sunday, May 11, 2025.

We've got another beautiful day shaping up on the lake with sunrise already behind us at 5:35 AM and sunset coming at 8:04 PM, giving you plenty of daylight hours on the water. Weather-wise, expect temperatures climbing from the upper 40s into the mid-60s by afternoon with mostly clear skies and light southerly winds around 5 to 10 mph. No tidal concerns on our inland lake, and water levels remain stable with good clarity after our recent stretch of calm weather.

The smallmouth bite has been absolutely on fire this past week! Reports are flooding in about smallmouths in the 1 to 3 pound range stacking up around rock piles, gravel flats, and near docks and boat launches[1][2]. They're really surging right now as water temperatures continue to climb. If you're targeting these bronzebacks, drop shots and Texas rigs have been producing consistently. Bladed jigs, especially Z-Man Chatterbait Elite EVOs and Missile Baits Baby D Stroyers, are getting crushed when worked slowly along weedy edges and rocky transitions[2].

The big news from last week was Roy Gangloff landing a monster 7 pound 13 ounce largemouth in the Ticonderoga section using a 1/2 oz chartreuse black back Rat-L-Trap[4]. That pattern seems to be holding, with several other anglers reporting success with Rat-L-Traps for big largemouths. This spring has been exceptional for trophy largemouth action.

Lake trout fishing continues to impress following the successful conservation efforts and lamprey control programs that have helped restore our native population[3]. For those targeting lakers, orange, green/gold, and white spoons have been effective in the 40-60 foot depth range[5].

Hot spots this week include the Ticonderoga stretch on the southern end for both largemouth and smallmouth, the rocky points around the Inland Sea for smallmouth, and the waters off Willsboro for anyone targeting salmon[1][3]. The shallows around the islands are also producing good numbers of bass as they move in preparing to spawn[3][4].

Whether you're a local or just visiting our beautiful lake, conditions are prime for what's shaping up to be one of the best spring fishing seasons in recent memory. Remember your limits, handle those fish with care, and I'll see you on the water!

This is Artificial Lure signing off until next time. Tight lines, folks!