Autumn Angling on Lake Champlain: Smallies, Salmonids, and More Bite Strong

Good morning anglers, it’s Artificial Lure with your October 20th Lake Champlain fishing report. Sunrise painted the sky at 7:12 AM, with sunset expected tonight around 6:04 PM. Temps started near 39°F at dawn and we’ll see a nice rise to the mid-50s by late afternoon. Winds are gentle from the south-southwest at 8-10 mph, keeping the water surface just lightly riffled—a near-perfect autumn morning for casting. Fog hugged the eastern shoreline early, but visibility is clearing up fast. Lake Champlain’s water level is steady after recent light rains, and the lake is reading around 60°F—cooling steadily now, which wakes up those big Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass. Remember, Lake Champlain doesn’t have tidal activity, so movement depends on wind and weather shifts. Water clarity this week is slightly stained in the shallows, crystal clear out deeper. Fish activity is on the upswing. Reports from Mallets Bay and The Gut are strong for Smallmouth Bass. Anglers landed several in the 2–4 pound class this weekend using green pumpkin tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with finesse worms. Largemouth have been biting in shallower weed beds, especially at Sand Bar State Park and around the Missisquoi Bay bridge pilings. The top lure for Largemouth—black and blue flipping jigs tipped with craw trailers, especially pitched tight to the dying weeds. The salmonids are showing life with rising water levels—Landlocked Salmon are chasing smelt and alewife schools, especially off of Willsboro Point and near the Charlotte ferry launch. Trolling with silver flutter spoons or small stickbaits like the Rapala X-Rap has scored a handful of nice salmon up to 19 inches. Early season Northern Pike are also active outside the bays—dead bait under a slip float works best, though big spinnerbaits in firetiger and perch patterns have resulted in some ferocious strikes. Yellow Perch and Crappie numbers are decent, mainly in mid-depth brush around Ferrisburgh and south of Valcour Island. Nightcrawlers and small chartreuse grubs are the baits of choice, brought up by several local fishermen with buckets of slabs. Best hotspots: I’d keep an eye on Shelburne Bay for bass and salmon. The rocky dropoffs there are attracting active feeders and boat traffic has thinned after the summer crowds. For shore casters, the causeway at South Hero and the points at Point Au Roche are bringing in solid panfish after school. Around Thompson’s Point, late afternoon bite windows have been stellar for bass on spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. This week, locals say don’t forget your jerkbaits—try natural shad or perch colors, especially during low light. Live bait anglers, minnows are hot right now for perch and holdover bass. For lure folk, chatterbaits and lipless cranks are picking up aggressive fish in the windier pockets. As leaf drop ramps up, watch for floating debris—swap to weedless rigging if it gets heavy. Remember today’s forecast is clear up till late, with clouds moving in tonight. No thunde This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.