Fall Transition Feast on Lake Champlain's Trophy Bass and Walleye

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Wednesday, October 1, 2025. The autumn bite is heating up, and local anglers are seeing fantastic action as cooling water temps draw the big ones shallow. Let’s start with the **weather:** Overnight lows have dipped into the high 40s, and today expects patchy clouds with light winds and temps rising into the mid-60s. Sunrise came at 6:48 AM and sunset will be at 6:30 PM. With stable atmospheric conditions, fish have stayed active, especially during the warming afternoon hours. **There’s no tidal movement on the lake**—Champlain is freshwater, but expect decent wind-driven current along the Vermont and New York shorelines, particularly as a north breeze kicks up toward noon. **Fish activity and recent catches:** The bite’s been best from late morning to early evening, as the sun perks fish up. According to reports from outdoor guides and the Bassmaster Elite qualifier held here in September, the big bass are on the chew. Recent action includes a string of impressive catches: Roy Gangloff hauled a 7 lb. 8 oz. largemouth from Champlain, one of only four Vermont bass over 7 lbs. this year—proof that trophy fish are still prowling these waters. Smallmouth numbers are surging too. Guides report double-digit days for smallies, with more shallow-water strikes as nights cool. Walleye and northern pike are also showing up along drop-offs and weedbeds. **Best lures and bait:** Top finishers in the recent Bassmaster Elite Series relied on a mix of moving baits and finesse tactics. Try burning a crankbait—like the Damiki DC 300—to trigger smallmouth reaction bites, or toss a black and blue jig for largemouth lurking in weedbeds. For finesse, drop-shot rigs with soft plastics produce steady numbers, especially when targeting deeper schools. Hot bait colors right now are green pumpkin, chartreuse, and anything with red flake. Live bait anglers are getting results with jumbo minnows and nightcrawlers—especially on slow-drift rigs for walleye. **Suggested hot spots:** - **The Inland Sea, North Hero area:** Morning anglers have been boating big bass off rocky points and submerged humps. - **Missisquoi Bay:** Afternoon bite is red-hot in the shallow weedbeds; smallmouth and largemouth feeding up ahead of the fall turnover. - **Valcour Island:** The rocky shorelines and shoals are producing mixed bags of bass and northern pike. - **Shelburne Bay:** Consistent action for bass and walleye along deep edges and at the mouths of tributaries. For fall transition fishing, focus on areas where shallow flats meet deeper water and let those fish come to you as they chase baitfish close to shore. Don’t forget to adjust your presentation throughout the day—moving baits early, slow plastics once the sun peaks. Thanks for tuning in to the Lake Champlain fishing report. Make sure to subscribe for all your local angling updates and tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.