Frosty Winter Fishing Frenzy on Lake Champlain - Ice Anglers Crushing Lakers, Smallies & Panfish

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for this crisp winter morning, January 18th, 2026. It's a chilly one out there—temps hovering around 20°F with light winds from the northwest, partly cloudy skies, sunrise at 7:22 AM, and sunset at 4:40 PM. No tides to worry about on this freshwater giant, but ice is forming solid in the bays, perfect for the hardwater bite. Ice fishing's heating up big time, just like that January 4th report from Lake Champlain Fishing Report Today said—the winter bite's sizzling for lakers, smallmouth bass, and panfish. Locals are pulling limits of perch and bluegills through the ice on small jigs tipped with waxies or minnows. Smallies are active in 20-40 feet off points, hitting jigging spoons or tube jigs in white or glow. Lake trout are deep, 60-plus feet, slamming dead-sticked cusk or white tube jigs on light line. Pike action's been steady too, with videos showing kayak anglers nailing 'em on slow-sinking glide baits like the Shine Glider in murky creeks—consistent 28- to 36-inchers, no monsters yet but fun fights. Drawing from that Bass Pro Tour top 10 baits on Champlain, even in winter these patterns hold: finesse Ned rigs like Googan Baits Rattlin’ Ned in Smelt for smallies, drop-shot worms such as Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm or Yamamoto Senko in perch, and jigs with craw trailers for bass hiding under ice edges. Best bait? Live minnows on tip-ups for pike and lakers—can't beat 'em. Artificials rule for panfish: 1/32-ounce jigs with soft plastics. Hot spots right now: Missisquoi Bay for panfish and pike—ice is good per Québec's 2025-2026 ice map. And Ticonderoga section for smallies and lakers, where pros crushed 'em on jigs and drop-shots. Bundle up, check ice thickness, and get out there before the bite slows. Thanks for tuning in, folks—subscribe for daily updates! 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.