Lake Champlain Fishing Report: Late-October Bite Strong on Smallmouth, Walleye, and Largemouth

Good morning, anglers. Artificial Lure here with your Lake Champlain fishing report for Thursday, October 30th, 2025. Lake Champlain woke up under overcast skies and a nippy north-northeast wind this morning—classic late-October stuff around here. First cast went in at 7:26 AM, with sunrise painting the hills in gold. Sunset’s coming early at 5:50 PM, so don’t push your luck if you’re running south come evening. Temps are steady in the upper 30s to low 40s at dawn, with winds holding stiff out of the north and a light chop most everywhere except the sheltered bays. It’s chilly, but that’s making the smallmouth and walleye all the more aggressive as they fatten up before real winter moves in. Lake Champlain isn’t tidal, so no tide swings, but wind-driven current—especially in pinch points—remains a huge factor today. The bass bite is absolutely the story. As reported in this week’s Toyota Series opener out of Plattsburgh, postspawn smallmouth are packing on weight and chasing alewives, especially along flats and on secondary points where grass and rock meet. Several tournament pros sacked up over 20 pounds by 7:30 AM just yesterday. Heavy action is on both smallmouth and, to a lesser extent, largemouth, with limits coming quick if you land on the right school. Top baits right now are finesse minnows and Ned rigs. Popular picks include the Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm and Ned Senko, 5-inch Deps Sakamata Shad, and the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad rigged on 1/4- or 3/16-ounce heads. For topwater action—especially just as the sun clears the trees—look for the Berkley J-Walker or the Strike King Sexy Dawg. Glide baits like the Swimbait Garage Hyper Shad or home-poured War Panda glides are fooling bigger largemouth, especially near deep grass edges down by Ticonderoga. The panfish and walleye bite has also perked up. Local guides around the Inland Sea and Missisquoi report numbers of yellow perch, the odd crappie, and some solid late-season walleye, with the latter favoring blade baits and small jigging spoons fished tight to bottom in 15 to 25 feet. Most of the bass action is north—Malletts Bay, the Inland Sea, and up toward Rouses Point have all produced fast smallmouth limits the last two days, with some four-pounders in the mix. The secondary points with grass or rock transitions are holding wolf packs. Down south, Ticonderoga is the go-to if you want largemouth, particularly in the bridges and deep grass beds. Best bets for bait: minnows imitating alewives are where it’s at, but don’t sleep on a subtle Ned or a shad-pattern paddle tail to cover water. If you’re after walleye, try a live worm or small shiner on a slip rig in the evening. To summarize, the fish are feeding hard and grouped up tight—the challenge is staying on them as the weather keeps pushing fresh groups around. Bundle up, keep your eyes on the electronics, and watch for bait clouds. Hot spots today: Malletts Bay for smallmouth, the north end of the Inland Sea f This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.