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Lake George Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Queen of American Lakes: 32 miles of gin-clear Adirondack water hiding lake trout, landlocked salmon and world-class smallmouth.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
79 / 79 F
Wind
NW 8 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake George sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings a mixed sky, wind NW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 79. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Lake troutFair

Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 73 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp79 F
High / Low79 / 61 F
WindNW 8-12 mph
Pressure1010.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain25% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset06:21 / 19:24
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 79/61 F, wind 8 mph, rain 4%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake George: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Best: ice-out and fall turnover

The char of the deep: 40-year-old predators patrolling the cold basins of glacial lakes, from the Finger Lakes to the Rockies. Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Lake George calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake George today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

New York requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New York license. Lake trout and salmon limits and seasons per current DEC Region 5 rules; special regulations apply: check before keeping fish.

Access

Mossy Point (Ticonderoga), Rogers Rock, Dunham Bay and Village of Lake George launches; state island campsites by boat.

About this water

A 32-mile, 28,000-acre oligotrophic lake in the southeastern Adirondacks, Warren and Washington counties, New York.

Fishing Lake George: the full guide

Clarity and depth

Lake George stretches 32 miles between the Adirondack foothills, so clear that anglers routinely see bottom in 30 feet and so deep (nearly 200 feet in the Narrows) that its cold-water fishery thrives year-round. Lake trout are the headline, joined by landlocked salmon, a nationally regarded smallmouth bass population, northern pike in the weedy bays, yellow perch schools and the occasional big brown. The scenery does not hurt.

Lakers and the deep game

Lake trout hold the deep basins and drop-offs: troll copper or downriggers with spoons and cut bait from 60 to 120 feet in summer, or jig white tubes over the humps. Spring ice-out brings them shallow to 20-40 feet where casting reaches them. Landlocked salmon chase smelt near the surface in early season: trolled streamers and stickbaits in the top 20 feet during May and June, then deeper as the water warms.

Smallmouth in clear water

The smallmouth fishery deserves its reputation: rocky points, shoals and island edges hold fish through the whole open-water season. Clear water means long casts, natural colors and light fluorocarbon: drop-shots, tubes and Ned rigs on the drop-offs, topwater at first light over the shallow rock. The Narrows islands and the Dunham Bay area produce consistently, and four-pounders are a realistic target.

Working a big lake

Ramps at Mossy Point, Rogers Rock, Dunham Bay and the Village of Lake George serve the whole lake, with the state maintaining island campsites reachable only by boat: the classic Adirondack fishing trip. Summer brings heavy recreational traffic to the southern basin: fish the Narrows and northern end, or go early. Winter ice fishing for lakers, pike and perch is a local institution when the lake locks up.

Common questions

What is Lake George best known for?

Lake trout and smallmouth bass in extraordinarily clear water, plus landlocked salmon: a cold-water fishery with Adirondack scenery attached.

Does the clarity make fishing harder?

Yes: long casts, light line and natural presentations matter more here than on stained lakes. Early and late light evens the odds.

Is ice fishing popular?

Very, when the lake freezes: lake trout, pike and jumbo perch draw crowds to the bays. Ice conditions vary widely: check locally before venturing out.

Is fishing good at Lake George right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Sacandaga River39 miGreat Sacandaga Lake42 miBattenkill43 miSomerset Reservoir53 miMohawk River57 miAusable River58 mi
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