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Lake Champlain Fishing Report

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

The sixth Great Lake: 120 miles of bays and islands where bass tournaments meet salmon streams.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Lake level
94.48 ft
Air / High
76 / 76 F
Wind
NNW 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 04294500, 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Lake Champlain lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The gauge reads 94.48 ft, easing 0.16 over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 76. 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

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

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

Northern pikeExcellent

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

Yellow perchGood

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

Tomorrow: Cooler at 71 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 from LAKE CHAMPLAIN AT BURLINGTON, VT.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 04294500.

94.5694.8895.1994.48 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp76 F
High / Low76 / 62 F
WindNNW 9-14 mph
Pressure1010.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain80% cloud, 11%
Sunrise / Sunset06:19 / 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 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 76/62 F, wind 10 mph, rain 11%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

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 Champlain 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
Walleye
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 Champlain today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 29 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Walleye led the card at good. High of 78 F, wind to 29 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 28 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Walleye led the card at good. High of 73 F, wind to 28 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 77 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

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

Regulations

NY or VT license: most of the lake honors either (reciprocity on the main lake): confirm boundary rules. Bass seasons differ by state: check both.

Access

Plattsburgh, Ticonderoga, Burlington, Malletts Bay and dozens of ramps both shores.

About this water

271,000 acres, NY/VT/Quebec. Natural lake, 400 ft deep at the broad lake. Drains north via the Richelieu to the St. Lawrence.

Fishing Lake Champlain: the full guide

Almost great, entirely underrated

Champlain runs 120 miles down the New York-Vermont border: 271,000 acres of trophy smallmouth flats, largemouth bays, lake trout and landlocked salmon depths, and pike weedlines. National bass tours visit for the numbers; locals stay for a multi-species richness almost nowhere else matches.

Pick a game

Smallmouth: rock reefs and shoals lake-wide (the Inland Sea north of the islands is hallowed water): drop shots and tubes. Largemouth: Ticonderoga's southern grass and Missisquoi Bay's pads, frog and flipping country. Cold water: troll for salmon and lakers off the broad-lake depths, or swing streamers in the tributaries each fall. Ice season covers everything from smelt to pike.

Two lakes by latitude

Champlain splits by geography: the broad southern main lake runs warm-water classic (largemouth in Ticonderoga's grass, smallmouth on Burlington's shoals), while the northern Inland Sea and Missisquoi Bay add pike, walleye, and a bona fide ice culture. Bass tournaments call it the best value in the East: 100-fish smallmouth days on dropshots over 15-25-ft rock are ordinary. The lake fishes bigger than its fame.

Common questions

Is Champlain really tournament-caliber for bass?

The national tours return constantly for a reason: 20-lb smallmouth bags and 22-lb largemouth bags on the same water, with fish spread over 120 miles so no one area burns out.

Where do the tournaments launch on Champlain?

Plattsburgh and Ticonderoga host most: north for smallmouth density, south for largemouth grass. Visitors can split the difference at Burlington and reach both games.

Is fishing good at Lake Champlain right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Winooski River12 miAusable River21 miMissisquoi River24 miWaterbury Reservoir31 miSaranac Lake48 miLake Memphremagog60 mi
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