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FISHING GUIDE · VERMONT & NEW YORK
Lake Champlain Fishing Guide
Lake Champlain has both warm-water and cold-water fishing in one lake. Anglers come for world-class smallmouth and largemouth bass, plus lake trout, landlocked salmon, walleye, pike and perch. Winter brings ice fishing in the protected bays.
📍 Between Vermont and New York, with a small part in Quebec, Canada. Towns: Burlington, St. Albans, Swanton (VT); Plattsburgh, Port Henry, Ticonderoga (NY).
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Northeast Lakes & Rivers map →
Quick facts
- About 120 miles long.
- Max depth about 400 feet, between Charlotte, VT and Essex, NY.
- About 587 miles of shoreline and more than 70 islands.
- The Lake Champlain Basin is home to about 81 fish species.
- Ranked by World Fishing Network (2014) among the top smallmouth bass lakes in North America.
What you can catch
- smallmouth bass
Abundant. Two to three pounds is average; fish over five pounds are not rare. - largemouth bass
Strong numbers, especially in the warmer south end and weedy bays. - lake trout
Deep water from Westport to Cumberland Head. Troll spoons and plugs. - landlocked Atlantic salmon
Open water trolling, and through the ice in the Inland Sea. - walleye
Best at the far south (Benson, Orwell) and north (Swanton, Alburgh) ends. - northern pike
Shallow weedy bays, very popular through the ice. - yellow perch
Sheltered bays and shallows, a winter favorite.
Month by month
| January | Ice fishing in protected bays when ice is safe. Pike, perch and smelt. Ice shanties off Port Henry and Westport (NY). |
|---|---|
| February | Ice fishing peak. Salmon in the Inland Sea once it freezes. Lake trout on deep areas if ice is good. |
| March | Late ice in the bays. Use caution; much of the lake ice can be thin. Trout and salmon stay open all year. |
| April | Catch-and-release bass with artificial lures (Vermont). The south end warms first, so it peaks in April. |
| May | North-end bass peak (Mallets Bay, Inland Sea, Champlain Islands). Walleye season opens in early May. Lake trout may be near the surface. |
| June | Bass after the spawn. A thermocline forms and lake trout go deep. Troll with downriggers or lead core. |
| July | Troll deep for lake trout and salmon. Bass on rocks and weed edges. |
| August | Lake trout deep during warm weather. Smallmouth on rocky points and humps. |
| September | Thermocline holds into September. Smallmouth start moving shallower as water cools. |
| October | Fall is often the best smallmouth time. Lake trout return to shallower water. |
| November | Lake trout and salmon shallower as the surface cools. Good late bass on rocky structure. |
| December | Trout and salmon stay open all year in Vermont waters. Watch for first safe ice in the shallow bays. |
Tips
- Smelt are the main forage, so long, narrow spoons and plugs work for lake trout and salmon.
- In spring, target pre-spawn bass staging on gravel, chunk rock and ledges near spawning flats.
- Willsboro Bay and the Valcour Island area can give sheltered water when the lake is rough.
- The south end warms weeks before the north end. Plan spring trips by water temperature.
- Ice on Champlain can be thin and unsafe. Stick to protected bays and check conditions locally.
Rules and license
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and New York State DEC · Official rules page ↗
- A Vermont or New York license is good on the main and south parts of the lake (since Jan. 1, 2004).
- South Bay requires a New York license.
- The Inland Sea, Mallets Bay, Missisquoi Bay and The Gut require a Vermont license.
- Rivers and streams flowing into the lake are not covered by the reciprocal license.
- You must follow the seasons, sizes and limits of the state whose water you are in, no matter which license you hold.
- Vermont: trout and salmon have no closed season on Lake Champlain. Spring bass fishing in Vermont is catch-and-release, artificial lures only.
- New York waters: lake trout open all year, 15-inch minimum, 3 per day.
- The reciprocal deal is only between Vermont and New York. Check Quebec rules for the Canadian part. Vermont regulations: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/fish/fishing-regulations
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 50 boat ramps and 13 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Auer's Boat House
- Bay Harbor Marina
- Boquet River Fishing Access
- Bridgeview Harbour Marina
- Bridgeview Harbour Marina Mooring Field
- Bulwagga Bay Campground
- Burlington Harbor Marina
- Champlain Bridge Marina
- Colchester Point Boat Ramp
- Community Boathouse Marina
- Converse Bay Boat Ramp2
- Essex Shipyard Marina
- International Sailing School
- Lake Everest Boat Launch
- Lewis Creek Boat Ramp
- Mallets Bay Boat Ramp
- Perkins Pier
- Peru Dock Boat Launch
- Plattsburgh Boat Basin
- Point Bay Marina
- Port Douglas Boat Launch
- Port Henry NYS Boar Launch
- Safe Harbor Shelburne Shipyard
- Shelburne Bay Boat Ramp
- Shelburne Pond Boat Ramp
- Taylor Pond Boat Launch
- The Moorings
- Van Everest Fishing Access
- Westport Boat Launch
- Westport Marina
- Wilson Dock Boat Launch
Sources
- https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/sporting-and-use/sporting/fishing-license/lake-champlain-reciprocal-fishing-license
- https://atlas.lcbp.org/heritage-recreation/recreation-sites/fishing/
- https://www.lcbp.org/?p=43
- https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/adirondack-lake-champlain/lake-champlain-lake-trout-fishing
- https://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/doc/fish/fishing-opportunities/vermonts-ice-fishing-opportunities
- https://vtfishandwildlife.com/node/457
- https://vermontbiz.com/node/184116
- https://onthewater.com/news/2020/04/20/vermont-walleye-fishing-season-opens-saturday-may-2
- https://vtfishandwildlife.com/fish/fishing-regulations
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.