Every winter, I look forward to the day when the ice will break away and I can launch my boat again for a spring fishing trip on southern Lake Champlain near Crown Point. That first walk towards the sunrise each spring is almost cathartic. The way the lake shimmers almost seems like God’s way of saying, “You’ve made it one more year!”
I only got one sunrise like that in 2020, and it was far too early in the year to make much good of it. One morning, I rushed up from Connecticut to New York right in the early throws of COVID to get my gear and bring it back home. I figured 2020 would be the year I’d never use it otherwise. While it was interesting to spend more time plying Connecticut waters for a change, it didn’t compare to Lake Champlain. I’m itching to get back and just have to “think out loud” a bit about what I’ll do.
A Lifelong Adventure
I recently found an old fishing log that I’ll have to put up here on the blog bit by bit. Here’s an entry where I guess I felt like talking about the past. This scene has been repeating for years now:
Lake Champlain – The Past
I grew up fishing Lake Champlain with my brother & sister. Dad would take us up, but we would also fish with Uncle Steve and George Daniels, who owned a bait shop near Bulwagga Bay.
I’m not sure how, but Dad managed to take the three of us out on his 15′ Fisher Hawk 2V Mod-V Bass Boat, which he had bought new in 1987 for $5,000. The plan was to usually go across the lake and drift the Vermont shore from Yellow Point lighthouse to the point north of Leonard Bay. We would catch a lot of smallmouth bass on spade-tailed green grubs with an 1/8th oz ball jig head, usually black with yellow eyes. We would also toss marabou jigs (white & red) and small light tan, skinny crankbaits [Rebel Fastrac minnows] and baby bass colored square bills. Eventually, George taught us about dropshotting live bait, and we would fish near Two Trees and the Buoy.
We didn’t spend as much time on the New York side, but when we did, it was usually the bays around the house. We would fish these with chartreuse and yellow spinnerbaits.
These formative years were when the fish went on the wall. We were young and wanted to be like Uncle Steve, who had mounted some real trophies, including the large pike he caught in the mouth of the creek before it was dredged and ruined. Our fish weren’t exactly trophies to anyone but little kids, but that is what we were at the time.
They were good days and some of the better memories I have of spending time with my siblings. We actually got along (most of the time).
Fishing on Southern Lake Champlain in April
Anyone who has fished Lake Champlain will tell you that it’s darn near crystal clear north of the bridge at Crown Point, and nearly mud once you go much south from there. Well, cold muddy water can sometimes be a problem when you want to go fishing.
I know I should really time my first fishing trips better. If I can hold out until the first or second week of May, it’s usually a dynamite fishery. Still, after a cold winter of staring at hooks in my basement, it’s all I can do to stop myself from heading up there while it’s still nearly freezing in April.
This makes for tough fishing. The weeds aren’t in and the water’s high, cold, and murky. Spinnerbaits that will work a few weeks later are largely out of the question. Instead, you’re faced with trying to poke around and see if the bass have loaded up on rocky points near spawning bays yet. If they have, a jerkbait kills them. If they haven’t, you’re going to go a long way between bites.
You’ll see many guys fishing with jigs though it’s a challenge to work them from a walleye boat while the wind is blowing something fierce as it tends to do that time of year, so I usually stick with my jerkbaits.
The Fleet is Out and Killing It
The one place you will find a ton of boat traffic down south is Bulwagga Bay. Here and near the Crown Point Bridge, you’ll find that the fleet of salmon trollers is out fishing in full force as many of the Atlantic Salmon come shallow enough to be taken here. Some day I’d like to try it, but I usually only troll for pickerel and am not quite sure that I really want to start another expensive tactic.
If you’re interested in reading up more about this, I suggest reading the forums over at www.lakechamplainunited.com. A few folks on the site have already been out getting some great action.
At Least It’s Serene
Bass season doesn’t start on Lake Champlain until a few weeks in June. Until then, you must release all catches promptly. While this is a bummer, I’m sure, for the tournament guys, it does allow late April and early May to be quiet, calm, and relaxing, Even south of the bridge, where everything narrows, you can find a bit of space for yourself.
Unfortunately, that sometimes also means that the eateries you were used to during the summer may not be open and ready, so bear that in mind and plan ahead!
May – When the Action Heats Up
Some of the best fishing I’ve had in my life has come in May in southern Lake Champlain. It’s still catch and release only for bass, but you can find plenty of them. They’re going to be splitting their time now between rocky points and actual spawning bays. To the extent you can find a point that has bass stacked on it, you can easily have 100-fish days with the use of a jerkbait or squarebill. Once the water heats up to around 60-degrees, spinnerbaits and Senkos come into their own as well.
Where to Find Fish near Crown Point
During May it’s hard not to find fish in southern Lake Champlain. The bass that haven’t spawned yet will tend to stage on the points while bass start moving into the shallows. There are several bays in Crown Point and Ticonderoga worth fishing, some more than others. Popular spots include the delta near the Fort and the bay just north of the paper mill. I haven’t found as much luck fishing bays on the Vermont side around Crown Point, but the rocky shoreline has produced some great smallmouth since I was a kid.
When I was young and Dad was taking the three of us out on “Sinky,” we had to stay close to home. Once I upgraded to my Lund Impact, I’ve started to explore far and wide. The Ticonderoga area has a number of good spots that I’ve found recently. Pretty much anything near the fort can produce, and you’ll find many boats stacked up there. East Creek in Vermont can also be fun, though you’ll need a Vermont fishing license to fish it. Finally, if you are willing to run south a bit more, there are some spawning flats on the way to Mill Bay that can be dynamite when the fish are hitting top waters.
Lastly, there are the many rivers and creeks in this area. The mouths and deltas of all of these can work out quite well. Ticonderoga especially, with two large creeks to choose from, is well worth your time. Depending on the water temperatures, I’d throw some Senkos into weed pockets to try and entice a bite.
My Game Plan
Regardless of when I go, I think I’ll follow the usual game plan that has served me well these past few years. I’ll start by targeting the rocky points of Vermont and New York, as well as some big boulders I discovered via map research back during the drought a few years back. The goal will be to find a school of largemouth to spend a day with.
If I can’t find anything on rocky points, I’m going to go into several bays on the New York side. What lure I’ll use depends on the weed growth. If it is still clear enough to get treble hooks through the backwaters, that’s what I’ll use. If not, I will switch up to a Senko and start targeting pockets. Fish start spawning around this area in mid-May or so. You can find huge bass by looking for little ripples from sunfish raiding their nests.
If I find an area with warmer water temperatures, I’ll break out my spinnerbaits. These are great for catching chain pickerel which are everywhere in the southern end. I’m really hoping that my son will get his first spinnerbait strike from a pickerel this year.
Of course, all this depends on finding the time to go. This is my son’s first year in kindergarten so it’s not like I can just leave for a week in May. I’ll have to pick my spots and maybe take a long weekend here or there. Usually when I do that, I find that the weather turns south quickly!
Useful Resources for Fishing Lake Champlain
While I hope to expand upon my knowledge of Lake Champlain in this blog, there are several other great resources available for you in the meanwhile.
- The forums at www.lakechamplainunited.com – long-running site with members who routinely target salmon and lake trout.
- The forums at https://vtbassforums.proboards.com/ – a great site with members who actively fish the Ticonderoga area.
- You also might book a trip with my personal favorite fishing guide at www.lakechamplainangler.com
- Here’s a great book on Fishing Lake Champlain. The author’s website seems to have gone out of business, but you can find Bass Fishing 101: Lake Champlain by Dale Brown here.
- Finally, while my book isn’t specifically written about Lake Champlain, most of the tactics and tips I write about were developed on the lake, so it’s worth a read. You can purchase that here.
Conclusions
I suppose this work was a bit rambling. I just needed to think aloud a bit about this great fishery so I’d have something to look forward to. Hopefully you were at least able to pull some information out of it to help you next time you visit this wonderful fishery.
Thanks,
John Paxton
