crown point fishing Archives

Fourth of July Fishing Fireworks on Lake Champlain

A gentleman recently posted in a Facebook fishing group that he felt that several recent fishing tournaments on Lake Champlain had hurt the fishery. I respectfully disagree. I’ve just returned from a week of fishing with my family up at Lake Champlain, and the fishing was very consistent and fun.

Here’s a look at how we did. Hopefully it will be of some use to your own family, especially if you’re planning a fishing trip to Lake Champlain in July!

The Weather Conditions

We showed up on Saturday, July 1 after what had been a rainy few weeks in the North Country. I was pretty excited about this to be honest, as my Lund Impact can be tough to launch in the shallows at the house. While it’s not a big deal to go use the town launch down the street, with kids, it’s just easier if it works at home. I was hoping that the rain had sustained the lake at a level where I’d be able to get Penelope off her trailer, and (with some heavy pushing) it was.

It seems like the lake has finally normalized a bit since the droughts we saw a few years ago. Normally, I can at least use the dock if not the launch through about early August, and I think that will be the case this year.

The week ahead was the usual Champlain July doldrum of doom and gloom. The weather reports figured there’d be thunderstorms the entire week save Thursday. If I could give anyone reading this any advice: trust your smart phone radar. Not the report. The counties up north are enormous. A 50% shot of rain in Essex County still has a very good chance of missing you. You have to be smart and safe about it and keep an eye on things, but don’t cancel a trip just because of a lousy weather report.

July sunset over Lake Champlain — *The weather might have been crazy but it produced some amazing sunsets.*

The Lake Conditions

As stated the lake was of relatively normal water level of around ’95. The rain throughout the week actually brought it up a few inches which made retrieving the boat easier than launching it. If you’re familiar with the Crown Point area, it was possible to drift a deep v across the entire entrance to Putnam Creek, though I had to raise both motors to do it.

The water in the south was quite clear in many locations. The temperatures were consistently high. Everywhere from about 72 to 80 where we were fishing. Absolutely perfect temps for pickerel and largemouth bass as you’ll see, but northern pike were hard to come by.

The Techniques that Produced

Tristan and I fished hard for six straight days. He can cast on his own now, and he brought up his birthday baitcaster with him and was having a ball learning on it, so he wanted to fish spinnerbaits as much as possible. Much of the time, we casted them, but given that he’s still little (and was getting a little sore from all the fish we were catching) we did troll with spinnerbaits quite a bit as well. If you’re new to the technique, I wrote this article a few years back with some tips.

In addition to spinnerbaits, we also fished a lot of plastic worms, gulp, and frogs & buzzbaits at dusk. We didn’t spend much time at all with crankbaits or anything with a treble hook.

For the most part, we found the fish active and willing to hit a fast moving target. I’d estimate 85% of fish were caught on a variety of spinnerbaits. The #1 producer was a 1/2 ounce War Eagle Spinnerbait in white. We caught so many pickerel on these that I now have to completely restock as my supply was eventually hammered. They do hold up well but every lure has its limits. In any event, on Champlain, I’d argue these are some of the best spinnerbaits you can use. You should really pick up a few from that link I posted.

The Places We Fished on Lake Champlain

Here’s a look at a few general areas we fished hard. Some were productive and others were not. However, bear in mind, I’m a dad fishing with an 8-year-old. I’m looking for numbers and action and not necessarily “bigguns.” This blog post really is aimed more for the parent who is vacationing up there, so perhaps one of you pros would do better in these areas that we did, using different techniques.

Bulwagga Bay

Longtime blog readers will know that I love fishing Bulwagga Bay. It’s like a mini lake all in and of itself with all sorts of habitat for pretty much every species of fish the lake offers (at certain times of year that is). We started by fishing the western shore and had a few hits here and there. There were too many boats given the holiday weekend to set up a troll as I like to there, but Tristan managed a few good bass on spinnerbaits including this bruiser here.

We also invested some time on the eastern shore and found some huge bluegill and yellow perch along the various rock points that are on that side.

We did not spend much time in the south though there were some bass boats plugging away at the vegetation and they seemed focused on specific areas.

The Putnam Creek Delta

We spent a lot of time in the general area of Putnam Creek. Many chain pickerel came out of here. The bay just south of the creek is completely slopped over so you’re looking at frogs if you go deep. Spinnerbaits can be used along the edges but there aren’t as many fish.

While there are bass in this bay, I’ve really found it to be a major pickerel producing spot, which is why if you have kids with you and you want them to catch “something big” I recommend it. Unfortunately, that can make it a very frustrating spot to fish a frog. You can tell when a pickerel hits a frog as opposed to a bass because it almost attacks it like a dolphin sailing through the water whereas a bass has a giant localized “plop and boil.” You’re going to have to identify them this way because you sure won’t get many chances to reel one in. The way pickerel snatch a frog coupled with their bony mouths makes them very hard to hook. You will tear the heck out of your frogs trying, however.

Giard’s Bay

Per Google this is the spelling, but what do they know. This is the bay north of Yellow Lighthouse Point. I always try it for a spinnerbait trolling run or two, and I’m usually disappointed. This time was no different, but I mention it as a fishing report also ought to have what didn’t work. The reason I keep headed back here is I have caught some nice pike in the area. Pike and I have an abusive relationship where I’ll go fish a half dozen “memories” any given trip trying to find them.

Ticonderoga

We spent an entire day south near Ti. The area near the fort was the most productive, but we were so exhausted from casting the day prior that we mainly trolled the area just south of the fort to the La Chute River. It’s a challenging troll as the weed line takes some near 90 degree turns, but we caught a number of fish there including these nice crappie.

If you decided to troll this area, be very careful of the old pilings near the fort. One year my friend got both his outboard and his trolling motor caught on the rocks at the same exact time and it wasn’t fun! With trolling, you could easily collide with these if you didn’t know to look out for them, so I’d recommend finding them first and then avoiding trolling near them lest a hooked fish breaks your concentration.

White and black crappie caught on Lake Champlain — *These crappie came on the same troll in Ticonderoga near the fort. It was interesting to catch a white and black one more or less at the same time!*

Mill Bay

Since we had already made the trip down to Ti, we decided to head even further to Mill Bay. Now, I can’t fit my boat through the entrance to the actual bay itself, but we didn’t really want to go there anyway because it looked nearly dried out and choked with weeds. Instead, we fished the rip rap around the entrance for a bit. We mostly fished with drop shots and plastic worms, which produced a few bass, but not enough for us to stick around for long.

Of interest, there really weren’t any weeds to be found in this immediate area, which I found odd. To be fair, I don’t go there often enough to know if this is unusual, but if you’re looking for a weed pattern as we were, you wouldn’t find it there.

The Bay North of Stony Point

The bay just north of the paper mill on the NY side doesn’t have a name as far as I can tell. I’ve always called it “1000 Cast Bay” because it feels like it can take that many to cover all the water in it. It is, however, one of the better bays to troll. There’s a weedline that follows the contours on a humminbird fish finder very well and is almost shaped like a shallow “V.” While there’s weeds on either side of it, this is the edge of the heavy stuff and so as close as you can practically troll.

We lost what we believe to have been some larger pike while trolling, based on how hard they fought, but we also caught many bass. Tristan caught his personal best chain pickerel, this fine 25″ specimen. This would have been a VT Master Angler fish for an adult and blew the youth category out of the water.

25" Chain Pickerel caught on Lake Champlain — *This chain pickerel was an absolute beast.*

Other Photos

I had the pleasure to take my friend out with his children and their buddy alongside Tristan. If you ever hear someone say that bass boats are just as family friendly as Deep V’s, ask them if they could pull this off.

Note that literally every fish in this picture was landed from a drop shot with a simple nightcrawler. Most were caught on the same Ugly Stiks I’m always harping on you to buy. All were released safely after the photo.

*A squad of kids landing fish is what this blog is all about!*

Tristan and I went out the next day and continued to hammer them, bringing home a respectable limit of our own. Again, all fish were released safely after posing for a photo.

My New Favorite Family Photo

I wrote on Facebook that this is one of those photos I hope make it to my collage when I die. You can clearly see I’m exhausted in it, and am totally rocking the Dad-approved white New Balance sneakers that so many ladies give me such grief about, but in my view they make the photo.

Other Thoughts

This was one of those trips that reminded me just how good the fishing on this lake can be. While we didn’t catch a true giant bass, we had a few 4-pounders, which, to a kid, is dynamite. We also had no shortage of white perch and other panfish to target. I managed to put five different kids on fish throughout the week, some with minimal experience who were only four years old. It’s not every lake that you can do that this easily. So, while I respect the opinion of the gentleman who was concerned about all the recent fishing pressure, it didn’t hurt us.

I hope this helps someone headed up there soon!

Thanks,

John Paxton

Want to learn how to take your kids out fishing? Do you have a friend who might need a hand? Click the pictures below to purchase my helpful books!

Dare I Dream of Another Crown Point Fishing Trip?

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!

A view of good fishing near Crown Point, NY. — *Early Spring is serene on Lake Champlain.*

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.

*The shoreline in Vermont across from Crown Point has several rocky stretches that produce big football smallies like this.*

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