Lake Champlain Fishing Report — Week of September 17, 2026: Smallmouth on the Fall Feed, Pike on the Weed Edges, Salmon Staging at the Rivers

Lake Champlain fishing report for the week of September 17, 2026. The first cool nights of fall have turned the lake on. Smallmouth that spent the summer deep have moved back onto the rock points and are feeding heavily, the pike are on the weed edges as the vegetation starts to die back, and the landlocked salmon have begun to gather at the river mouths. It is the start of the best six weeks of the year on Champlain.

What’s Hitting

This week on the water it is smallmouth bass. Fish from 2 to 5 pounds are on the rock points, the shoals, and the drop-offs in 10 to 25 feet, feeding on gobies, perch, and smelt, with the best action in the Inland Sea, around the Champlain Islands, and along the New York shoreline from Plattsburgh to Port Henry. Northern pike are on the weed edges and the mouths of the bays in Missisquoi Bay, the Inland Sea, and the Ticonderoga area as the weeds begin to die back. Largemouth are steady in the shallow bays on the remaining green weeds. Landlocked salmon are staging at the mouths of the Winooski, Lamoille, and Boquet rivers, and lake trout are still deep on the main lake humps. Yellow perch are schooling on the flats.

Where to Find Them

Smallmouth are on the rock points and shoals around the Champlain Islands, the Gut, the Inland Sea, and the New York shoreline reefs in 10 to 25 feet, moving shallower on cloudy days. Pike are on the outside weed edges and the bay mouths in Missisquoi Bay, the Inland Sea, and the southern lake. Largemouth are in the shallow weedy bays like Missisquoi Bay and the Ticonderoga marshes. Salmon are off the river mouths in 20 to 40 feet, and lake trout are on the main lake humps in 80 to 120 feet.

Tides & Conditions

Surface temps have dropped into the mid to upper 60s on the main lake and the low 60s in the Inland Sea, which is what has the smallmouth moving and the salmon staging. The lake level is at a normal early-fall level and the water is clear. Winds have been light out of the north and west most mornings with a calm lake, and the fall color is starting on the shorelines.

Tackle & Tactics

For smallmouth, a drop-shot with a goby imitation, a tube, or a Ned rig on the rock points, and a jerkbait or a topwater early and on cloudy days, on a 7-foot medium spinning rod with 10-pound braid and an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader. Pike want a large spoon, a spinnerbait, or a swimbait along the weed edges on a heavy rod with a wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader. Largemouth want a frog or a jig in the remaining weeds. Salmon at the river mouths want a trolled spoon or a streamer fly in the top 20 feet, and lake trout want a jig or a downrigged spoon on the humps.

Local Intel This Week

The Vermont state ramps at North Hero, Grand Isle, and Burlington’s Perkins Pier, the Malletts Bay ramp, and the New York state ramps at Plattsburgh, Port Henry, and Peru Dock are the main public launches. The Missisquoi Bay and Ticonderoga ramps serve the northern and southern bays. Shore anglers are catching perch and smallmouth from the Burlington waterfront and the Sandbar causeway. Fish are concentrating on the rock points around the islands and at the river mouths. Bass, pike, and salmon regulations differ between Vermont and New York waters; check current Vermont Fish and Wildlife and NY DEC regulations before keeping fish.

This Week’s Tip

Fall smallmouth on Champlain follow the perch and goby schools along the same drop-offs every day, so when you find a school of fish, mark it and come back on the same wind. The fish that were in 18 feet on Tuesday will be within a few yards of that spot on Thursday if the weather holds.

More Lake Champlain Resources

All Lake Champlain fishing reports · Seasonal fishing calendars · Submit your own report