Artificial Lure here, with your October 30th fishing report for Lake Champlain, Vermont and New York. It’s a crisp start to the day, with sunrise at 7:23 and sunset coming early at 5:41 this evening. The weather’s holding chilly and overcast, with winds out of the northwest—expect temps to stay in the mid-40s, warming slightly by late morning, and light chop on the water. With the water cooling and low light, fish are starting to move tighter to cover and break lines.

No tides to track on Champlain, but that drop in barometric pressure has the smallmouth and largemouth getting frisky. Just last week, tournament anglers were hauling good numbers of postspawn smallmouth, with fish pressing deeper in the morning—down in 15 to 40 feet—and moving shallower as the sun rose. Flats, secondary points, and the edges of grass beds are producing some of the best bites. According to the Major League Fishing reports from the Toyota Series, the bigger smallies are moving away from the banks and chasing alewives. If you can get on them, the average size has been excellent, with plenty of browns over four pounds caught and lots of healthy two- and three-pounder fish to fill out those limits.

In addition to the bass action, walleye are starting to come on too, especially on the New York side, if you hit the deeper rock piles. Recent catches include smaller eyes, but the bite turns on near dusk.

If you’re looking for a hot spot, don’t skip the Inland Sea area early, especially around the deeper breaks and flats. That stretch between Malletts Bay and the north end is prime right now. Another top producer has been secondary points with healthy grass lines, particularly in mid-lake—look for 8 to 12 feet, rock mix, and don’t be shy to drift across different spots till you mark fish.

Best baits right now: it’s a minnow show. Tournament pros are throwing 5-inch Yamamoto Shad Shape Worms and Deps Sakamata Shads rigged on light jig heads, along with Ned rigs—think Picasso Rhino Ned Heads or Gamakatsu Horizon Heads. Finesse is king. If you want to change up, Berkley J-Walker and PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shads are working for topwater—especially in grassy evening zones—for both smallmouth and largemouth. A Swimbait Garage Hyper Shad glide bait or E-Factor pitchin’ jig rigged with a McCarty Baits Raptor makes for a solid secondary approach if fish are deeper or feeding on bigger forage.

Live bait continues to produce for those on the hunt for multispecies—walleye and sturgeon have both come to a well-placed shiner or worm, according to guides working Quebec and Champlain. If you want to cast for brown bass, stick with the Ned, but try tipping it with a small chunk of nightcrawler to up your odds if the bite is slow.

Boat control is essential today with those NW winds. Set up with an anchor or spot-lock if you’re working the breaks and deeper edges, as drifting can get tough on a breezy fall morning. Bring the layers: midday warms up, but the morning winds cut right through you.

To summarize: fishing’s hot despite the cold. Focus on flats, secondary points, and grass lines; use finesse minnow baits and Ned rigs; don’t overlook topwater if the wind lays down. Inland Sea and Malletts Bay are your go-to zones, but don’t be afraid to hop mid-lake if fish get shy. Bass are prime, walleye picking up, and structure is your best friend.

Thanks so much for tuning in to today’s Lake Champlain report! Remember to subscribe so you never miss what’s biting in the North Country. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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