This is Artificial Lure with today’s narrative fishing report for Lake Champlain, Vermont and New York, Sunday, October 19th, 2025.

Conditions on the big lake are shaping up for classic autumn fishing. We’re waking to a balmy, crisp morning—mostly clear skies, light south/southwest winds, and comfortable air temps climbing from the high 40s into the upper 50s as the sun rises over the water. According to Zillow’s local property listings, sunrise on this side of the lake hit just after 7:10 AM and sunset tonight will be around 6:05 PM, so plan your trip with daylight in mind.

Lake Champlain is a freshwater lake, so no tidal movement to report, but watch out for slightly elevated water levels thanks to last week’s rains. The clarity’s good after a few dry days, with shifting weed beds along the bays and rocky drop-offs setting the stage for an active bite.

Turning to recent catches—reports from Advanced Bassin’ Plus just across the Canadian border confirm what Champlain anglers have been seeing all month: the smallmouth bass are reliably stacked up on the main lake points, rock piles, and deeper ledges. Fishers on local podcasts like Lake Champlain, Vermont/New York Daily Fishing Report have been getting into mixed bags: solid smallmouths, healthy largemouths pulled from the southern shallows near Sand Bar State Park and Missisquoi Bay, and a few bonus northern pike and walleye for patient trolling in deeper water.

Numbers-wise, it’s been a respectable fall run. Groups fishing out from Point Au Roche State Park and near the mouth of the Lamoille River have reported mornings with 30+ smallmouth boated, plenty in the 2-3 pound class and a handful topping 4 pounds. Largemouths are less numerous, but the ones being caught are chunky, with a few over 5 pounds coming off grass beds and just beneath docks. Early bird sturgeon and muskie efforts up north have been slow, consistent with last week’s colder snap, but those willing to grind with heavy gear in the deeper channels might still strike gold.

Best lures on deck right now: the drop shot with 3” shad-colored plastics or brown pumpkin worms is still king for the smallmouth, especially in windier conditions. Try Ned rigs on rocky bottoms and tube baits for that classic Champlain smallie action. For largemouth, green pumpkin jigs, chatterbaits, and black-blue soft plastics pitched along weed edges have been producing. If you’re trolling, deep-diving crankbaits and crawler harnesses are taking decent walleye and pike in 18–35 foot depths.

Live bait is always a solid play—local shops are recommending medium shiners or nightcrawlers freelined or on slip sinker rigs for bass along reeds and near pilings.

Local hot spots today:
- The broad flats west of Point Au Roche State Park, especially off the drop into Deep Bay—good mix of smallmouth and pike, plus solid access if you want to troll for walleye.
- The stretch off Juniper Island’s southern tip, targeting rock ledges and breaklines for bigger smallmouth.
- The Sand Bar State Park area: largemouth action around submerged cover and plenty of panfish, with easy access for shore anglers and boaters alike.

For those sneaking in an afternoon session, the wind looks to pick up slightly out of the southwest by midday—focus on leeward shores where bait fish pile up. Don’t forget to layer up, as lake winds can turn chilly!

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