Lake Champlain

[Jonald]

Looking to book a week long trip late April 2021. Targeting large and smallmouth bass. Trying to see what is better. NY side or VT. Or if there is a difference. Also seeing if anyone can suggest a guide. 

[MN Fisher]

@J Francho - John, that's your neck of the woods. Any help for the gentleman?

[J Francho]

It's almost clear on the other side of the state, 6 hours away, so not really my neck of the woods.  Suffice it say, get a NY and VT license, and fish the VT side up north if you can, for brown fish.  Otherwise, stay south near Crown Point for green fish.  There's guys up here that fish Champ regularly that can give more accurate advice.  It's 5-6 years since I've been there.  My last tournament out of CP, I took a gamble and ran north for green fish.  I caught a really nice limit of google eyes, but they didn't count at weigh in.  Saved my weekend with 22-ish lbs. of green fish fishing near the launch, ferry, and mill.

[Jonald]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

@J Francho - John, that's your neck of the woods. Any help for the gentleman?

Thanks for the help!

13 minutes ago, J Francho said:

It's almost clear on the other side of the state, 6 hours away, so not really my neck of the woods.  Suffice it say, get a NY and VT license, and fish the VT side up north if you can, for brown fish.  Otherwise, stay south near Crown Point for green fish.  There's guys up here that fish Champ regularly that can give more accurate advice.  It's 5-6 years since I've been there.  My last tournament out of CP, I took a gamble and ran north for green fish.  I caught a really nice limit of google eyes, but they didn't count at weigh in.  Saved my weekend with 22-ish lbs. of green fish fishing near the launch, ferry, and mill.

I appreciate the advice. Thank you!

[The one that got away]

I would recommend the VT side only because it's easier to get to from around here (I'm about 50mins outside of Boston).  I'm sure the NY side is good too if you end up on that side somehow.  I think there is a member here (webertime?) up in VT who knows the area well.  I haven't been up there in many years, but me and some friends used to go up to the Carry Bay area in N. Hero VT.  This was back in the 90s.  I also made a few trips with my son when he was younger, back in the 2000s.  This was past Burlington VT on Rt. 2.  It's a pretty easy drive from the Boston area.  Just take 93 into NH and then take 89 all the way to Burlington and then get off at Rt 2.  There used to be a campground on the left side of the road (I think it was still Rt. 2), past N. Hero Marina.  The guy at the campground used to rent boats with a real small motor, real cheap.  The campground is gone now, but the marina rented boats with a better motor when I was last up there about 10 years ago.  I just checked online and found a website for them.  They only have one boat for rent on their website, but who knows, maybe you could call them and see what they will have available in the spring.  If nothing else, they might be able to steer you to someone else in the area for a boat rental, or probably refer you to a guide who can get you on some fish.  There is great fishing in the whole area of Carry Bay (at least there was back in the 1990s and 2000s).  There are big and I mean real big pike up there too, so you might want to use a steel leader.  We used to fish from the marina heading north all the way up to the Rt. 2 bridge in S. Alburg.  If the bite got slow, we would throw on a Mepps #5 inline spinner and hold on tight.  It's been a long time since I've been up there, so things may be a little different now. 

 

Hope this helps.  Best of luck up if you get up there.  

[Denny]

I spend a week up in Ticonderoga on lake George every year and spend a day or two over at Champlain launching from the ferry. Never had a bad day of fishing that part of the lake, I never go very far to start hitting them

[Boomstick]

The button bay area on the Vermont side produces great smallies.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

That early in the season the south end might be a more sure bet (as little as that applies to fishing) NY & VT have  a reciprocal agreement for licenses, google the details. 

I got curious : https://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6411.html

[J Francho]

11 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

NY & VT have  a reciprocal agreement for licenses

That reciprocity is only partial coverage of the lake.  If stay down south, your fine with either state though.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The line is basically Plattsburgh/Burlington south 

[michaelb]

Did you book this trip? I am a bit worried about "late april". Lake champlain is very cold then; I don't track ice out, and it varies by location, but the water temps will be in the low 40s. The water level naturally fluctuates by up to 7 ft each year; so even if we aren't in a flood stage, there will be 4-5 ft more water in the lake, which can submerge lots of rocks and other features (generally this is good for fishing, but makes navigation more challenging). If there has been a lot of run off, the water can also be very murky.

 

I target pike in April, but I do catch bass. The bass fishing really picks up in mid May. But I am way up north and the lake is very large, so the southern part of the lake is likely a better choice for bass in late April. I would also look for skinny water, so bays and inlets and swamps, and not focus on the NY or VT side (so stay away from the broad lake, since you probably won't be out fishing that anyway).