Lake Champlain - Update on lake conditions

The lake is still acting as if it were two weeks early. During the last few days the wind has been kickin' the lake up pretty good. When the wind blows strong from either direction it changes how the lake behaves -- temperature wise. As soon as it settles down I'll be able to give you the thermalcline depth.

Lake Trout:

The surface fishing for lakers at this point is pretty much over. You may have a day or so that is OK but it's pretty much done. The Lake Trout are now getting confused about whether they are up near the surface or down on the bottom. On any given day you may find them on the bottom or they may get suspended in between. This usually lasts for a week or two at best.

Salmon:

The fishing is still great... The young smelt have hatched and are now everywhere. This draws in the yearling smelt that the salmon feed on. This means there are salmon wherever the bait are. The salmon have been hitting between 10 and 22 feet down, using a dodger fly and cheater with a spoon over the dodger. The 00 dodger with a fly back 12 to 24 inches seems to be working best. The hot spoon is a rather funny looking thing called the Harry Lure. Don't be fooled by it's looks because this thing really produces. I've been running them on a cheater 4-5 feet above the dodger. The Harry Lures can be found at Dattilio's Guns & Tackle out on Shelburne Road. Better hurry before they're gone. If you don't have dodgers and flies, try running two spoons; one on the cheater and one down. Keep the speed slow for the dodger at about 1.4 to 1.6 mph. When running spoons try a little faster speed; about 2.0 to 2.5 mph should work well.

Walleyes:

Walleyes are pretty much done in the rivers. There may be a few here and there but for the most part they're gone. Try fishing the shoreline in choppy waters.Use a worm harness such as a Grabber with a three way swivel and a dropper weight.

Bass:

Getting better all the time. The fishing is still pretty much into the June pattern. The season doesn't open until the second Saturday in June, so catch and release until then. If you're interested in bass fishing but don't own a boat, join a club like Chittenden County Bassmasters as a non-boater. They will be more than willing to help you out. Contact Joe Kenyon at 434-3714.

Tip of the week:

It's about time to change your line. Keep fresh line on your reels. I recommend 12 to 14 pound test for most applications of trolling for salmon and trout. Light action rods make catching fish lots of fun, especially ones like the Green Mounts Rigger Rod by Diamond Back made right here in Stowe, VT. They will land more fish, I guarantee it. If anyone has any questions you can e-mail me at my web site www.fishvermont.com. If you've got any good pictures, give us a call at Harborwatch 802-864-5781 and we will make sure they get published!

See ya' on the lake...

Rich Greenough has been a professional fishing guide on Lake Champlain since 1984 and works for the US Fish and Wildlife Service as a Biological Technician on the Sea Lamprey Program. You can reach him at home by calling 802-878-5074, on the boat at 802-343-6054 or email him at surestrike@fishvermont.com Sure Strike Charters is on the web at www.fishvermont.com

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