Lake Champlain, NY Fishing Report

“WE HAVE ICE”!!!! It tool a longer time this year but we finally go it!! The first day out was Dec. 24th and all these photos are from this past Christmas week, and the big one was a 36” Pike taken by “DAN SWEENEY”.

Paul Hume and the guys spent most of their time jigging and doing really well with Bass, Pike and some really nice Sunfish and Yellow Perch. Andy Jensen and his guys spent most of their time fishing for smallies and they caught some nice ones. This year we’ve already catching very nice BIG Yellow Perch. Because of the recent snow on the top of the ice, the surface was really slushy and the walking was tough so almost everyone fished less then 100 yards from the lodge. All together the guys must have caught and released well over a hundred fish, maybe “TWO”? Anyway, ICE FISHERMAN, the season has started so come on up!!!

As most of you know, on November 7th, we lost our good friend "Fred" Johnson to a massive heart attack?!! It was a complete shock to all of us that he left so soon having not been sick at all??!! But he did go the way all of us would like to go, with no suffering. He fished right to his last day!! On that day, we caught the "Lake Champlain Grand Slam", which is our top 5 game fish, smallmouth, largemouth, pike, landlocked salmon, and lake trout all in "One" day. I guess all the stars and planets were lined up for "Fred" cause that only happens once in a great while! Fred was a great fisherman, great friend, and a great human being! He will be missed dearly.

RESERVATION CONFIRMATION
If you have tentatively booked an ice fishing trip please contact us to confirm soon as dates are filling up. 

LAST MONTHS CATCH
Here are some photos from this past month. As you have seen over the years, some of our biggest Smallies and Pike are caught in the month of November!

ICE FISHING SEASON IS ALMOST HERE
As of this writing Long Pond has been icing every morning. It does disappear later in the day, but it is getting ready!! As soon as the temperature goes below freezing both day "and " night, it will freeze up in no time and give it about 2 weeks and it will be safe enough to ice fish. We're sending out a special newsletter as soon as it happens, so make sure you look for it!!

Most of the inland lakes should be all frozen up buy the end of December and the shallow bays of Champlain by mid January.

Hey Guys, make sure you check out our 2013 ice fishing rates, you can't beat it! don't forget, that if any of you are first time Ice Fishermen and want to learn, and as long as I am not attending one of the sport shows, I'll be here to teach you. As long as you are staying at the Lodge my guiding on Long Pond is "Free" to you!! I have all the equipment; the only extra charge will be for bait. You will learn a lot and you will love it!!

Long Pond is one of the best action "tip-up" lakes you will ever Ice Fish. It is loaded with Pike, Bass (have to be released in the winter), Yellow Perch, Crappie, Bullhead, and Sunfish. 2 miles down the road from us is Willsboro bay which is 4mile bay on Lake Champlain and it is great  ice fishing for landlocked salmon, lake trout, yellow perch and smelt! So within just a few miles of the lodge you can ice fish for most anything!! Also, not to far away are some great inland lakes which have some great salmon and lake trout ice fishing and we will direct you to the hotspots on those lakes. Get your Ice fishing stuff out guys!!

Well guys, that is it for this month. I wish you all a happy holiday season, especially those of you who had to deal with hurricane Sandy. I hope everything gets back to normal soon.

Bye for now,

We launched on October 2nd, with a water temperature of 60 degrees and a light breeze. The water level in the lake was dangerously low because of a lack of rain and a very mild winter. We found out very quickly that the smallmouth had not schooled up yet. We caught bass at every location we went to, but only one or two fish. We covered a great deal of water in our search for fish, but the pattern held solid. The smallmouth bite was so subdued I felt nothing, no hit, no weight, nothing spongy, nothing. We had several fish swallow the tube jig before we made the necessary adjustment to reel quicker. A lipless crankbait was very affective at catching pike, largemouth and smallmouth at one location we went to. We got an opportunity to wear our raingear as a light rain started at about eleven o'clock and followed us most of the day.

On October 3rd, we launched with a water temperature of 59 degrees and very light winds. The topwater bite was alive and well. "What fun it is to cast a topwater lure out onto the surface of the water and just let it sit there and sit there and sit there". It seems like forever, but in reality it is about 15-20 seconds. The moment you move the lure the bass blows up on it blowing it completely out of the water and hooking themselves. The fish jumps several times trying desperately to toss the lure and there are times when the fish is successful. It really hurts when you see the fish jump and you see just how large it is and it jumps off. There is no question about it, the topwater bite is the most exciting method to catch fish. To see the fish hit the lure or in many cases they just suck it under the surface and you feel weight. It is so difficult to not set the hook when you see and hear the hit or splash. There are times when it sounds like a bathtub fell out of the sky into the water. If you are too quick on the set you will pull the lure away from the fish, or in some cases, right out of the fish's mouth. It takes a certain amount of discipline not to set too early and wait until you actually feel the weight of the fish on the lure. Great care is necessary when handling a smallmouth bass hooked with a topwater lure. Many topwater lures are equipped with three sets of very sharp treble hooks or at least two sets of hooks. Smallmouth, don't stop fighting just because you have a hold of them. Trying to find room to put your thumb into their mouth where a treble hook is already located is no easy task, especially when the fish is still very active. A misstep in judgment and you can be heading to the emergency room at the local hospital with a hook in your thumb. (not a fun time)

Now the water level in the pond is a bit high and has reached the top level of the boat dock. The quality fishing has slowed down as the cool nights are lowering the water temperature. We are still catching a good number of fish, but they are a bit smaller. We will be pulling the boat dock out of the water very shortly.

I'm writing this paragraph on October 13th and we are still waiting for the smallmouth bass to school up. The water temperature in Lake Champlain is now at 56 degrees, still a bit high to trigger the fish to school up. The fishing is a bit erratic. We are still able to catch some quality fish in the four pound range, but we are working hard to locate them in any numbers. The tube jig is still the number one lure at this time of the season. Large pike are still active and are being caught on various types of lipless crankbaits and when lucky, tubes.

A recent visit to one of the Adirondack lakes proved very productive as the high winds on Lake Champlain forced our three boats inland. We are fortunate to have several Adirondack lakes nearby as backup bodies of water when and if Lake Champlain gets too rough to fish safely. The smallmouth bass in these lakes may not be as large as Lake Champlain smallmouth, but they are a real quality fish who fight hard and long. Many of the pictures of fish on this update are from several inland Adirondack lakes.

Have you ever caught a four pound smallmouth? How about a five pounder or even a six pounder? Those weights are all possible when fishing in the fall. It can also happen in the spring if you catch a big female smallmouth before she spawns. In the fall your percentages are much greater as all the fish are feeding and gaining weight getting ready for winter.

I'm going to offer a few suggestions when packing for a fall fishing trip. The number one item to remember when packing for your trip is good rain gear. Even if it never rains on you, the rain gear will offer good wind protection and we all know the wind does blow in the fall. Buy rain gear in a parka style versus a jacket style. The added length is a blessing in a heavy rain storm or when sitting down. The parka should have a waterproof hood attached to it. I personally like bib pants with long leg zippers that will allow me to put the pants on easily over my boots. Here's a tip I have shared with many clients. Carry a couple of those plastic grocery bags in your parka pockets. Unzip the leg zippers on your pants, put your foot into one of those plastic bags before putting your foot into the leg of your pants. Your foot and boot will slide effortlessly into the leg opening of your rain gear. You will be surprised how easily this is accomplished. Now follow the same procedure with the other leg and when finished put the plastic bags back in your parka pockets for next time. Don't forget to share this time saving tip with your other fishing friends.

Here's another tip if you don't own a waterproof tackle bag. In a heavy or prolonged rain storm water is going to find its way inside your tackle boxes, inside your tackle bag. Fishing equipment costs way too much to get ruined by getting wet. Just think of all the metal items inside your tackle boxes; tools, hooks, sinkers, scales and lures. These can all rust and some might even have to be replaced. The time it takes to dry "everything" off that night is a real pain, can take forever to accomplish and it could rain again the next day. Here is a smart tip to help solve that problem, protect all your equipment and it's very cost effective or if you prefer "cheap." Carry a couple of heavy plastic garbage bags in your tackle bag. They fold up real small and don't take up much room at all. When it starts to rain put your entire tackle bag inside one of these waterproof bags. If you have more than one tackle bag, which many of us do, put it into the same bag or use another garbage bag. Try and think ahead of what you might need out of your tackle bag, like pliers or a few tube jigs before closing up the bags. Cinch the bag tightly closed and try not to go back inside the bag during the storm. This little tip could save you some money and certainly some real aggravation.

The month of November is when the really big fish can be caught. It can be a bit cool on the water so you must dress appropriately in layers. Try and keep your hands dry so they don't get cold by carrying a few small towels with you. I like to carry those small chemical heat packets in my parka pockets. I dry my hands off and then jam my hands into my pockets where the heat packets are while moving from one location to another. This way your hands get an opportunity to warm up between casting opportunities. I tell clients you have to put up with a little adversity if you want to catch the really big fish late in the season.

Ticonderoga area: Water levels are extremely low and water temps are in the low 80's. Fishing has been moderate  to good lately. Fish are holding on the outside weed edges and various structure in the lake. The bait of choice for most is action baits in and around the weed beds. Some nice fish have also been taken on topwater.  

With the levels being low, extreme caution is advised when running at high speeds. Use the channel markers and avoid on plane operation out of the channel. Water clarity has been fair as of late but with any heavy rains or high winds the lake will get muddy quick. Good Fishin!

The lower end of Lk. Champlain has been surrendering some very nice largmouths as of late. This past week has been very good fishing with bass taking action baits and topwater plugs. The frog action over the weeds is starting to really turn on and should only get better in the next couple of weeks. The water level has continued to drop and the water clarity is still stained to murky in some areas. The water temps are approaching the 80degree mark so fish care should be of most importance. The depths fish are holding are varing from very shallow to the 12ft mark. Several fish were caught this past week over 6lb. Bait fish seems to be the key to finding the bass. Persistance should make for some nice largies! Find the bait and find the fish! Good luck and see you on the water!

The bass season opened on Lake Champlain on June 9th, but the biggest news of late has been the outstanding Lake Trout and Landlocked Salmon fishing. We heard very positive reports on lakers and landlocks in both quantity and quality, with "clean" (lamprey-free) fish showing up. I'm sure you saw the pictures of Lake Trout and Salmon on our previous monthly updates. Sharon and Shawn McKay from Fairless Hills, PA caught over 20 Lake Trout and lost a gang more that got off while fishing on June 20th. There is no doubt these fish are back in numbers and size. We have the right boat and the right guide, Bob Davies, to take you out on the lake to catch some of these special fish who are great to eat and great fighters. Give me a call (518) 963-7351.     

Fish are starting to school up in portions of the lower end of the lake around the Ticonderoga area. However they are holding in the shallow bays. A few fish are being caught on main lake points in a little deeper water. Look for bait being chased on the surface and you 'll find the fish. The weedy bays are starting to produce some nice bass on frogs and jigs. but with the falling water the fish will start to move out to the deeper weeds. Action baits are working throughout the day but when bite slows down the soft plastics are producing the most bites

The lake is low and still falling. The water clarity is still murky to muddy in some areas. The water temps @80* are high for this time of year, making the bite a little more difficult. The boating is still safe in the main lake channel, but be careful in the shallow bays and shorelines as some of the rocks and wood are just under the surface.

Several big tournaments are being held on the lake and the fishing pressure is high so persistance is the key to catching the big ones!

The fishing is great. What are you waiting for? You only go around once in this lifetime!

Be sure to add Adirondack-Champlain Guide Service to your bucket list for 2012.

If you haven't made your reservations yet, why not? Just look at all the huge fish on this update which were all treated to CPR (Catch, Photographed, Released.) You can be part of the action and just maybe you will make the "Wall of Fame" downstairs in the lodge.

If you're going to bring your own boat to fish Lake Champlain, we suggest your boat should be at least 18 feet long. Champlain is a big body of water and can get rough very quickly, which could be dangerous in a smaller boat. Smaller boats work great on Long Pond, though.

If not having anyone to fish with is stopping you from coming to fish with us, just let me know and we will pair you up with another great fishermen. We do this all the time and many people start a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

June is a great month to fish in Lake Champlain. The sun is warmer, there is less wind and more species of fish are active. We still have some prime fishing dates available, so don't put it off any longer. Come on up and fish with us.

June is the month we target Long Nosed Gar. Yes, we have Gar in Lake Champlain and they are really fun to catch as we sight fish for them. If you have never caught a Gar and want to add it to the list of fish you have caught, give me a call and lets set up a date (518) 963-7351.

The fishing season opened for us a bit earlier than normal and we're "lovin" it. Tom Herrman from Highstown, NJ was at the Lodge helping me get things ready to open. We rewarded ourselves by going out smallmouth fishing after we finished what work had to be done each day. What a thrill to get back on the water after so many months away. My Honda outboard started right up as we launched at Rouses Point. The water temperature was 41 degrees but I knew, after 34 years of guiding, where we might find a few smallmouth that would bite. Our poles were rigged with tubes, jerkbaits and Tom had his favor smallmouth lure made by Zoom on one of his poles.

We found smallmouth at a couple of locations as we drove around in sunny conditions. We averaged about 25 fish each day and the fishing is only going to get better and better as the season progresses. Did you ever catch 100 smallmouth bass in one day?It happens several times each season when clients fishing out of our lodge, with one of our guides, find a school of bass and anchor right over them. The bite goes on for hours and when it slows up we just move to a new location, just beyond casting range and the bite starts all over again. I can tell you from personal experience you don't get tired of catching them one after another after another.

The pike bite should be turning on any day now as we find them cruising the shallow water looking for an easy meal. We use jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, spinners and spoons to catch them and they reward you with a great fight.

Michel Blais, from Quebec City, Canada travelled south to fish with us during the third week of the month. His comment, "I didn't really expect to catch this many fish" was refreshing to hear. I'm sure he will be back and hopefully will bring some fishing friends with him.

The fourth week of the month found us fishing on Chateaugay Lake, an inland Adirondack Lake, because of high winds and waves on Lake Champlain. We use the inland lakes to get clients out fishing when our primary lake is too rough. We try to offer this service because we realize clients have travelled long distances, in some cases, to fish with us. The inland lakes are not as rough as Lake Champlain because they are surrounded by mountains and are not real big bodies of water compared to Champlain. The launching docks were not installed yet, but we were still able to carefully launch our two boats.

There was wave activity on the lake but we were able to successfully fish tubes and jerkbaits. Fred Johnson from Cohoes, NY and Eric Backman from Norwalk, CT were in my boat. Sam Proctor from Circleville, NY and Barry Farley from Media, PA were fishing with Frank Rankin, another one of our guides in his boat. The bite was initially slow as we searched the shoreline and deeper water for the fish. This lake is basically a smallmouth lake with quality pike and a few largemouths. We fished a few deeper rock piles and found smallmouth in pretty good numbers catching them on tubes. A few bursts of snow fell from the sky mixed with sunny conditions during the afternoon. I decided to move to a different location that had produced fish on previous outings on this lake. It was the right move as we caught some real nice smallmouth on tubes. Eric's big fish was 4 pounds and 12 ounces, a real pretty bass with great coloration. Fred was enjoying the hot hand and was catching fish on almost every drift over a rocky point. His big fish for the day was "ONLY" 4 pounds and 4 ounces, but he landed over 30 fish for the day.

Barry and Sam got into the fish a little later in the afternoon using jerkbaits made by various manufacturers as they moved between shallow and deeper locations. Barry had the big smallmouth of the trip landing a solid 5 pounder. Sam landed the only largemouth of the trip, but it was a real brute. These two fishermen caught over 20 fish each during some tough weather conditions with blowing snow and rough waves.

On Thursday of the same week, I took Sam and Barry out on Lake Champlain launching at Rouses Point. What a day we enjoyed both weather wise and fishing wise. The sheer size and numbers of smallmouth bass we caught was a fishermen's dream come true. If you look carefully at the picture on this update you can see Sam and Barry wearing lighter clothing from this day of fishing. Please notice the length of the bass on Sam's arm, the fish runs the entire length of his arm. A few 6 pound smallmouth were caught on Rapala X-Raps in various colors.

We lost the last of our ice on or about March18th and we certainly enjoyed a great ice fishing season that started way back on December 30th, of 2011. We want to thank everyone who visited our lodge during the winter ice fishing season. We had plenty of thick ice all season long. We met some wonderful new clients who came from Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut because of the lack of ice where they lived. We always seem to have plenty of safe ice because the nights can get very cold in the surrounding mountains. It was great as always to see and share time with clients who have fished with us for years. There were a great many fish caught, both on tip-ups and while jigging. We do have the pictures to prove that some very large trophy fish were caught by our clients. We hope to see everyone next winter when once again Long Pond will become "Hard Water" and we can all walk on the surface of the pond and go fishing.

Hello All,

The time is almost hear for some fun on the water!

Most  of the main lake ice is out with a few shaded coves holding onto some ice. Boat travel is tricky with the floating debris and the occasional ice berg. No report on the bass fishing at this time, but with the longer, warmer days, and the mild winter, it should be getting close to some tackle busting fun! South Bay to Port Henry is open for boat travel, but be very cautious when traveling  by boat. Remember wear your life perserver as NY state has a new law requiring you wear it through May 1st.  None of the state launches have their docks in yet, so be careful if planning on launching your skiff. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further details. Thank You and Good Fishing! 

Our first ice of the season arrived on December 19th as Long Pond froze with a layer of thin skim ice. My son, Casey, and his friend, Mike were the first people to fish safe ice on December 30th during a light snow storm. Their pictures appeared in the December update. The month of January started off very cold and ice was being made nightly, which we could hear from inside the lodge. The picture of a ice fishing shanty out on the ice of Long Pond, right behind our lodge, shows just how close we are to the ice. You certainly don't have to walk very far to enjoy the great ice fishing the pond has to offer. When caught, bass and pike give you a great fight thru the ice on a jigging stick or a tip-up. There are people who believe that you can't catch bass during the winter months from under the ice, but the pictures on our updates dispel this believe. Remember, bass season is not open during the winter months so all bass that are caught must be returned quickly to the water.

Are you looking for constant, and I do mean constant, tip-up action? How about a pond where there is so much action you have little or no time to jig... where you can catch a trophy pike on one tip-up and moments later catch another one on a different tip-up...where you can catch both large and smallmouth bass of well over legal size. How about a pond where the perch are big and plentiful...where you have trouble getting your hand around the crappies you catch? A pond that is only 50 feet away from our lodge where two people can go thru 11 dozen minnows in two days of ice fishing the bite is that good. How's that sound? Well, I have just described our pond, LONG POND! The action is fast and constant and if you spread your tip-ups out, which we strongly suggest you do, you will be very tired at the end of each day.

Why would you ice fish any place else? We have it all, lodging, meals and the best pond in the Northeast. Checkout the pictures on this and previous updates to see the size and types of fish you can catch in our pond. What are you waiting for? Get on the phone, (518) 963-7351 and book a trip with us. This is our 34th year in business. We are large enough to serve your needs and yet small enough to truly care about them.

Bass are schooling at the lake points and are attacking any type of action bait such as spinner or crank baits.

The only draw back is that the lake is high water level 2 feet above normal.

Due to some prolonged periods of heavy rain, the month started off with a high water level in the big lake and the water temperature was right around 60 degrees. The weather has been very erratic with air temperatures all over the place. The fishing proved challenging and many days were spent fishing in the rain. The smallmouth bass had not schooled up yet, they remained scattered and were not feeding heavily. The northern pike were active and good numbers were caught with some real heavy weights coming to the boat on a variety of lures.

The 2nd week found the weather warmer and more comfortable, but the smallmouth bass remained scattered with the water temperature in the high fifties. The good numbers of fish that were caught did not appear to be gorging themselves because they had soft bellies and were not overly fat. I felt the water temperature is still too high to really trigger the fish into schooling up and going on the feed.

The third week of the month started off with windy conditions, which is typical for the month of October. Because of the strong winds, there were days when we couldn't get our boats to the primary fishing locations. We were able to fish and we did catch fish but most of smallmouth bass were in that 2 1/2 - 3 pound range with an occasional 4 - 5 pounder. Tube jigs, Stik-O's, jerkbaits and crankbaits were just some of the lures that produced fish. We needed the water temperature to go down and stay down and the fall fishing would get much better.

The fourth week of the month the fishing was much better and big numbers of fish were caught in every boat. We even enjoyed some great topwater fishing one morning. We caught fish, on tube jigs, flukes, jerkbaits and the dropshot was also productive. We had to endure high winds and rain but the pictures prove we caught some real quality smallmouth and even a few 6 pounders were landed. We are still looking for that first seven pounder and maybe, just maybe it will be caught during November.

We are still hoping that we will get the opportunity to fish for salmon and Lake Trout during the next few weeks. It is not too late to book a trip if you're interested.

Due to the storm (Irene) giving us a direct hit, the fishing has been very poor. Very muddy, a lot of debris in the water making for hazardous navigation. Water levels are elevated by @2ft. It will take several more days for the water to recede and clear up.  From the Port Henry area to south bay the water clarity is almost mud. If planning a trip to Champlain I would suggest going further north to the Westport area.