Vermont Fishing Reports

USGS gauge 04294500 recorded 42°F water on the morning of May 7th — a reading that puts landlocked salmon squarely in their prime spring feeding window while keeping smallmouth bass pinned to deep structure ahead of the pre-spawn push. No Lake Champlain-specific reports surfaced in this week's angler intel, so this update is anchored to the gauge reading and seasonal patterns. Landlocked salmon are cold-water fish and at 42°F should be feeding aggressively on smelt and alewife imitations near tributary inflows and the upper water column, before the lake stratifies into summer. Smallmouth tell a different story: 42°F is well below the 50°F-plus threshold for meaningful pre-spawn staging, and the fish are almost certainly deep and lethargic. Tactical Bassin notes that early-May bass nationwide are in transition between spawn phases and respond best to finesse presentations — sound advice for cold Champlain conditions. A waning gibbous moon supports dawn feeding windows for both species.

1d ago

The Connecticut River shad run has kicked into gear across the region. Per The Fisherman — Connecticut (Aaron Swanson), the run "kicked into gear over the last 10 or so days with some very good fishing" in stretches well south of Vermont — a migration front that historically pushes upstream through May. The Fisherman — New England Freshwater confirms shad numbers "rising daily" in the Connecticut River, with willow-leaf Steaves Leaves rigs on ¾–1 oz casting sinkers dominating the bite and selling out at area shops. USGS gauge 01135300 logged 265 cfs before dawn on May 7 — a moderate, fishable flow well-suited to bank and wade anglers. No water temperature was available from that gauge. Lake Champlain's walleye and bass fisheries carry no direct reports in this cycle, but early May typically marks the tail end of walleye spawning and the onset of bass pre-spawn to post-spawn activity across the shallower northern bays.

2d ago