Falling Water Temps Set Up VT's Fall Bass and Walleye Window

What's biting

What's next

Expect the Champlain-side tributaries to stay thin without a rain event, keeping fish concentrated in deeper pools and slower runs. If the Connecticut River gauge holds near 51°F through the week, that stretch should keep producing better than the near-dead smaller creeks. Per Fishing the Midwest, a plain bottom-bouncer snell rig is drawing walleyes as water cools, and a bladed swim jig worked over dying weed edges is pulling pike and walleye together, both worth carrying into the coming week. Tactical Bassin's October bass coverage points to finesse jigs and small swimbaits picking up smallmouth as the fall bite settles in. With the moon in a waning crescent, low-light dawn and dusk windows heading into the weekend are the better bet for working these cooling flows.

Watch the Champlain tributary gauges for any bump after rain; a rise off 0.04 and 4.11 cfs would open fresh water and likely kick activity up a notch.

Context

Mid-October water temperatures in the upper 40s to low 50s are on schedule for Vermont's Connecticut River and Lake Champlain drainages, where activity typically tapers as flows drop toward winter base levels. Flows this thin on the smaller tributaries are normal for this point in the season absent recent rain, while the larger Connecticut River gauge carrying more volume simply reflects watershed size rather than anything unusual.