Smallmouth in prime post-spawn feeding mode on Lake Champlain

What's biting

What's next

With water temps sitting at 68°F and the calendar just past the summer solstice, the next two to three days on Lake Champlain will likely see continued warm, stable conditions — ideal for smallmouth, challenging for landlocked salmon shallow.

**Smallmouth Bass** are the story right now. Post-spawn females have had several weeks to recover, and by late June the whole population is typically in aggressive summer feeding mode. Tactical Bassin describes this pattern well: as temperatures rise, bass split into two distinct groups — shallow fish (3–10 feet) working rocky points, rip-rap shorelines, and the outer edge of emerging weed growth during low-light windows, and deeper fish (15–25 feet) holding on offshore humps and drop-offs through midday. Plan dawn sessions on main-lake rocky points and any wind-blown gravel bars where crayfish concentrate. Soft-plastic stickbaits and tube jigs are historically productive here; Wired 2 Fish covered Senko-style presentations this week as a go-to for finicky summer bass — that confidence-bait approach translates well to Champlain's clear-water conditions.

**Landlocked Salmon** are a more technical target right now. At 68°F surface temperature, these fish are likely holding well below the reach of shore anglers, seeking the thermocline layer where temps drop into the mid-50s to low-60s. Trolling with small streamers, Sutton spoons, or smelt imitations at 30–50 feet is the standard summer approach. Early morning — before surface temps peak under afternoon sun — offers the best window to find fish temporarily higher in the water column.

**Weekend timing:** The First Quarter moon sets near midnight, leaving predawn hours fully dark. That window, from first light through roughly 8–9 a.m., is your best bet for aggressive shallow smallmouth and the highest likelihood of salmon activity in the upper water column. Once the sun climbs and surface temps tick up, expect midday action to soften and fish to go deep or inactive. Evening sessions on rocky structure can also produce as temps pull back.

Context

A water temperature of 68°F on June 22 is broadly on schedule for Lake Champlain in a typical Vermont summer. The lake's main basin historically crosses the 65°F mark in early-to-mid June, with the shallower northern arm and South Bay warming faster than the deeper central basin. The reading from USGS gauge 04294500 is consistent with normal late-June conditions.

For smallmouth bass, the third week of June typically represents one of the best windows of the entire season. Spawning on Champlain usually wraps up in late May through mid-June, with larger females finishing first and recovering quickest. By now, most fish should be out of post-spawn lethargy and actively chasing forage — the precise window guides and local anglers historically target before mid-July heat pushes the population into full summer thermal stratification and fish become harder to locate consistently.

For landlocked Atlantic salmon — a managed stocked fishery on Champlain maintained in partnership with Vermont Fish & Wildlife — late June has historically marked the start of the deep-water season. These fish are cold-water obligates, and in most years surface temps at or above 65°F push them to depths that put them out of reach for all but dedicated trollers with downriggers. This is a normal, expected seasonal transition, not a sign of a poor year.

None of the angler-intel feeds surveyed this cycle included historical or comparative intel specific to Lake Champlain or Vermont inland waters. The closest regional conservation note came from MidCurrent, which covered a fundraising auction benefiting Battenkill restoration efforts in Arlington, Vermont — a reminder of ongoing investment in the state's coldwater fishery infrastructure, though that coverage pertains to a trout stream rather than Champlain's mixed fishery. In the absence of corroborating local reports, current conditions appear to align with the expected seasonal arc for this time of year.