Lake Champlain 2017

[Adkrs]

Figured id get a Champlain thread going for the new year.

Who's been out? Made it out on South Bay last week. Ice was good. 6in. Bite was slow. Checking out Bulwagga tomorrow

[Neil McCauley]

I am new to Champlain. What's South Bay like vs the northern main part of the lake? Does the whole lake usually freeze over?

[icecaptain14]

I am new to Champlain. What's South Bay like vs the northern main part of the lake? Does the whole lake usually freeze over?

south bay is southern champlain in Whitehall ny south of champlain bridge bout 40 mins south of there

[Adkrs]

I am new to Champlain. What's South Bay like vs the northern main part of the lake? Does the whole lake usually freeze over?

The whole lake doesn't usually lock up  (i wish)

[Loudmouth879]

Let me know what bulwagga is like... had the same results last week on south bay. trying to figure out where i want to go tomorrow afternoon

[bootstrap]

no fish on this side.

[johnnypike]

Ticonderoga area is usually a good area to fish, headed there Saturday for some jerk perchin and pike.

[RedMister]

Saturday the 7th, I fished between Putnam Station, NY and Benson Landing, VT. The ice was 6" all around. The fishing sucked.

[Adkrs]

Found the whites! With some yellows mixed in. Managed 2 buckets worth before i had to leave for work.



Also did well for lakers. Bunch of ice out there. Id go fishin before it disappears later this week....

[VDueslerIV]

Wow thats a screen one would like to see all day....only ever been to south bay once and fished south of the bridge.. hopin to get back up there this season.! Nice job though.

[Adkrs]

Wow thats a screen one would like to see all day....only ever been to south bay once and fished south of the bridge.. hopin to get back up there this season.! Nice job though.

This was further north. Not south bay. But when i hit south bay, i was marking a ton of fish too. They just wouldnt bite. Could make a killing on south and probably get some crappies mixed in too.

[fishy1]

nice great job. sounds like the fish were aggressive.

[Adkrs]

Careful out there today guys. Went back to the same spot with sone buddies. Was doing well. Winds were whipping. We noticed a little bit of open water forming so decided to get out of there. 5 minutes later the sheets seperated and there was 20yds of open water right where we were fishing. it also pulled ice away from the shorelines/ weakened it. One buddy went thru 5ft from shore. Champlain can be dangerous.  Careful folks.

Did manage one bucket of perch between the 3 of us.

[lakerman]

on south bay ?

[Adkrs]

Done well for perch and lakers the last few days. Wont catch me out there after today. Too shifty. Ice is getting soft fast. 10 day looks terrible. Some days in the 50's    cruddy year for ice

[Adkrs]

on south bay ?

No.  Further north.  South bay should be ok for a bit

[combsey]

I'll be chasing pike at the southern end tomorrow.     Big bait and jigging perch

[lakerman]

why has south bay been so slow for pike, any ideas? or is it just us

[combsey]

Southbay gets alot of fishing pressure and the pan fisherman straight out and tell you they kill any pike caught and some are put back down the hole.    Same as the scumbag group at dresden.     

[Adkrs]

Got a bowfin, no pike last time i fished south bay

[bigredonice]

Southbay gets alot of fishing pressure and the pan fisherman straight out and tell you they kill any pike caught and some are put back down the hole.    Same as the scumbag group at dresden.     

yeah did you see those scumbags on facebook posting the pike they were holding by the eyes and then putting back down the hole.   Disgusting.

[Adkrs]

Dec could nail them with animal cruelty if they wanted to. That would piss me off if i saw that on the ice. Glad i don't have facebook

[mdougla1]

Southbay gets alot of fishing pressure and the pan fisherman straight out and tell you they kill any pike caught and some are put back down the hole.    Same as the scumbag group at dresden.     
[/quote

I grew up in Whitehall.   I don't care for commercial fisherman or the way they conduct themselves in Dresden but that has nothing to do with what we're talking about  - pike fishing on South Bay



I know a bazillion locals and 99 percent  of folks aren't tossing pike on the ice on South Bay.

South Bay pike fishing sucks because in the last 10 years everyone within a 100 mile radius of there has flocked to it to try and catch pike. 

[adk iceman]

Mdougla read my mind. I don't even fish South Bay for pike anymore. They have been over fished and the size is way down when you get one anyways. Doesn't matter if everyone put every pike back my opinion is that half of the pike that get released don't make it anyways. We find them washed up on shore in the spring. The pike fishing on South Bay sucks compared to what it was because of fishing pressure.

[thor94]

South Bay was amazing for pike not that along ago.  Then, it just turned off. Night and day difference over the course of a couple of years.  I remember seeing some kids with a snow-sled just filled with dead pike and thinking that can't be good.  Who knows if they ate them, but it still seemed excessive.   Not sure if pressure killed that lake, or whatever the reason was, but something sure did. 

[greensider]

Shanty and my fishfinder ed south bay to many people posting about how good it was within a couple of years of these forums starting up i saw major increase in boat numbers on the water there and the decline in pike began along with people keeping everything they landed people were posting pictures of 30 pike days and taking all of  the them

[IcefisherSteve]

Shanty and my fishfinder ed south bay to many people posting about how good it was within a couple of years of these forums starting up i saw major increase in boat numbers on the water there and the decline in pike began along with people keeping everything they landed people were posting pictures of 30 pike days and taking all of  the them

I agree 100%. Online sites and social media will be the death of some waters. Remember the days when you had to actually go and check the ice thickness yourself? Or when you had to actually fish a place to see if its worth fishing? And when you caught fish only few of your buddies or family members would know about it. Now people post pics for thousands to see just to get some "likes" or whatever its called now. Same goes for hunting spots.

[thecreature]

I have been seeing some people fishing just south of the crown point bridge. Anyone know how much ice is out there and if they are accessing from the NY or VT side?

[bigredonice]

if they are accessing from the NY or VT side?

I am curious to this also

[fishy1]

most are accessing from the vermont side. i dont consider it safe though. ftom just below there to the ti mill the center is open water. from the pier north past the bridge its all water. bullwagga bay is mostly water now down to the ist rock cut. be safe.