Lake Champlain ice fishing

Lake Champlain runs north and south between Vermont and New York, from the southern end around Benson and Ticonderoga all the way up to the Canadian border. Burlington sits right on the Vermont shore, so for a lot of people in the region the lake is a short drive away. It's big, varied water, and in winter it fishes like several different lakes depending on which bay you're on.

Where people fish

On the Vermont side, the northern bays and the islands get a lot of the winter traffic. Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, Kelley Bay, Dillenbeck Bay, Carry Bay, and Keeler Bay are all known for northern pike, along with the shallow flats south of the Sandbar Causeway. The Inland Sea north of the causeway is where people look for landlocked salmon once more ice forms. Deeper water off the west shore of Grand Isle and in Outer Malletts, Shelburne, Converse, and Button bays draws lake trout anglers. Farther south, the stretch from Addison down to Benson below the Champlain Bridge is another pike area, and Benson and Orwell are known for the most consistent winter walleye action. Swanton and Alburgh at the north end also see walleye.

On the New York side, Plattsburgh and Cumberland Bay, King's Bay and Deep Bay near Champlain, Point au Roche, and Rouses Point cover the northern end. Down the lake, Port Henry and Bulwagga Bay, Crown Point, Westport, Willsboro Bay, and Ticonderoga all have access and their own winter regulars. Bulwagga Bay gives up perch, bluegill, and brown trout, lake trout are caught near the Crown Point Bridge, and salmon show up just under the ice between Bulwagga Bay and the bridge. Port Henry was once called the smelt capital of the northeast, though locals say the smelt have mostly disappeared.

What you're fishing for

There's a lot on the menu:

• Northern pike, usually on tip-ups with live bait in shallow, weedy bays.
• Yellow perch and other panfish, including bluegill, pumpkinseed, and black and white crappie, in the sheltered bays and shallows.
• White perch.
• Walleye, which can turn up anywhere but are most consistent at the south and north ends. Fish deep, since they spend most of their time near bottom.
• Lake trout in the deeper basins.
• Landlocked Atlantic salmon, on tip-ups or jigging lures, often fished just under the ice.

Lake trout in the deep basins are only an option when those areas have ice, so pike and panfish in the bays are the more practical plan for most trips.

Kinds of trips

Plenty of anglers fish Champlain on their own, setting up portables or their own shanties in the bays. Local bait and tackle shops are the best place to start. They'll tell you what's biting, sell you what's working, and point you to the right access.

If you'd rather go guided, guides work the lake in winter, and a guide or a bait shop is the usual recommendation for anyone new to it. Vermont Fish and Wildlife points visitors to the state's outdoor guides association for guides, lodging, and current fishing activity.

Licenses and rules

On the Vermont side, anyone 15 or older needs a Vermont fishing license. In New York, anyone 16 or older needs a New York fishing license.

The two states have a reciprocal license agreement for most of the lake. A license from either state is good on the main and southern parts of Lake Champlain, with exceptions:

• The Inland Sea, Malletts Bay, Missisquoi Bay, and The Gut need a Vermont license.
• South Bay and New York tributaries need a New York license.
• In the "four bays" area, you need a license from whichever state's waters you're in.
• There's no reciprocity with Quebec.

Even with reciprocity, you have to follow the regulations of the state you're standing in. Vermont's rules are in the Vermont fishing regulations, and New York's are in the statewide and Region 5 regulations. Vermont Fish and Wildlife notes there's no closed season for trout and salmon on Lake Champlain.

Shanty rules differ by state too:

• Vermont: shanties have to come off before the ice gets unsafe or can no longer hold them up, or before the last Sunday in March, whichever comes first. You can't leave a shanty at a state fishing access area, and leaving one on the ice can mean a fine and points on your license.
• New York: shanties must be marked on the outside with the owner's name and address in letters at least 3 inches high, and they must be removed by March 15.

Before you go

• Stop at a bait shop near where you plan to fish and ask about conditions. Ice on a lake this size varies a lot from bay to bay.
• Know which state you're in and which license covers you. The state line runs the length of the lake, and a few bays have their own license rules.
• Be careful around inlets, river mouths, and narrows, and anywhere near open water.
• Don't use a cold forecast as a stand-in for ice information. Ask someone who's been out on it.
• Check both New York's ice fishing page and Vermont Fish and Wildlife before you set up a shanty.