Lake Champlain United - Forums

I normally fish out of the Shelburne, Mallets and CG, but am planning on heading south to converse this weekend. I know most focus on the area around split rock and whalons, and I really have very little experience with fishing the water this cold. We went out last weekend for 9 hours and caught 2 small lakers in the burlington area, but really struggled. Having looked at maps the area north of Sloop looks interesting. Would this be a good place to target this time of year, or should I focus on shallower areas? I prefer chasing Salmon, but my buddy loves catching lakers, and I like steady action. I have read every post on the forum that mentions sloop, and it sounds like it is a productive laker area.

I would follow the fleet to the warm pockets. Will stick out like a sore thumb. Would tell you where, but I am trying to avoid all of the hurt feelings.

Lakers will concentrate on forage at any time of the year ... even now.

I am not able to comment on based on personal experience, but the smelt have got to be starting to stage for spawning. I'm pretty sure that schools of smelt are the cause for so much salmon surface activity. That means that the lakers will be mixed in as well. Smelt will be looking for warmer and warmer water until they spawn. Activity will push the smelt inside or outside of the "fleet" and sometimes down a bit. You don't have to get into the fleet especially if you have temperature sensors. At this time of year even surface temp is a great extra (necessity)!

I know that the smelt would be staging for spawn, so the inlets would be a good place to look with the warmer water flowing in, but with all this rain I expect the water in those areas to be really stained, which from my understanding will push fish out. I have an X4d, but it is not installed yet, and I don't think I will have the time to do that this week. Can't wait to have all that extra data though!

Come on down and fish Port Henry and your vision of salmonoids only liking clear water goes away forever. In my mind you have three programs to run out of converse. warm clear water that has been pushed into shallow on boards. A 30/60 program in a well know bay with a few addded flat lines.... or head into town farm and fish the stained water. all the way out to the edge of Diamond Island where the mud line cuts off.

Just beware if you're running in to Town Farm Bay of the shallows known as the reef. It will grab your balls and won't let go. Speaking from experience.
Boat Safe
Egoody