Maybe some help

[Duckhunter81891]

Hey good evening y'all,
I just was surfing through the web and found this forum.
I'm gonna be heading up to Lake Champlain for the last week of January to do some ice fishing with a buddy. I've ice fished my whole life but havnt fished this far North before. I'm primarily fishing CT ponds and lakes. I was hoping I could get a little insite from you guys and where to fish and so forth. I'm not trying to ask for spots but just a general idea of where to go on the Vermont side would be great. Maybe a suggested bait shop near by would be great as well. I've never been to the area and would like to get some first hand opinions before I go running up there wasting fuel and time.
Wishing everyone a happy new year and a safe and plentiful 2014 fishing and hunting season.
Thanks guys,

Jason

[FredEx]

I fish mainly for yellow and white perch, so I can tell you fish south of the new champlain bridge or north of the Sanbar in Milton. You can catch plenty of fish in Northern Champlain. Locations vary daily. Less than 40 feet deep. I fish in water 10 feet or less. Look for other guys fishing as you drive along. Access is easy from State ramps. Contact Dockside bait in Milton, or Saint Albans bay bait/tackle. They may have websites. You should have no problem getting into some perch with minnows. Good luck.

Fred

[Duckhunter81891]

Hey thanks buddy I appreciate it and I will most definitely check it out! I'm hoping to get into some larger fish while I'm there as well. I really appreciate the advise, catching perch is always a blast!

[CatchandRelease]

A lot of northern pike are caught south of Sandbar State Park, Route 2 just before the causeway connecting mainland to S. Hero VT. A few miles west of this area on the right is another good State F&W access onto Keeler Bay. Look for white signs with green lettering for State Access points. You can catch all sorts of species here. I haven't seen any reports of ice thickness. I fished Shelburne Bay this morning, 11 inches of ice. VT Fish and Wildlife webpage has a listing of bait dealers, but it doesn't seem to be working today. It also has a map showing public access points. Brush up on the live bait rules, and plan on a visit from a game warden when you're fishing. I see them all the time when ice fishing, which is great. They're out there doing their job and making sure everyone is following the rules. Good luck.

[Duckhunter81891]

That's all great advise thanks a lot man I appreciate it. Ill read over all the laws and check the ice reports as it draws closer. I'm not out to break any laws just going to fish somewhere different and have a good time. Thank you very much I appreciate it!

[WildFisherWoman]

The bite at SB usually doesnt pick up good until later Jan early Feb for the big hogs. Go to Abnaki, Cary, Keeler or Dillenback Bays for plentiful pike etc galore. Almost guaranteed a fish at those bays. They are weedier than the SB. SB is just sand with some patchy areas of weeds in 2-6 fow under the ice. Bite can be real slow and hit or miss at SB. If your up for a weekend Id go someplace other than there IMO.

[Duckhunter81891]

That sounds great. I'm expecting to be there from the 24th till the 30th. So I'm gonna do a lot of spot jumping if I need to. Appreciate the heads up. Hope you guys have a great season. Just got the Jiffy Propane auger so I'm excited to see how it works out.