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Fishing Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay: what the data says
37,736-acre section. East of the Hero islands: protected water, rock reefs and grass bays out of St. Albans and Malletts Bay. Vermont's favorite ice sheet. The lake tops out around 143 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring smallmouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Northern Pike fishing at Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Walleye fishing at Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Sharp break, a drop-off in about 40 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Crappie fishing at Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay also holds white perch (15 to 40 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 59 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 40 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 25 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 24 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 21 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 17 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 16 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 14 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 13 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 11 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 11 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 10 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 10 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay?
Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay is about 143 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass, white perch on Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay?
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay?
For smallmouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Fairfield Pond · Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay · Lake Champlain · Lake Carmi · Lake Iroquois · Lake Dunmore
See how Lake Champlain - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Vermont · best smallmouth bass lakes in Vermont · best walleye lakes in Vermont · best northern pike lakes in Vermont
Browse all Vermont fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.