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Fishing Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay: what the data says
10,367-acre section. The shallow, fertile northeast bay at Swanton: big pike in the weeds, a real walleye run up the Missisquoi and panfish everywhere. The lake tops out around 14 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.
Northern Pike fishing at Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 4 to 14 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 14 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. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Walleye fishing at Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 14 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 14 ft. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 12 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. 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 14 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. 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 | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Crappie fishing at Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay
Spring crappie on Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. The spot to know is Deepest basin, a deep basin in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. 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 | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Missisquoi River mouth: a inflow / creek mouth around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday |
Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay also holds white perch (4 to 14 ft in summer), rock bass (4 to 14 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 13 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 12 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 11 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 8 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 6 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 6 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 6 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 6 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay?
Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay is about 14 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 - Missisquoi Bay?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, channel catfish, yellow perch, rock bass, white perch on Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay?
Weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike 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 - Missisquoi Bay?
For northern pike, 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 - Inland Sea and Malletts Bay · Lake Carmi · Lake Champlain · Lake Iroquois · Caspian Lake
See how Lake Champlain - Missisquoi Bay stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Vermont · best walleye lakes in Vermont · best northern pike lakes in Vermont · best crappie 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.