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18,195-acre section. Crown Point to Whitehall: a narrow, riverine arm full of grass beds, creek mouths and largemouth. Home water of championship bass fishing. The lake tops out around 29 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Drawn out, this is 17,923 acres of water rimmed by 73.3 miles of bank, broken up by 2 islands. A development index of 3.9 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 96% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 27.9 mi with a 4.8-mi widest point. The water lies in Washington County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Sunset Lake, 6 mi east of here.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 29 ft. The spot to know is Weed flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (5 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (11 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Top water on the chart: Weed flat, a weed flat in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Weed flat (5 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (15 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Weed flat (5 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 9 to 29 ft, wintering in 9 to 29 ft. Top water on the chart: Shoreline point, a point in the 11 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Gravel shoal (3 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 9 to 29 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (11 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 9 to 29 ft. Top water on the chart: Deepest basin, a deep basin in the 28 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Weed flat (5 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (20 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Deepest basin (28 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 9 to 29 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 29 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Weed flat (5 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 9 to 29 ft | dawn | Deepest basin (28 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Deepest basin (28 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday & dawn | Deepest basin (28 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 29 ft. The spot to know is Poultney River mouth, an inflow / creek mouth in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Poultney River mouth (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Feeding flat (12 ft) | |
| Fall | 9 to 29 ft | dusk | Deepest basin (28 ft) | |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Deepest basin (28 ft) |
Lake Champlain - South Lake also holds white perch (9 to 29 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.
The chart marks 25 structure features on Lake Champlain - South Lake; the deepest is Deepest basin at about 28 ft.
Access data: Vermont Fish & Wildlife — Fishing Access Areas. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New York waters are set by the New York DEC — and special regulations can apply to Lake Champlain - South Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Lake Champlain - South Lake is about 29 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, white perch, rock bass on Lake Champlain - South Lake.
Weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth 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.
Fishing on Lake Champlain - South Lake is regulated by the New York DEC. Check the official New York regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Sunset Lake 6 mi, VT · Sunrise Lake 7 mi, VT · Jabe Pond 9 mi, NY · Lake Hortonia 9 mi, VT · Putnam Pond 10 mi, NY · Burr Pond 10 mi, VT · Glen Lake 10 mi, VT · Echo Lake 11 mi, VT · Beebe Pond 11 mi, VT · Lake Bomoseen 12 mi, VT · Eagle Lake 12 mi, NY · Pharaoh Lake 12 mi, NY
See how Lake Champlain - South Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New York · best smallmouth bass lakes in New York · best northern pike lakes in New York · best crappie lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.