Plattsburgh Boat Basin Services

Here you will find information on the following.

• Lake Champlain new and used boat sales
• Boat brokering
• Service department
• Outboard motors
• Marine supplies
• Lake Champlain Marina info
• Fishing on Lake Champlain

Plattsburgh Boat Basin                                      

5 Dock St                                                       

Plattsburgh, NY                                               

518-561-2800                                                  

www.PlattsburghBoatBasin.com                       

Species of fish in Lake Champlain

 Lake Champlain is safe for swimming, fishing, and boating. It is considered a world-class fishery for salmonid species (Lake trout and Atlantic salmon) and bass. About 81 fish species live in the Lake, and more than 300 bird species rely on it for habitat and as a resource during migrations. Here are some of the most popular among Lake Champlain anglers.

 

BROOK TROUT - AVG. LENGTH 6"-12"

Also known as "Square tails," this species of trout is found in every area of Vermont. A native of North America, the brook trout enjoys cold, clear waters and can be taken on artificial flies, spinning lures, and live bait where permitted. Brook trout eat aquatic insects, worms, leeches, other fish, frogs, and crustaceans. 

BROWN TROUT - AVG. LENGTH 8"-18"

This trout species was brought to Vermont in 1892 from their native home in Europe. Brown trout are found in the upper regions of the Connecticut River. A great game fish known for strength.
LAKE TROUT - AVG. LENGTH 15"-20"

Actually a char, lake trout or "lakers" are native to Vermont and found near the bottom of Vermont's deep, cold lakes. These big trout can reach 30 or more inches and can weigh more than 20 pounds!
LARGEMOUTH BASS - AVG. LENGTH 8"-15
 
The largest member of the sunfish family in Vermont, they have a large round mouth and are commonly found in lakes and ponds. They like rocky bottoms and feed on crawlers, insects and other fish.
NORTHERN PIKE - AVG. LENGTH 15"-21"

This long, slender fish has a large mouth and sharp teeth. Pike have scales on the upper half of their gill covers, and their tail, dorsal and anal fins have dark sports or blotches.
PICKEREL - AVG. LENGTH 15"-20"

Chain pickerel are members of the same family that includes northern pike. Pickerel have fully scaled gill covers, and sharp, needle-like teeth.
PUMPKINSEED (Sunfish) - AVG. LENGTH 7"-9"

This small, brightly colored sunfish is representative of a group of fish called "panfish", which in Vermont includes bluegill, redbreast sunfish, rock bass, and black crappie. These fish rarely exceed 10 inches, but are plentiful, fun to catch, and excellent eating. They feed on worms, other fish, insects and are also taken on artificial flies and lures.
RAINBOW TROUT - AVG. LENGTH 8"-12"

This trout is native to the American West, and was introduced to Vermont in the early 1800's. A beautiful fish. The tail and flanks are heavily spotted with small, well-defined black spots. Migratory lake-run rainbow trout, also known as steelheads, are silver-ish in color.
LANDLOCKED SALMON - AVG. LENGTH 12"-20"
 
Landlocked salmon are identical to sea-going Atlantic salmon. They have a forked tail, silvery flanks, and black spots on the upper half of their body. A great game fish, they prefer the cold waters of Vermont's deepest lakes.
RAINBOW SMELT - AVG. LENGTH 6"-8"

This small, slender, schooling fish is found in Vermont's deeper and colder lakes. They are a favorite food of lake trout, rainbow trout, and salmon. Often caught ice fishing, rainbow smelts are quite tasty when batter dipped and fried.
SMALLMOUTH BASS - AVG. LENGTH 8"-14"

Smallmouths are closely related to largemouth bass, except they prefer cooler, clearer waters, and have a slightly smaller mouth. A warm water species found in every region of Vermont.
YELLOW PERCH - AVG. LENGTH 4"-10"

A favorite food-fish in Vermont and common throughout the state, these schooling fish are easily recognized by their bright yellow color and dark vertical bars.
WALLEYE - AVG. LENGTH 13"-21"

The largest member of the perch family.  notice the spotless first dorsal fin - an easy way to distinguish walleye from perch or sauger.
BROWN BULLHEAD OR CATFISH - AVG. LENGTH 10"-14"

Locals call them "horned pout," the most common member of the catfish family found in Vermont waters. A hearty "bottom-feeder."  Use live worms to catch these feisty fish.

Lake Champlain Ice Fishing

I found a great article on Lake Champlain ice fishing. Here is the original link http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5970866/top_us_locations_for_ice_fishing_lake.html

Enjoy!

On the border of New York and Vermont, with a small portion crossing the Canadian border into Quebec, lies Lake Champlain, one of the top sportsman's lakes of the Northeast, and an especially popular destination for ice fishermen in the winter.

 At 490 square miles, Lake Champlain is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States, surpassed only by the five Great Lakes. (It's a distant sixth; it is less than 10% the size of even the smallest of the Great Lakes.) In fact, in 1998 the United States Congress designated it the sixth Great Lake, a move that was met with howls of protest from various Great Lakes organizations and geography purists, and hastily rescinded three weeks later.

Usually by early December it is possible to ice fish in the northern bays and passages of the lake. Prime early season spots include Catfish Bay, Kings Bay, Missisquoi Bay, and the Hog Island Bridge in New York, and the Veterans Memorial Bridge between Rouses Point, New York and Alburg, Vermont.

By mid to late December the ice fishing season should be in full swing, as the frozen portion of the lake expands southward and toward the center of the lake. Spots that become popular as they freeze include the cliffs around Alburg, the Isle La Motte Bridge, Algonquin Bay, Bulwagga Bay, Converse Bay, Deep Bay at the Point Au Roche State Park, Monty's Bay, and Whalons Bay.

Yellow and white perch are the most common fish caught, especially in the shallower areas. Pike, salmon, walleye, and lake trout are also plentiful.

The smelt fishing is excellent in the deeper water areas, including Port Henry, Westport, and Willsboro Bay. As the deep water freezes, little ice shantie towns of smelt fishermen spring up, with a taxi service transporting people to the prime smelt areas from Port Henry.

Only some years does the lake freeze at its deepest point, between Burlington and Port Kent. This is considered a prime ice fishing area, when it can be fished at all. The deeper, midlake areas are especially promising for salmon and lake trout.

For more great Lake Champlain information you can go to http://www.lakechamplainmarine.com/

Lake Champlain Bass Fishing

I found this article on the Strike King website. There is some great information on Bass fishing in Lake Champlain. Here is the original link http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00210/1.php. Enjoy!

Question: Shaw, what did you know about Lake Champlain before your arrival?

Grigsby: Lake Champlain is a great area for smallmouth, but there also are two parts of the lake that have abundant populations of largemouth. Up north you have the Missisquoi Bay area where Denny Brauer won this tournament last year. The lower section of the lake is the Ticonderoga area where I fished during this tournament on the first day of competition last year. I realized too late that I was fishing too fast, and that I didn’t spend enough time to catch the bass that were in the area. The second day of that tournament, I fished more slowly, and I caught 16 pounds of bass, barely missing winning the tournament. Before I arrived at the tournament this year, I decided I wasn’t going to make the same mistake for two consecutive years. I planned to fish hard in the Ticonderoga area. So, the first day we could pre-fish, I went down to the Ticonderoga region.

Question: What tactic were you using, Shaw?

Grigsby: I was flipping-and-pitching in the grass beds, and I found plenty of 3, 4 and 5-1/2- pound bass. I’d had some really-good days of practice, and I decided this area was the section of the lake I was going to fish, and the technique I’d use to win the tournament.
Question: In practice, what did you decide to do to get those bass to bite?

Grigsby: I was locating particular regions with concentrations of bass that would bite. I would pitch into a hole, catch a bass and generally follow-up and catch a few more bass out of that same spot.

Question: How many places did you have where you’d found schools of bass?

Grigsby: I had four or five places where I’d found really-good groups of bass in practice. I could get six to eight bites in each of these areas without even moving the boat, and I could move around in the boat and get five or six bites from a variety of directions.

Question: Had anyone else found these hot spots during practice?

Grigsby: I’m sure they had. One of the sites I was fishing was a well-known community hole that everyone knew. Another of the areas I was fishing had no one else fishing it during the entire tournament. It was a good spot, especially once I realized I had it to myself. In the third region, I’d located a large number of bass during practice, and no one else was fishing it. It was nice to know I had at least two of these locations that contained large concentrations of bass to myself.

Question: Why do you think no one had discovered these places? What was unique about these areas?

Grigsby: I don’t know. These regions were just places nobody fished. When I fished the tournament last year, I was amazed that apparently no one knew about some of these areas. Of course, I knew more about the lake this year. Often, people fish down a grass line, don’t get any bites, and give up when, if they’d only fished another 50 yards, they’d have run into a good school of bass. Also, people sometimes fish too fast or fish the wrong bait; causing the bass to not bite.
Question: What was your game plan the night before the tournament began?

Grigsby: The night before the tournament started, I decided that, regardless of the weather conditions, I’d make the 55-mile run to Missisquoi Bay to fish. Regardless of rain, wind or adverse water conditions, this place was where I felt my chances were best for winning the tournament. I decided to flip and pitch Strike King’s new Brush Beast that’s not available yet. And, because Lake Champlain is such a big lake that can get rough in a hurry, I also decided to leave my fishing spot early each day. Then I knew I could return to the launch site without being late, no matter what happened as far as weather went. As part of that plan, I decided to fish for smallmouth near the launch site if I returned with enough time to fish before time to check-in. I was able to return every day before time to check-in with enough time left to smallmouth fish.

To view bass fishing boats for sale please go to http://www.daybrothersboats.com/

For more information on bass fishing on Lake Champlain please go to http://www.lakechamplainmarine.com/