Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

[Mark_VTfisherman]

I've lived in Vermont for almost twenty years but I haven't fished Lake Champlain a lot. Been in Mallet's Bay and the Inland Sea a few times, but never the "big lake." Now I just gotta share!

This week four of us launched our friend's 19' Mirrocraft out of Converse Bay and fished through The Narrows down the west side. We weren't on the water until around seven am (probably a little late) but we still caught some salmon. Had hits in the top twenty as well as 60- 80 feet down, and landed a smelt and a couple of perch, as well as the salmon, but the biggest was lost at the boat...oh well, it was fun.

It sure was a different experience for me to be running 400+ feet of leadcore, but I was rewarded with hookups on both a crank and my favorite salmon spoon behind the leadcore. Ran about 10' of mono leader behind a small swivel and then a snap to the lures. Some charter guys tell me that's too long but it seems to catch fish so I am scared to change it. Stupid probably - they catch more fish and fish all the time, but..... The downriggers had some releases too- the big one came on a 'rigger at 85'.

I usually enjoy the outdoors and the scenery, but being a little hardcore as a fisherman, however, the fishing is usually my focus. Not this day! Lake Champlain is an amazing lake with fantastic scenery on both the Vermont and New York shores. If you've been there you know what I mean. The Narrows is the most majestic place I have ever been on the water.

Amazing rock cliffs rise up out of the water sixty, seventy, sometimes a hundred feet straight up, with wooded hills- really small mountain ridges- soaring above all along the western shores. These sheer rock walls plummet into water that is 200 feet deep close to the cliffs to over 300 feet well offshore. Breathtaking. The water was laid down nice, with barely a foot seas, and bright clear sunshine- something we have not had enough of this summer.

While we didn't load the boat with fish, I missed not having my camera! <sorry> but I think we are going to do it again soon- Camera will be ready!

My 14' Niagara is a pretty seaworthy boat for its size, but not really a good match for the Big Lake if the seas come up so I probably won't do it in my current boat. Champlain can be violent unexpectedly even for its size.

So I think I need a bigger tow vehicle and a nineteen or twenty footer with a lot of freeboard. Yea. I think I do... Now I just need the money!

 

[divimon2000]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

You said it. For me it's the experience and oh-by-the-way might drop a line in the water to see what happens. We took the 15' Whaler out of Hills Point Charlotte all the way down to Albany 2 weeks ago! (For fun) and I was watching the fishing all the way down. Let me tell you the southern lake, Hudson and especially the Canal were loaded with everything from trout to sturgeon. WHo knew a land locked canal could be so prosperous. I saw some humungo fish jumping out in the evening.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

Divimon: When my younger one gets in college (five more years now) I think I am going to spend the summer on a boat in Champlain. That's a lifelong dream. Don't even think it needs to be a cabin boat- just a 20 with canvas and portajon would be OK, with enough battery and solar to keep going and run an ammonia fridge without plugging in.

Champlain is an awesome lake for fish! 15' whaler, huh?

Did you have a float plan (fuel etc) or just head out and make it up as you went? Was marina fuel pricey? I assume you camped overnite on the boat?

What fish did you catch? Land any big ones? Any hard losses?

I am still so pumped about that day on the lake I can't believe myself. I have spent a lot of time fishing and had some really high-number days catching but never have I had a day on the water pump me up like this.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

Glad you guys had a great time!
I've been to both sides of the lake a couple times (W/O a boat) and have to say it was gorgeous!
Mark, kinda funny you've never really been out on the lake much given your screen name!

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

.....kinda funny you've never really been out on the lake much given your screen name!

ya, I know:redface: But there are like a dozen super lakes to fish within 60-75 minutes. Champlain is weather dependent and a calculated risk in my boat and I have not had much of a chance to fish out of a bigger boat.

Think about it: Carmi, Seymour, Waterbury Reservoir, Caspian, Memphramagog, and the Lamoille River are all around me. So many choices!!!! Think I am hitting Eden tomorrow pm and Champlain again on monday though.

 

[mooregm5]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

Thats interesting, my in-laws live in Plattsburgh (NY) and we spent a few weeks up there two years ago living on our 25' sailboat (took canals up). I thought that everyone within 100 miles was on the lake while we were there, or it sure felt it as the anchorages were always packed and there were boats everywhere during the day. It was also the pro bass tourney time while on the southern end. It was really cool to just watch all the pros at work.

You sure can't beat the scenery, quality and non-commercialism of the lake. Now if we can only find an reason to move.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

....You sure can't beat the scenery, quality and non-commercialism of the lake. Now if we can only find an reason to move.

You need more of a reason?

IT IS true that you don't live here for the income...

 

[rolmops]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

That sounds like a lot of fun.
Why don't you come over to play in Lake Ontario? Just last Sunday I caught 5 king salmon the smallest of which was 23 pounds.They were caught over 450 feet of water with the riggers down at 90 feet.
September is the month that they will close in to the shore.If you can make it to Watertown,NY, or better, Henderson harbor.You will be catching salmon of anywhere in between 25 and 40 pounds.

 

[divimon2000]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

No float plan, just went. Gas is plenty and no issue with price since we had 2 6 gal tanks. One was full most of the time. Lots of places to stay on boat, camp, cabin or motel. Some nice lake Bar and Grills too. At least one public doc with direct access to a P&C! It's definitely something you can just do like day trips strung together. We were the smallest boat on a trip but we didn't mind. The folks in the 30+ footers didn't seem to have as much fun.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

No float plan, just went. Gas is plenty and no issue with price since we had 2 6 gal tanks. One was full most of the time

Hey- thank you for the response! Probably this is turning into a boating thread instead of a fishing thread, but I'm cool with that. Champlain is a fascinating water to boat.

Why am I so interested? Well, we just camped a few days with friends at Maidstone Lake over in the Kingdom, a sort-of annual thing. We did Carmi last year, and we are planning Burton Island on Champlain for next year. I am thinking that I would like to cruise in, so your comment caught my attention.

Did you use a cruising guide or Inland Waterway map to find marinas/gas/ etc. or just found what you could find? I noticed charts or maps in your photo.

Lots of places to stay on boat, camp, cabin or motel It's definitely something you can just do like day trips strung together

So was ice easy to find as well?

We were the smallest boat on a trip but we didn't mind. The folks in the 30+ footers didn't seem to have as much fun.

I agree- the floating porches and living rooms probably aren't hands-on enough or close enough to the water to get the full benefit. Plus (since I like boats and live-aboards are cool to look at) there isn't any of the "can you believe what we just did!" mystique in a $200K 30-footer; if it won't do it without breaking a sweat the boat wouldn't be any good, and the sense of adventure is removed when you are on that "perfect" of a boat.

...were the smallest boat on a trip but we didn't mind...

The Whaler is roomy for a 15 footer. My 14' MFG Niagara with its closed bow is a little small in the cockpit to 'camp' out on, and a little rough in seas with its semi-vee and flat hull at the stern. However. I am working out buying a 17' Sprint which is a deep vee and a foot-and-a-half wider beam. THAT will be nice to camp on, and I plan to make it an open bow / walk-through. A canvas for the front will snap on and off so I can still have the nice wave-shedding feature of the closed bow deck.

Smaller boats do have more fun, but the 17' will be much better than the smallish 14' Niagara cockpit.

Yep, this should probably be in another forum

 

[divimon2000]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

Hey, NP.

I'd love to get more people to try this, it's sooo simple- but cool. (and cheap)

From Charlotte to Whitehall was only 3 hrs bucking a headwind. Stay there cause its nice and has 2 marinas, camp sites, hotels and GREAT diner. If you need gas before that, bouy 39 marina is 1/2 way there.

I had charts gps, the cruising book(waste of money) and CAR GPS to find hotels! Don't need charts only GPS OR charts.

Then slow cruising up the canal and thru locks to any one of 3 towns to stay at. Fort Edward is one place to stay or eat I remember. We trucked to Troy in one day with stops here and there.

If you can sleep in your boat you can tie at any lock and stay overnight.

Stopped at Marina/Bar south of Schylerville in a swamp. Another marina somewhere before Albany. It takes maybe 4 hours going the speed limit to Troy. (And the locks are open and ready). Bar/grills along the river near Troy and Troy marina is where we stayed (hotels up the road). There is a public dock behind Price Chopper north of Troy as well.

Albany has a public dock on the park.

Then it's 6 hours to NYC. two weeks and that would be one heckofa vacation.

I wasn't saying your boat size is too big, in fact it sounds perfect. The 30+ footers looked like they were not having as much fun.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Salmon in the Palisades, Lake Champlain

AWESOME stuff! Thanks for taking the time to share all this info.

I think I am going to plan this for our family vaca next year (14 & 18 year-old daughters and me) and won't do it in the 14 footer. Too cramped and not enough sleeping space and the girls would likely mutiny and throw me overboard. The 17' MFG has a nearly 9' cockpit and will have enough space for all to sleep without being sardines or contortionists. I wouldn't want to do the hotel thing unless the weather was really bad.