Planning and executing an ice fishing adventure on Lake Champlain.
I had the seats folded down in the back seat of the SUV and every inch that wasn’t occupied by a person was packed with gear, just enough to room to see a sliver of road in the rearview. I was heading up 95 to pick up my old college roommate on the way to the northern reaches of Lake Champlain. Crossing the border into Vermont, I find myself running down the mental checklist, I can’t help but second-guess… you only get one chance to pack everything and there’s no turning back when you’re headed just a few miles south of the Canadian border.
A trip of this magnitude may seem like a long ride, and it is, but it’s something I’ve looked forward to every year since the first run I made, back in 2015. These trips have taught me some valuable lessons and increased my success on the hardwater not only on Lake Champlain but on my local waters as well, when we get ice.
We target jumbo northern pike in the bays of Lake Champlain on these trips, but we get a few surprises every year; Champlain is home to over 90 species. The lake is home to both large and smallmouth bass, pike, pickerel, bluegills and even longnose gar and sturgeon. One fish that was new to me and a surprise from last year’s trip was a burbot; you never know what might take the bait.
First Things First
Ice safety – driving this far north used to mean safe ice. However, the past 10 years have been a mixed bag. Some years we could drive out towing a camper others we were spudding our way into a cove from shore. Unfortunately the lake claims fishermen, skaters and hikers every year. I won’t get into safe ice depths, but it’s vital to understand what safe ice is. State agencies have plenty of publications online. I suggest you grab an inexpensive pair of ice picks to help you out of a hole in case you do go through. These can be purchased online, or at the local bait shop. I typically wear them around my neck when augering holes or checking thickness with a spud.
There’s a long list of essential items for any ice fishing trip, these are the things you want to double-check that you have before you leave.
Spud – Used for checking ice thickness, essential for safety.
Auger – A power auger is a must, especially up north where the ice can be quite thick. Recently, I’ve switched from a Jiffy gas auger to hybrid style hand auger attached to an electric drill. Not any drill will do. I recommend something with a torque rating of 1000-1,200 pounds. You’ll need a bit that connects the drill by the drill’s chuck to the auger itself. Eskimo pistol bits have worked for our crew in the past. You’ll want a couple of 5 amp hour batteries. Try to keep them warm until it’s time to drill for extended battery life. I’ve done up to 24 8-inch holes through a foot of ice on a 5 amp hour battery.
Tip-ups – for the type of fishing we do. I’ve used just about every type of tip-up out there. I’ve finally settled on a brand I love, they’re made in Maine and stand up to the tough environment of ice fishing.
Bait bucket – Any insulated bait bucket/aerator combo will do, you drill make one yourself like I did out of an Igloo water jug with a hole drilled for an aerator line or you can buy one like those made by Engel.
Sounder – in order to fish your bait at the right depth you’ll need to sound the hole. I like to fish my shiner a few feet off the bottom or a foot or two above a weed bed. Some people use a button on the tip-up line to mark depth for that hole once it’s sounded.
Ladle – Used to scoop ice shavings out of the hole after drilling. This will prevent your holes from icing up quickly and give your shiner a clear path to swim down through the hole.
Sled – I’ve made my share of custom sleds with skis, but I’ve found the good ole’ Jet Sled works best in deep snow. Pro tip: Don’t buy the biggest sled because then you’ll end up being the guy that accumulates everyone else’s extra gear they didn’t have room for.
Food – Ice fishing’s #1 essential, sandwiches work, but there’s nothing like grilled backstrap or a boiling hot pot of bullion broth to warm you up on those frigid days. Even a can of soup placed on the travel grill can make a world of difference.
Bait – Lake Champlain regs are strict about using outside bait that can become invasive and disrupt the lakes ecology. I always get my bait up at Martins General Store in Swanton, VT. Ask for a gentleman named Gill and tell him the Rhode Island boys sent ya! Most importantly, don’t forget to get a bait slip documenting the number of shiners you bought. VT Fish and Game will expect to see a license and a bait slip.
YakTrax or studs – Injuries can happen pretty quickly while ice fishing. On days when it’s glass black ice you’ll need some traction. I’ve found YakTrax work the best.
| HARD TRAVELING |
| Something I’ve learned from past trips is to keep your gear covered and protected from snow, road salt and freezing rain if your gear will be traveling exposed to the elements. Pickup trucks with a cap or tonneau cover, SUVs or a 4WD van are all good options. If a roomy 4×4 is not your daily driver, don’t fret, I’ve seen many folks somehow squeeze all the required gear into a compact sedan. My takeaway is that all wheel drive or 4×4 vehicles can really make a huge difference in the North Country at this time of year. One year I was almost stranded in a blizzard with my truck stuck in two-wheel drive while towing a loaded snowmobile trailer. Not a bad idea to check if your 4WD is in working order before leaving—a pro tip I learned the hard way. |
First aid kit – Speaking of injuries, a first aid kit is essential to keep in the sled. About 6 years ago a childhood friend of mine dubbed Captain Seaweed by my father, had a run-in with an auger blade. He reached into the back of the truck to grab the auger not realizing the blade guard was loose and did a number on his hand. So much so that when the border patrol came to say hi, they thought we already had our limit from the amount of blood on the ice. Auger blades are NO JOKE!
Ice shanty – Although not essential, having a place that shields you from the elements can extend your time on the ice and even make it attractive for your better half to join in. Pop-up style ice shanties have been around for some years now and there’s almost no end to what you can buy. A friend and I split a FatFish 6 made by Eskimo about 6 years ago and it’s still in great shape. It helps with cost if you can go halves with a fishing partner when it comes to this purchase. It comfortably fits four camping chairs and a small travel grill we use for heat and to cook. You can even fit a jigging hole if you’d like to target some perch when the bite is slow. If you do go the way of a pop-up shanty be sure to buy ice anchors. I once saw a shanty blow straight into Canada! The winds can get going on a lake like Champlain.
Targeting Jumbo Pike
When it comes to deciding where to set up there are a few things to look for. One, safe ice first and foremost. On lakes of this size pressure cracks can form and are extremely dangerous, especially when using an ATV or snowmobile to get out on the ice. Sometimes these pressure cracks are marked by locals when they develop, but sometimes not. Proceed with caution!
| ACCOMMODATIONS |
| We fish the Missisquoi and Hero Islands area where lodging and food can be an issue given its remoteness, as winter is the offseason for this part of the world. We’ve stayed at the Swanton Motel and a couple of different hotels in the town of St. Albans, but we’ve found Airbnb’s are the ticket if you can get enough folks together to make it economical. We typically go out one or two nights out of the four we stay. We’ll make it a point to hit the Swanton House of Pizza one of those nights and play a few games of pool in the basement. Before you pack and head south, be sure to stop by Carmen Brook Farm for some of the best maple products money can buy. They carry all grades of syrup, maple candy, and maple cream, which is the best thing to come out of a maple tree according to Levon Fortin, Sugar Bush manager. He might even give you a tour of the sugar house so you can see the process for yourself!
Swanton Motel: 112 Grand Ave #1424, Swanton, VT 05488 Martins General Store: 2934 US-7, Highgate Springs, VT 05460 Carmen Brook Farm: 1275 Fortin Rd, Swanton, VT 05488 Visit https://dem.ri.gov/natural-resources-bureau/fish-wildlife for educational opportunities and classes held by DEM. If RI gets safe ice they try to put on an intro to ice fishing course. |
I like to look for coves that have a flat component or gradual slope down to about 10 or 12 feet. Pike set up and cruise these shallow areas, which are often littered with weed beds. I like to set one tip-up in 5 feet of water then go straight out in a line to a depth of about 10 feet. Having your tip-ups in a line makes it much easier to tell if you get a flag. It also helps determine whose flag is up. When you have six guys fishing up to 12 tip-ups apiece, it can get a little confusing. Pro tip: try switching up the color of your flags.
Once you have a spot and drill your holes, it’s time to set your tip-ups. I run 30-pound Woodstock brand ice line to a 100-pound (or more) barrel swivel. I use 50-pound fluoro for the abrasion resistance to a 3/0 siwash or live bait hook. Some guys use steel leader, and that’s not a bad idea considering the teeth pike have, but I’ve noticed that the steel leaders limit the mobility of the shiner, so I use 50-pound fluoro.
Big bait, big fish, right? In general, I like to fish the biggest shiners I can find. Martins General Store carries some nice sized jumbos or pike shiners. I’ll take a knife or pair of scissors and clip a tail fin if the shiner is massive. Sometimes these big shiners will trigger your tip-up and fill you with false hope. Imagine running out 300 yards multiple times just to have a shiner be tripping your tip-up! Yeah, it’s frustrating.
I get slightly anxious when planning this trip. Building striper plugs has largely occupied my winters the past seven years, trying to fit in builds for “fishing show season” and balancing family, work and social life doesn’t leave much time for four day trip to the North Country with the boys, but then I remember the memorable catches we’ve iced in past years. The largest of our group, a 39-inch pike that tipped the scales just under 20 pounds along with countless others in the 30-inch bracket and hundreds under 30 inches. The camaraderie, consistent flag action and a chance to reset, keep me looking forward to the next trip. Somehow, we all manage to make it happen, through grace of God or our understanding, very lenient, beautiful, radiant (too much?) wives it’s worth the trip every time. Maybe this will be the year that we’ll break the 40-inch barrier.
