If you're looking for the perfect place to cast a line, this majestic lake in Upstate New York is a reel catch.
Lake Champlain has been dubbed one of the best fishing lakes in the United States in 2025. The long Adirondacks lake was the only spot in the Empire State specifically included on the list of the best lakes in America for anglers by Fishingbooker.com, the "world's largest fishing charter community."
At a whopping 120 miles long, Lake Champlain spans a long stretch of the New York-Vermont border. While most of the lake is within the United States, its northern tip is in Quebec in Canada.
The majestic lake was briefly recognized as the nation's Sixth Great Lake -- a nickname that remains, even though its official federal status was short-lived.
In its ranking, Fishingbooker.com recognized Lake Champlain for its "beautiful scenery and a vibrant fishery."
"Its waters provide a home to an interesting variety of species, making the lake one of the best places to fish in either of the two states it borders," the charter boat marketplace wrote.
Lake Champlain is home to over 90 species of fish and is widely considered one of the best bass-fishing spots in the world, according to the Lake Champlain Land Trust.
Conservationists in New York and Vermont have also spent decades working to make Lake Champlain's lake trout population self-sustainable.
On the New York side of Lake Champlain, make the small city of Plattsburgh your base camp.
Head to the scenic Point Au Roche State Park, which boasts a sandy beach, boat launches and a nature center. When you've cast your final line for the day, grab Michigans, a Plattsburgh specialty, at Clare & Carl's Hot Dog Stand.
The (official) Great Lakes also made Fishingbooker.com's list of the best lakes for fishing. Parts of two Great Lakes, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, are within New York.
"Yes, it almost feels like cheating to include them on the list because they're more akin to inland seas than lakes," the website wrote, "but, with the kind of fishing they offer, we simply couldn't exclude them."