Snorkeling a weedy bay in Lake Champlain with Largemouth Bass, Carp, Pike, and Tessellated Darters

[@grahammontague]

Happy New Year everyone! Let’s make 2025 a year filled with snorkeling and appreciating Mother Nature’s beauty!

[@shanemaclaughlin5758]

6:25 i see you going eye to eye holding breath to get the shot. shoutout you man thanks for going the extra mile.

[@grahammontague]

I was looking into the eyes of the king of the cattails. It was a really cool experience. Thanks for the amazing comment and watching!

[@HeatherGraff-jc4pk]

Another awesome video! I can’t wait to have that weather back again!

[@grahammontague]

Editing these videos in the winter make me miss the warm weather too. It will be here soon enough! Thanks for watching and happy snorkeling in 2025!

[@gabetedino2879]

great video.....some big largemouths around.I fished there a few times near the Canadien border. miss it

[@grahammontague]

Those big largemouth bass were so photogenic too. They were a treat to snorkel with. Fishing up Lake Champlain north is phenomenal- lots of big fish up there. Thank you for commenting and tight lines!

[@allenhughes12]

The fish don't seem camera shy which is surprising because they spook so easily when you're on top of the water. Great video as always.

[@grahammontague]

That’s a good point- whenever I ride past them in a boat they scatter so fast. When you snorkel with them, they are more curious. Thank you for watching and happy new year!

[@mauramontague2569]

Happy new year!!! This is THE year! I can feel it

[@grahammontague]

2025 is going to be the best year yet! I’m excited for it too. Happy snorkeling!

[@ramprashad29]

80-degree weather gone are those days. It's 25 degrees out in NY, and the wind is howling. I am in my warm bed watching you do the snorkeling for me. A very happy, healthy, and safe new year to you.

[@grahammontague]

It is definitely a winter wonderland in the Northeast right now. I can’t wait for spring! Thank you for the New Year wishes, I hope you have the best year yet too!!

[@LeslieField-k1u]

@@grahammontague We're supposedly getting over a foot here in 24 hrs.

[@grahammontague]

@ Tis the season!

[@gilmontague161]

Great how the largemouth notice you and kinda go on with their day Those big carp are cool - swam with big carp in Oneida lake years ago they are like submarines

[@grahammontague]

Yeah those big largemouth bass knew they were the apex predators of the water. Very cool about swimming with the big carp in Oneida- I’m hoping to see even bigger ones in 2025! Thanks Dad!

[@pamcm1098]

Man, those bass are in some thick vegetation.

[@grahammontague]

I was surprised too- they liked being in that very thick vegetation. They were also very efficient at swimming and navigating through it. So cool to see. Thanks for watching!

[@michaeltheoret3842]

Great Video and Happy New Year !

[@grahammontague]

Thank you! Happy New Year to you as well. Let’s make 2025 a great one!

[@johntheberge]

You weren't kidding with the title "weedy bay." I'm surprised you didn't get tangled, great footage.

[@grahammontague]

Haha there was a couple of times where the cattails had a solid hold on me. I was amazed how many fish were living in that densely vegetated bay. Thank you for watching and the positive comment!

[@goodcitizen64]

Happy New Year and God bless y'all

[@grahammontague]

Happy New Year!!! Thanks for all the support along the way. I love seeing your comments. God bless you and your family too!

[@LeslieField-k1u]

I always wondered what kind of tree grew Converse sneakers. Now I know they grow on those weeds.

[@grahammontague]

Those weeds were a wonderland. I wouldn’t be surprised if they grew many other things too haha!

[@LeslieField-k1u]

@@grahammontague Gotta love a piece of trash in the water with "Greater Good" on it

[@grahammontague]

@ haha the irony! You almost can’t make that up.

[@AuditorsUnited]

LUNKERS,LERKERS,ive never seen so many bass or perch in one place

[@grahammontague]

Lunker and Lerker City!!! Converse bay is very productive. Loved how curious those bass were. Hope 2025 is off to a great start for you!

[@LeslieField-k1u]

@@grahammontague Too much agricultural runoff, or is it well balanced?

[@grahammontague]

This bay definitely gets some agricultural run off from the Vermont side. But it is not out of hand I don’t think. Champlain can have harmful algae blooms throughout the summer and Converse Bay is a spot that gets them.

[@AuditorsUnited]

@@grahammontague there is a really bad paper plant dumping into champlain at larbeas point area .. it stinks to high heaven in the summer

[@grahammontague]

@ not good. I haven’t been there but good to know for future snorkeling expeditions!

[@kylerussell12]

That top flite had been there since 1990 🤣

[@grahammontague]

Haha yeah it was ancient. The Bud Light can looked super old too. It’s wild what kind of trash you can see on the bottom of a river/lake. Thanks for watching!

[@500stick]

Awesome video! I had no idea there was Clearwater in that part of the country. If you ever wanna get hooked up on how to get started with spearfishing Carp, you can get a hold of me. That thing was a beast that you just got a video of. I couldn’t tell if it was the same one or if there were more than one.

[@grahammontague]

Thank you! There were actually 2 carp in those cattails and the one looked very big (maybe 20lbs?- hard to judge underwater though). Yes I would be interested- what’s a good starting rig?

[@500stick]

@ i’ve been spearfishing for almost 50 years and I’ve almost exclusively used one gun that I bought in the early 80s. I did beat the hell out of it and had to replace a few parts and finally I had to set it aside and buy a new one. So I recently bought the newer version of that same gun since I was so comfortable with it. It’s a JBL Sawed-Off Magnum. Packs enough punch for big carp, is easy to load because of the mid handle, and short enough for working around weeds and docks. For big carp, though you do have to replace the stock tip with a 3 inch spinning flopper. They are going for 360 bucks on the JBL spearfishing website right now. On spearfishing websites, you will see all sorts of advice on what sort of gun to get and a lot of times they are more expensive and some people put down JBL but I really like mine and it should last me the rest of my life. Since you have all winter check out craigslist and Facebook marketplace for spear guns too. It’s kind of hard to find dive shops that have spearfishing equipment but maybe closer to the coast you might run into some. It’s a really fun sport and even if I don’t run into any carp on a certain dive, that’s no big deal because I love diving and looking at fish just like you do.

[@500stick]

Look up a video, my buddy took of us snorkeling in Minnesota over 10 years ago. It’s called “search for walleyes and carp” on KZbin. I get a carp right near the beginning and a better shot of getting one right at the end.

[@grahammontague]

@ thank you for all of the spearfishing advice and recommendations. This is all very very helpful for me- I am completely new to the sport! I will start doing my research and looking into it! I agree with you- even if I don’t shoot anything- it is still fun to be in the water looking at cool fish. Thank you again!

[@grahammontague]

@ just watched your KZbin video. Incredible footage! I love seeing the white tips of the walleyes. Those carp were huge too! Very cool thank you for sharing!!

[@LeslieField-k1u]

Ever stick a lure out from a headband to get the fish to come right up to the camera? (like an anglerfish)

[@grahammontague]

Hahah now that is the best idea I’ve heard in a while! I’m actually very tempted to try it in the spring. I’ll make a video if I do haha

[@LeslieField-k1u]

@@grahammontague Thank you (and your personal support circle) for all your content. One of my favorite recent discoveries. Maybe this blizzard won't be so bad after all if we don't lose internet.

[@grahammontague]

@ thank you for all of the positivity and amazing support. It is so cool to see so many like minded people appreciating the underwater world and fish and wildlife. The world needs more environmental stewards like the people who watch these videos!

[@LeslieField-k1u]

@@grahammontague Are you going into this as a career or is this more a serious hobby?

[@grahammontague]

@ I would love to make videos snorkeling full time! But for now it’s just a hobby. Currently, I am a PhD student.

[@brianschulte5440]

The lm with the growth on bottom lip has got to be over 6 lb !

[@grahammontague]

She was a big fish for sure! She wasn’t scared of me at all either- she was very curious. I love largemouth bass. Thanks for watching!

[@michaeltheoret3842]

That "growth " was probably a scar or inflamed wound from a hook. That Fish is a TANK! Man, hooking up on a lunker like THAT unit of a Largemouth is awesome. Not bad to keep a few for a meal either. I obviously would not keep every lunker Bass I hook up but a few in a season certainly is a tasty treat! From 12- 16 inches are ideal for eating !

[@grahammontague]

@ you are probably right! I agree with you- I think the smaller sized largemouth are very tasty! I used to keep the smaller ones in Oklahoma occasionally to feed me through grad school!

[@bobm8135]

Just wondering if it’s legal to spearfish those huge carp?

[@grahammontague]

Yes you can spearfish the common carp on Lake Champlain but there are specific regulations that you need to double check with the Fish and Wildlife Department before spearfishing to make sure you are legally doing it!

[@stevepkrajcikiv]

Coolio Graham! Nice moving through the weeds. Thanks for picking up the trash as always! 🤙🤿 Saw your mask was leaking a bit...it happens.

[@grahammontague]

Thank you as always! I had some serious leaking problems that day haha. I’m not really sure why- but that day was particularly bad. I think I might try chapstick on the upper lip to help with the seal.

[@stevepkrajcikiv]

@grahammontague You should get a Aqualung Impulse snorkel. Really comfortable...nice mouthpiece with a bridge on it so no clenching. Plus nice purge with I really like.

[@stevepkrajcikiv]

@grahammontague Also recommend the Oceanic Ultra SD snorkel...a bit cheaper than the Aqua lung.

[@grahammontague]

@ that could have definitely been doing it that day too. Gosh it can be so annoying- feels like your are breathing in water through your nose haha

[@grahammontague]

@ that does look like a fantastic snorkel! I’ll first see if they have it at the dive shop (I like supporting local) and give it a try!