Rescue crews are searching for a man who went missing on Lake Champlain, seen here from Battery Park in Burlington. Photo by Roger Crowley/VTDigger

Rescue crews recovered the body of a fisherman in Lake Champlain Tuesday night. He was reported missing when his fishing boat was found earlier in the day.

The search crew located the body 40 yards from shore in 14 feet of water between North Hero and Alburgh, according to a Vermont State Police release.

Police say they are not releasing the man’s name at this time, but called him a “local resident familiar with the area.” 

Police described the man as white, in his late 60s, and standing about 5 feet 11 inches tall. Police also said he was wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and “mid-calf wader-type rubber boots.”

State police said they received a report at around 2 p.m. Tuesday reporting that the man’s aluminum fishing boat, with his belongings in it, was located near the railroad trestle connecting North Hero and Alburgh. 

The Vermont State Police Scuba Team and other members of the agencies are staged the rescue on Pelots Point, which is near the North Hero Marina, the release stated. 

In addition to state police, other agencies assisted include the Grand Isle Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and a helicopter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Alburgh, Grand Isle and North Hero fire departments, and the Clinton County, New York, Sheriff’s Department also helped with the search and rescue operation.

The death is not considered suspicious, but the incident is under investigation and the body has been taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner for an autopsy to confirm “the cause and manner of the death,” police said.

This article was updated 4:21 a.m. August 21.

VTDigger's criminal justice reporter.