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September Slam: Chasing Smallies, Perch, and Walleye on Lake St. Clair
Waking up to Saturday, September 6th out here on Lake St. Clair, Michigan, let’s get after it—the wind’s rolling in out of the northwest, clocking 10 mph and building as the morning goes on. Air temps are holding crisp at around 60 degrees, and water’s steady at 66, keeping things just chilly enough to push the bite early and late. Flags are whipping, it’s overcast, and the sun’s slugging its way through those clouds—expect a slow sunrise at 7:06 AM, sunset tonight at 7:57 PM. No tides to worry about, but wind chop is up and you’ll want to watch the waves on open water (National Data Buoy Center).
Fish activity’s been solid in these conditions. Lake St. Clair’s famous for its bass, and that reputation’s holding strong this week. According to the Bassmaster Elite coverage, anglers have been hauling in hefty bags of smallmouth—reports of 4–5 pounders aren’t rare, and the bite’s been consistent from the Mile Roads all the way up into Anchor Bay. Perch are showing up here and there, especially around weeds and deeper edges, and walleye hunters have quietly put together respectable numbers in the channels using jigs early in the day (Bassmaster, Michigan DNR).
Best bets for lures today—slow it down, keep it natural. Locals have been nailing smallmouth on drop shot rigs with green pumpkin or shad-color baits. Ned rigs and tubes are tangled up with quality fish near rock piles and breaklines. If those clouds linger, tie on a chartreuse or silver crankbait; that flash is deadly in low light. For perch, slip bobbers paired with live minnows or small bits of soft plastic have pulled some doubles. Walleye are sniffing around white or firetiger jigs worked close to structure in the river mouths. If the sun pops out and the surface goes slick, buzzbaits can still draw reaction strikes around shallow bay weeds (Michigan DNR, Bassmaster, Mike Iaconelli).
A couple of hot spots worth checking this morning: the South Channel edges east of Harsens Island, where that wind’s pushing bait up against the current seams and the smallmouth are stacked. Further up, Metro Beach breakwalls are your go-to for mixed bags—pike have been chasing jerkbaits, bass are eating tubes and crayfish imitations, and the perch schools aren’t far off if you’re watching your electronics.
Keep this in mind—today’s not a day for pounding wide-open water unless you like bouncing around. Stick to leeward shorelines and structures, keep your bait in that strike zone, and plan on a strong morning bite cooling off as those winds build. Afternoon might get tougher, but if the sun comes out, edges of weedlines up toward Anchor Bay could pop off with largemouth and aggressive smallies.
Been hearing from locals at the ramp: this week saw good numbers overall—multiple boats reporting 20+ bass days, perch bite fair but improving as water temps start to tick down, walleye decent but you’ve got to work for ‘em. If you’re out for size, focus on precision: stealth presentations near hard bottom or transitions are producing best.
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Published on 20 hours ago