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Sensational Smallmouth Surge and Majestic Muskie Madness on Lake St. Clair
Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your September 19th fishing report for Lake St. Clair and the surrounding Michigan waters.
Here on the lake, sunrise was at 7:12 AM and we’re looking at sunset around 7:38 PM. The air is cool and steady—early morning temps are in the upper 60s, and we’re sitting with 68°F water by the buoys. Wind is currently out of the northeast at about eight knots, keeping the water just a bit choppy, but with waves less than a foot, nothing you can’t handle out there. Atmospheric pressure’s steady around 30.12 inches, but trending slightly down, a sign the bite might pick up later in the day.
We don’t get real “tides” here, but St. Clair’s water levels are running normal for September. Weed beds have thinned a touch but still create plenty of ambush spots. Overall, excellent bass and muskie conditions, and if you’re targeting perch or walleye, the current’s steady enough to set up a good drift.
On the fish front, Lake St. Clair is flat-out on fire for smallmouth bass right now. According to longtime locals and the chatter at the ramps, anglers are regularly hauling in 20-plus pound bags, and some are saying it’s the best bass fishing this lake has seen in 50 years. Numbers are strong, and the fish have been feeding up—expect chunky 3- to 5-pounders if you stay persistent, with an occasional beast topping the 6 mark. A few reports have even come in about smallies busting bait on the surface during the wind breaks.
As for tactics, the bite’s been good both shallow and deep, but especially over scattered rock near Metro Beach and east of Anchor Bay. Ned rigs and soft swimbaits are getting smashed, and when the north wind lays down, don’t sleep on throwing spinnerbaits or jerkbaits, especially in perch and goby patterns. For those who like to power fish, crankbaits worked along the drop-offs have been consistent.
If you’re chasing muskies, several charter captains out of St. Clair Shores and Harley Ensign report solid action, with productive numbers coming on big bucktails and rubber baits, trolled or cast along weed edges. The best windows have been midday, as the water warms a bit, so don’t be afraid to sleep in, grab breakfast, and hit your favorite flats around noon.
Walleye catches have ticked up with the cooler nights. Bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers, as well as shad-imitating deep-divers, are doing work along the shipping channel, particularly by the St. Clair Light and the dumping grounds just south of Harsens Island. The pick bite at night’s been slower, but a few crews reported limit catches by working crankbaits low and slow right at dusk.
Perch action is sporadic—some are hitting jumbos in front of the 400 Club, but they’re moving fast. Anchoring and using spreaders with emerald shiners is still your best bet, but be ready to relocate if the bite dies. Don’t give up after the morning flurry; sometimes midday slabs show up when the wind shifts.
For bait, it hasn’t been complicated:
- Ned rigs and tube jigs in green pumpkin or goby tones for smallmouth.
- White or perch-color bucktails, Magnum Bulldawgs, or Medussas for muskies.
- Natural shiners or nightcrawlers for perch and walleye.
The top hot spots today:
- The mile roads out of St. Clair Shores—look for 8 to 12 feet of water, especially around weed humps near 9 Mile.
- The entrance to the North Channel out near the Strawberry Island cut—consistent smallmouth and muskie reports and easy access to both shallow and deep transitions.
That’s your update from Lake St. Clair. Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure—don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of angling intel. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
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