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Lake St. Clair's Fall Feast: Bass, Perch, and Panfish Bonanza
Good morning, Lake St. Clair anglers! Artificial Lure here with your boots-on-the-dock report for October 5th, 2025. We’re deep into fall transition now, and St. Clair’s showing why she’s king for Midwest bass, perch, and panfish action.
Skies are mostly cloudy with a crisp breeze out of the northwest. Temps in the high 40s at sunrise, warming to the low 60s by afternoon—classic “hoodie over bibs” weather. Winds are running 8–12 mph, making for some chop in open water, especially out toward the Horseshoe and the Mile Roads. No tidal swings here (remember, St. Clair’s not tidal), but water clarity’s fair with a bit of stain near river mouths after last week’s showers.
Sunrise hit at 7:26 a.m. and we’ll see sundown at 7:05 p.m. That means plenty of daylight for working the morning bite, plus primo low light for bass as things cool off right before dusk. According to FishingReminder, major fish activity windows are between 10:55 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. and the late-evening push from 5:19 to 7:19 p.m. Get the rods out for that midday window if you’re chasing bigger bites.
Bass anglers saw a banner weekend at the Bass Nation Tournament. The big news? Scott Solomon landed a two-day smallmouth haul of 25.36 pounds, including a 6.04-pound bruiser caught on tubes—the classic Lake St. Clair weapon. Jeff Bostic racked up nearly 37 pounds fishing drop-shot baits, and Dan Posey cracked 17 pounds working a combo of Senkos and drop-shots. Strong showings across the board, and everyone agreed the bite was best in 8–12 feet of water with rock or scattered weed structure. The secret sauce? Sharing info, staying mobile, and tweaking bait color to match the shad and perch.
Just north in Anchor Bay and up the main lake, perch chasers are reporting mixed catches. The Michigan Sportsman Forum notes good action on jumbo perch, especially for those drifting minnows and good old red worms. Most limits are coming from deep pockets (14 to 18 feet), with the best numbers showing early in the morning.
Live 2 Fish on YouTube showed largemouth and smallmouth smashing the Yamamoto Senko (wacky rigged) and Keitech swimbait on Pure Tungsten Guppy heads in the “Smallmouth Magic” color. Swimbaits with screw locks hold up better to aggressive St. Clair bass. If you’re fishing without electronics, slow-roll the bait near weed edges or breaklines and hang on!
Hot spots today:
- **Mile Roads** (9 Mile, 400 Club area): Hard bottom, scattered weeds, lots of bass and occasional jumbo perch.
- **Anchor Bay**: Consistent perch action, with bonus pike and incidental walleye for those bouncing minnows.
- **St. Clair Metropark canals**: Excellent for panfish and the occasional largemouth, especially for shore-bound folks.
Best lures and bait:
- **Smallmouth:** Tube jigs in natural goby or shad colors, drop-shot flat worms, Ned rigs (green pumpkin, watermelon), and minnow baits.
- **Largemouth:** Senkos (wacky style), Keitech or Z-Man swimbaits on tungsten heads.
- **Perch and panfish:** Live minnows, red worms, and small jigs tipped with Gulp! maggots.
- **Walleye:** Flicker Shads and Husky Jerks, especially at dusk near river mouths.
Recent catches: Several bass tourney anglers bagged 30-pound-plus boat limits on back-to-back days; big perch catches reported in Anchor Bay with best numbers before 10 a.m.; panfish remain active in canals and near shallow marshes along the north shore.
The fall bite’s firing for those willing to brave the wind and bundle up. Lake St. Clair’s giving up quality bass, thick perch, and steady panfish—just match the hatch and keep moving. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for tomorrow’s local update.
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Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago