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Lake St. Clair Fishing Report: Smallmouth Surge, Muskie Mayhem, and Panfish Paradise
Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for Saturday, October 11th, 2025. As the fall chill sets in, the fishing scene around St. Clair is heating up with shifting patterns and plenty of opportunity for both boat and shore anglers.
The morning brings us brisk air; temps hover in the low 50s, climbing to the high 60s by afternoon under mostly sunny skies with a light northwest breeze—a real bonus for casting and boat control. No tidal action here, but local wind can stack water and affect weedlines. Sunrise was around 7:37AM, with sunset expected at 6:59PM, giving you solid daylight to work the bite, especially those first and last hour windows when fish are most active.
This week, Lake St. Clair continues its reputation as a top ten U.S. bass destination. According to Bassmaster’s 2025 rankings and daily accounts from the Lake St. Clair Michigan Fishing Report on Spreaker, both the largemouth and smallmouth are in active fall transition. Anglers are reporting solid numbers of smallmouth bass in the 2-4 pound range and a few pushing over five from the deeper breaks and outside weed edges, especially near the Mile Roads and the St. Clair Light. Perch catches remain a bit mixed—schools are moving with the bait and are more reliable near the channels, with Mitchell’s Bay and Harley Ensign being prime focuses. Don’t overlook the thick fall panfish in Anchor Bay’s marsh edges either.
Walleye are still showing up, mostly on the Detroit River and into the lake’s south end, with solid eaters coming on jigging raps and minnow-tipped jigs, per Sportsman’s Warehouse latest regional reports. Muskies are big news this week, too—monster fish are coming on large rubber baits and trolling cranks along the south shore and in the shipping channel, a classic October pattern.
Best baits this week across the board: for smallmouth, go with spinnerbaits and medium-diving crankbaits in shad or perch patterns, or drop shotting a green pumpkin tube on gravel humps. Perch stacks are hitting best on emerald shiners or small chartreuse jigs tipped with waxworms. For largemouth and shallow weed work, try a black and blue jig or a shallow-running squarebill. Walleye are favoring firetiger jigging raps and live minnows on bright afternoons. As for muskie, nothing beats a magnum Bulldawg or Supernatural Mattlock trolled at about 4 mph on the outer weedlines.
Two hot spots for the weekend:
- The Mile Roads stretch from Nine to Fourteen Mile is loaded with smallies and perch—work that 10-15 foot contour carefully.
- The mouth of the Thames River near Lighthouse Cove is a sleeper for big fall bass and occasional monster perch.
Remember, the panfish bite in the interior marshes is turning on. Slip in quietly with a float and small leech or jig for a mixed bag of crappie, bluegill, and pumpkinseed.
That wraps up today’s report. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates and insider tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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Published on 2 months, 1 week ago