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Lake St. Clair Fall Fishing Surge - Smallies, Muskies, and Panfish Bonanza
Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair local fishing report for Sunday, October 19th, 2025.
We’re waking up to classic Michigan fall conditions—brisk air in the low 40s at dawn with a steady west wind around 12 knots and patchy clouds overhead. NOAA says we’re headed for a high near 56°F today. The sunrise cracked at 7:49 AM and you’ve got until 6:48 PM to get those lines wet. Tidal swings here are negligible, but keep an eye on wind direction for current near channel mouths.
The bite on Lake St. Clair has absolutely come alive over the past week. According to the Lake St. Clair Michigan Fishing Report Daily, the fall surge is in full swing. Smallmouth bass are stacked up tight to both weed edges and rocky breaks, and muskie are patrolling deeper structure. On October 15th, anglers were hammering perch and bass along the southern bays and mid-lake humps. Muskie action has been wild, especially for those tossing big rubber baits.
Recent tournament action backs it up. At last weekend’s Michigan Bass Nation event, the Four Flags club knocked it out of the park—Scott Solomon landed a two-day co-angler limit of 25.36 lbs, anchored by a thumping 6.04-lb smallmouth on tubes. Top boaters were hauling 36 lbs or more across two days, using an arsenal of drop-shot rigs, tubes, jigs, and Senkos. Fish were found in 14 to 18 feet near shipping channel edges—classic fall pattern.
Perch are gathered in loose schools along weedlines and inside marinas. Local panfish diehards are catching limits on live emerald shiners and spike worms beneath slip bobbers. Good numbers of 8 to 12-inchers are coming from the Metro Beach area and along Huron Point.
Muskie hunters—this is your season. Monster fish are being hooked on 10-inch rubber Shadzillas and Bulldog-style lures in firetiger or sucker pattern. Slow, erratic retrieves are drawing big strikes around the North Channel and Anchor Bay. Trolling big jointed lures like the Grandma or Depth Raider at 4 mph is also putting fish in boats—especially during late morning and just before sunset.
If you’re after bass, tubes in green pumpkin and goby colors, or 3-inch Ned rigs fished ultra-slow, are the ticket. Drop-shotting natural-colored baits like Dream Shot or Gulp Minnow is getting bites around break walls and gravel shoals at Harley Ensign and the mouth of the Clinton River. Jigging with brown or purple finesse jigs has been money for both smallmouth and largemouth near the Mile Roads.
Walleye reports are spotty, but those working dusk hours are picking up some keepers vertical jigging blade baits at the mouth of the Detroit River and off the St. Clair Light.
For hot spots today:
- Anchor Bay: Smallmouth are feeding heavy on baitfish—work rocky points and depth changes.
- The Metro Beach weed edges and marinas: Perch and panfish are on fire for bobber and jig anglers.
- North Channel: Muskie action—focus on deep weed edges and the slower, slack water bends.
Best baits and lures:
- Smallmouth: Tubes, drop-shot minnows, Ned rigs, finesse jigs.
- Perch/Panfish: Emerald shiners, spike worms, small plastic grubs.
- Muskie: Big rubber baits, jointed crankbaits, Firetiger and sucker colors.
Fish activity is highest during the mid-morning window and again late afternoon as water temps cool—so plan to stick around past lunch for best action.
Thanks for tuning in—and don’t forget to subscribe for all the latest Lake St. Clair fishing updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 2 months ago