Podcast Episode Details
Back to Podcast Episodes
Lake St. Clair Autumn Fishing Report - Smallies, Muskies, and More
Artificial Lure here with your Tuesday, October 28th, 2025 fishing report for Lake St. Clair, Michigan. Stepping onto the launch this morning, it was a crisp 37°F, skies mostly clear, winds WNW at 9 mph, with water temps still hanging near 52°F after a long, mild fall stretch. Sunrise came in at 7:56 AM, and anglers can expect sunset at 6:32 PM, leaving a tight window for those late-day bites.
Lake St. Clair doesn’t have tides in the classic sense, but winds and lake currents are driving mild surges along the southern shore—you may spot a light chop by midday, which helps boost predator fish activity. Right now, the lake remains clear with only minor weed die-offs close to the mouths, so visibility is strong for both you and the fish.
The past weekend’s tournaments lit up the smallmouth action. According to the Tackle Shack Fall Brawl, fish were found stacking in shallower spots, 2 to 5 feet, particularly on hard-bottom flats and breaklines on the south side of the lake. Brock and Martin picked up a first-hour limit of over 22 pounds, primarily on darker Chatterbaits and white spinnerbaits—classic choices for this transitional late-October pattern. The largest smallmouth caught in competition—a true behemoth at 7.45 pounds—came off a current seam in the Detroit River, hammered late morning on a crankbait.
Multiple crews reported wrangling limits of solid 3- and 4-pound bass, with some 5s and 6s mixed in, and catches of 20 to 50 fish a day throughout practice. The north end got too dicey with wind, so hot spots are concentrated from Grosse Pointe over towards Anchor Bay and along the Metropark weedlines. If you’re looking for bigger bites, work the transitions from sand to rock in 8–12 feet just off the Mile Roads; that's where tournament crews found that magic mix of bait and predator activity. For the Detroit River, focus on the Trenton Channel and Belle Isle cuts, especially as water cools into November.
Key baits right now:
- Chatterbaits in green pumpkin and black/blue
- Spinnerbaits in white or chartreuse
- BAFA F8 jigheads with 2.8" Keitech Swing Impact or Spark Shad swimmers in silver, shad, or ayu colors
- Rapala Crush City Mayor
- Tubes in dark melon or goby shades
- Crankbaits that rattle and mimic perch or emerald shiner pattern
If you prefer finesse, the drop-shot is producing—rig a smaller hand-poured worm or a Googan Baits Drag n Drop in “Morning Dawn” and target isolated weed clumps on sand. For traditional bait anglers, large shiners and crawlers drifted along drop-offs or just outside the Metropark boat basin are pulling numbers of both bass and the odd walleye.
Musky chasers, this is your week: big girls are staging outside river mouths and at the Clinton River spillway. Trolling jointed body baits or casting large rubber lures in fire tiger or perch is drawing big lunges, especially midmorning once the sun warms the top few feet. Several boats reported follows and hookups in the 44"-47" class.
Perch schools are scattered but worth hunting. The best reports come from 8–14 feet off Selfridge and the Belle River Hump, with small minnows and bright teardrop jigs. Some slabs over 12” are mixed in, but you’ll have to sort through dinks.
Today’s pro tips:
- Follow the wind direction—bait will stack downwind, which brings the predators.
- Downsize your presentation if the pressure drops or if the bite shuts off late morning.
- Don’t overlook midday musky casting in shallower pockets once the sun heats the dark bottom.
Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates and hot bite alerts—tight lines out there, and let’s make every cast count.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
Th
Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago