Podcast Episode Details

Late October Bite Stays Hot on Lake Erie - Detroit Report

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This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Erie–Detroit fishing report for October 28, 2025. Local anglers have been hustling to squeeze the most out of a classic late-October bite, and despite blustery fall winds, the fishing remains genuinely hot for those who dodge the rough stuff.

Weather today is chilly and crisp, with air temps starting in the upper 30s at sunrise and climbing only into the upper 40s by early afternoon. We’ve got a moderate northwest wind offshore—expect gusts over 15 mph—which will kick up a steady chop on Erie proper and the Detroit River. If you’re fishing from a smaller craft, stick to sheltered stretches or the lower river for manageable conditions. US Harbors reminds us that wind-driven waves can stack up quick this time of year.

Sunrise hit at 7:58 am and sunset drops fast at 6:34 pm. No tides to worry about on Erie, but water levels are steady. Water clarity remains decent, but note any muddy streaks near river mouths or on windblown shorelines—these spots can concentrate bait and, in turn, predator fish.

The fish are on the feed. The walleye bite has sharpened up in the Detroit River and along the western basin of Erie. Lake Erie, Detroit Daily Fishing Report notes that anglers are boating limits, mostly taking eater-sized walleyes in the 15–21" range, with a few over 25" coming from deeper channels. The Fall Brawl and Walleye Slam derby folks, as mentioned by Great Lakes Daily News, are chasing those big ‘eyes near Luna Pier and the dumping grounds—10,000 strong, even with the wind.

For walleye, the hot ticket is a mix of blade baits like the classic Silver Buddy, jigging Rapalas, and brightly colored 1/2 oz jigs tipped with emerald shiners or soft plastics. Trollers working the flats just outside the mouth of the Detroit River have scored with Husky Jerks and P10s in firetiger or purple clown. Right now, the best natural bait remains live emerald shiners—available at most marinas but selling out by mid-morning.

Perch fishing is holding up between Grosse Ile and Wyandotte. Minnow rigs are getting quick limits if you set up on the edges of grass beds in 10–17 feet. Some of the old hands are drifting with drop-shot rigs using small live shiners or imitation goby plastics, picking away at a mix of jumbos and plenty of nine-inchers.

And now, for the bass-heads: Smallmouth action is red hot in protected cuts and along rocky shorelines where current pops off breakwalls. According to the Tackle Shack tournament recap, big smallies up to 6.6 lbs were taken on finesse swimbaits fished slow along 2–10 foot rocky ledges and in the main channel bends. 2.8" Keitech swimbaits on a 3/8 oz BAFA F8 head and Strike King tubes are the bread and butter baits, while the occasional big fish fell for a white spinnerbait slow-rolled on channel swings. The biggest one weighed recently—a whopper at 7.45 lbs—came out of the Detroit River and crushed a crankbait before 11am.

Best urban hot spots today? Here are my two picks:
- The Trenton Channel: Out of Elizabeth Park, target current seams mid-channel, especially where bait clouds up off the steel pilings. Bring heavier jig heads if winds stack the river.
- Stoney Point State Wildlife Area: Shorecasters and boaters hit the drop-offs for late-munching walleyes. Focus on dawn and dusk for a crack at a derby-sized fish.

Don’t forget: with cold water, fish metabolism drops in the afternoons—if you’re marking fish but not catching, downsize, slow down, and give scent-impregnated plastics a go.

That’s the scoop for today in Detroit on Erie. As always, stay safe, wear those PFDs, and mind the wind—these fish aren’t going anywhere, but you have to get back to tell the tale. Thanks for tuning in! Remember to subscribe for daily reports and hot tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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