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Lakebound: Late Fall Fishing on Lake St. Clair
Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. Sunrise this morning busted through at 7:13, with sunset coming early at 5:22 pm, thanks to the recent time change. Conditions are classic late fall: the air temp is hanging around 46 degrees, water’s down to about 53, and anglers braving a stiff east breeze of 15 knots are getting rewarded. According to NOAA’s Lake St. Clair Station 45147, wave heights are holding steady near 2 feet, and that wind chill sneaks it below 40 before the sun climbs.
The late fall pattern is locked in. Water temps slipping into the high 40s have packed the smallmouth bass and walleye into tighter schools, often hanging on rocky shelves, points, and those classic deeper flats. Over the weekend, several charters out of the Detroit River and the American side brought in serious numbers: walleye limits came quick for most crews working the southeast corner, while smallmouth action was steady off the Mile Roads and near the Thames. Captain Billy Howe’s runs picked up loads of 18- to 21-inch smallmouth, some kissing the 4-pound mark—a true fall bruiser.
If you’re hunting smallmouth, blade baits in silver or gold have been the top ticket—jigged slow and low over rocky humps in 10 to 15 feet. Anglers working natural-colored tube jigs, especially green pumpkin or smoke, have been rewarded when fished right along bottom. Swimbaits, especially larger soft-bodied models, are bringing the bigger bites. Remember: wherever you mark dense shad or perch schools, stick around; the bass are lurking underneath. Pro tip from Major League Fishing’s Skeet Reese—don’t hesitate to throw a big bait even in chilly water. Jig it slow, bump it along, and hang on.
Walleyes are still thick from the Detroit River mouth north up the shipping channel. The candy-colored blade baits—chartreuse or pink—produce well, as do ¾ oz jigs tipped with emerald shiner, either live or Gulp! Alive. Try trolling when the breeze sets up and vertical jigging once it eases. Drifting east of Grosse Pointe or near the Metropark launch, boats are boating several “eaters” per pass.
Looking for perch? The bite’s hit or miss, but steady for patient hands. Anchoring past the weedlines off Strawberry Island, rig a small spottail shiner or a worm bit on a perch rig and stay put. Not a lot of limits, but enough 10- to 12-inchers for a hearty fry if you weed through the dinks.
Pike fans, don’t hang it up just yet. Anchor Bay and the south shore weed shelves are still holding fish. Flashy spoons or suspending jerkbaits run parallel to the deep edge are drawing strikes, and there have been a few reports of trophy fish taken this way even in the colder water. Muskie diehards are running late troll hooks from St. Clair Light to Belle River Hump. That fire tiger rubber or big jointed bait, trolled slow, landed a handful of 36- to 45-inch fish this past weekend. There’s still time for a November monster.
For hot spots this week: best bet for smallies is the 9 and 11 Mile Roads reefs; Windmill Point is still turning late walleye; Strawberry Island drops for perch; and Anchor Bay weedlines for pike. On the Canadian side, near the Thames River mouth, quietly continues to give up solid mixed bags for those making the trek.
Keep safety in mind—the early dark and cold chop call for good judgment. The Coast Guard’s had plenty last-minute rescues this season, so let’s make sure you’re not the next one, and double-check all your winter gear before you launch.
Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Lake St. Clair fishing report. Subscribe for fresh updates, share your own catch stories, and keep those lines tight. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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