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Lake St. Clair Fall Fishing - Smallies, Walleyes, and Muskies Feeding Heavy Before Winter
Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
Brisk but fishable is the story this morning on St. Clair. Temps just before sunup hung in the upper 30s, and that November chill had steam rising off the water at the DNR ramps in Harrison Township and up near the St. Clair Flats. According to NOAA buoy 45147, winds are light early, forecast to pick up from the southwest and settle back down this afternoon. Skies are mostly clear, and sunrise came at 7:13 AM, with sunset due for 5:24 PM—plenty of daylight to chase that fall bite.
There’s no tidal movement on St. Clair, being an inland lake, but our greatest movement today comes from a gentle south-to-north current, especially pronounced near the mouth of the Detroit River and the Channel. Water clarity is a touch murky near shallow launches, but still solid for long casts with light tackle.
Recent catches have been downright impressive for November. Word from the water and reviews on Captain Experiences say guides have put folks on nearly 20+ largemouth bass in just a morning, with smallmouth running thick and healthy near deeper breaks and drop-offs. Several anglers also reported hauling in a couple of keeper-sized walleyes and some sturdy muskies, especially out in Anchor Bay and near Metro Beach.
Hot ticket lures right now: finesse rigs like the **drop-shot** and **Ned rig** are doing real work, a trick I picked up straight from local legend Kevin VanDam’s own fall cleanup playbook. He swears by Z-Man Ned Ochos on a Tour Grade Ned head, and Baby Z-Too or Dream Shot worms suspended off the bottom for drop-shotting. These keep the presentation just above the muck, which is important with the chilly, gunky bottom we’re seeing this late in the season, making them irresistible for smallies and even some bonus perch.
Don’t sleep on traditional tubes in goby colors if you’re after smallmouth—Lake St. Clair fish know the scent and silhouette by heart. If the wind kicks up, try a **Swimbait Jighead** or even a 1/2-ounce chatterbait along the weed edges or submerged rock piles. Early risers are still picking off pike and the occasional muskie on big chartreuse bucktails and jerkbaits at the edges of current seams and drop-offs, especially up towards the South Channel.
Live bait is a solid fallback: shiners and lively perch minnows are both pulling panfish and ‘eyes for those fishing from shore or bobber drifting in the canals, particularly around Strawberry Island and the mouth of the Clinton River.
As for hot spots, don’t overlook these two:
- The **mile roads** between 9 and 13 Mile, especially off the weed beds and transitions. Multiple reports have the bass and a few marauding muskies stacked deep right now, chasing bait balls.
- The **Belle River Hump**, just off the east side, is drawing a steady crowd of seasoned regulars and with good reason—walleyes and smallmouth are both active around the drops, especially late morning when the sun gets a little higher.
If you’re out on the water today, layer up, watch the wind, and bring those finesse plastics. The big girls are still feeding heavy before true winter sets in. The bite can switch quick this time of year—persistence and moving until you mark bait is the name of the game.
Thanks for tuning in to your Lake St. Clair fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe for more local knowledge, and tight lines out there from Artificial Lure! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago