Podcast Episode Details

Lake St. Clair Fishing Report: Late Fall Bite Heats Up for Smallmouth, Muskie, and More

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Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for Monday, November 10, 2025.

We kicked off the morning with sunrise at 7:13 AM and you can expect sunset to wrap things up around 5:32 this evening. Bundle up—it’s a crisp one out there with air temps starting below 47 degrees. Water temps are staying in the upper 40s, and an east wind at about 15 knots is pushing steady two-footers across the main lake. Weather’s looking partly cloudy with the barometer dropping slowly and a bit of wind-driven chop, especially along the south shore, so plan your launches and drifts accordingly. No need to worry about tides, but pay close attention to shifting winds and pressure—they’re moving fish this week.

Right now, the **late fall bite is in full swing**. The talk along the docks and from Michigan DNR reports is that the fish are stacking up heavy for the coming cold. **Smallmouth bass** are the clear headline—anglers are posting great numbers out on the Mile Roads reefs, especially 9 and 11 Mile, as well as around the St. Clair Light north flats. Bladed baits in silver and gold are putting three- to four-pound bronzebacks in the net. Don’t overlook a 4-inch green pumpkin tube or natural-color swimbaits dragged slow along the humps—those subtle presentations are deadly with the cool water. Folks are also boating chunkier smallmouths off deeper flats and drop-offs, with some slabs over five pounds reported early this morning.

**Largemouth bass** aren’t sleeping either—you’ll find them along weed edges on the south end, and one group boated close to 70 fish in a day and a half this weekend, all on soft plastics and jigs. Mix up your retrieve: a slow, steady approach works best, but try a deep-diving crank or suspending jerkbait at sunset when the reaction bite kicks in, much like the pros out on the tour have been doing according to majorleaguefishing.com.

**Muskie action** remains hot for those trolling breaks in 8- to 14-feet, especially from Metropark and Harley Ensign launches. Charter boats are averaging four to six muskies per trip, with a couple of mid-40-inchers landed just yesterday. Try jointed crankbaits and big rubber baits in perch or black-nickel patterns to match the hatch.

**Walleye** have picked up in the river mouths and by the channels—dusk has been prime-time. Word is, those that stick it out into twilight are hitting limits of 17–21 inch eaters. Jigs with minnows and fire tiger crankbaits when it’s overcast are solid bets.

**Perch** are starting to really bunch up deeper. Outside weed edges and drops, especially from Goose Bay to Strawberry Island, are producing nice buckets of keepers for those moving around to track active schools.

If you’re looking for the **hotspots**:
- Mile Roads reefs (especially 9 and 11 Mile) for smallmouth
- Metropark and Harley Ensign for muskie
- St. Clair Light north flats for big smallies
- Goose Bay and Strawberry Island for mixed bag action
- The weedlines inside Metro Beach for a shot at perch and the odd pike

When it comes to **bait and lures**:
- Bladed baits, green pumpkin tubes, chartreuse or shad-pattern swimbaits
- Deep-diving cranks and suspending jerkbaits at dusk
- Live shiners or natural soft plastics for finesse work when the bite gets tougher
- Fire tiger or perch-pattern cranks for walleye and pike
- Large jointed or rubber cranks in perch or black-nickel for muskies

Boat traffic is light this late in the season, but do keep an eye for waterfowlers, especially in the marshes near Anchor Bay, as bird migration is up and there's more boat sharing than usual.

Thanks for tuning in to the Lake St. Clair report—remember to hit subscribe so you never miss the bite. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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