Erie Rollers and Detroit River Smallies - Fishing Report for October 23, 2025

Good morning, anglers—this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Erie and Detroit River fishing report for Thursday, October 23rd, 2025. The fall bite is in full swing, but conditions on Erie today can only be described as wild. A Low Water Advisory is in effect until late this evening, courtesy of strong westerly winds reaching 30 knots, gusting even higher, and waves from 3 up to 9 feet in places, with some rollers possibly breaking 10. These winds have tossed water levels a good foot below normal, so if you’re launching anything smaller than a tug, your best bet is sticking close to protected spots or holding off until things settle down, as the National Weather Service Cleveland says these conditions are hazardous for small craft. Experienced crews, stay extra sharp if you’re heading out, and always keep those life jackets close. Daylight lines up with prime fishing: sunrise was at 7:52 AM, and sunset will come around 6:44 PM. Expect overcast skies this morning with lingering showers and a stubborn chop on open water. Despite the weather, the Detroit River and adjacent shallows have produced some phenomenal fish this week. According to the latest reports from events like the Tackle Shack tournament, anglers connecting with smallmouth on the river found schools hanging in 2 to 5 feet of water. Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits were the deal during high wind, while finesse tactics—think BAFA F8 jigheads paired with 2.8" Keitech swimbaits, Crush City Mayors, and Spark Shads—absolutely crushed on the loaded sand and gravel flats. The Detroit River itself gave up a 7.45-pound smallmouth in the late morning two days back, a fish-of-a-lifetime anywhere, and one folks are still buzzing about. Plenty of 4 to 5-pound class smallmouths came in for weigh-ins, too. Most tournament teams reported numbers in the 20- to 25-pound range for their best five. Crankbaits and tubes put up solid numbers for those drifting the channel edges, and A-rigs also fooled some of the bigger bites from river-run bruisers. Spinnerbaits brought the heat around weedlines and rocky points, especially in the wind and low light. If you’re after walleye, the cooler temps have triggered a decent uptick. Trollers working the lower stretches from Trenton Channel out to the Flats with deep-diving crankbaits in clown or purple patterns report consistent catches. Jigging the drop-offs with ¾-ounce jigs tipped with plastics or emerald shiners is starting to heat up as walleye slide shallow due to the drawdown and falling temps. Perch have been a bit tougher—likely due to the turbulent water and fast-moving fronts—but reports closer to Grosse Ile and up by the mouth at Lake Erie Metropark show scattered keepers over deeper grass beds. The key has been bouncing small minnows or bits of crawler on drop-shot rigs close to bottom, moving often to stay on active pods. For lures, stick with natural baitfish imitations—greens, shads, and glimmer metallics—especially on brighter or clear days. When This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.