Lake Erie and Detroit Fishing Report March 2025: Walleye, Smallmouth, and Perch Action Heating Up

Hey there, fellow anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Lake Erie and Detroit fishing report for March 15, 2025. The weather's looking decent today with partly cloudy skies and temps in the mid-50s. We've got light southeast winds around 6-12 knots, shifting to south-southeast in the afternoon. Sunrise was at 6:52 AM and sunset will be at 6:37 PM. Waves are expected to be 1 foot or less, so it should be a smooth day on the water. Water levels are pretty stable right now. No major tidal swings to report in the Detroit River, but keep an eye on wind direction as that can affect water movement. Fishing activity has been picking up as we transition into spring. Walleye are starting to move into the western basin of Lake Erie and the Detroit River. Anglers have been having good luck with jigs tipped with minnows or plastic swimbaits. Some nice catches in the 5-8 pound range reported this past week. Smallmouth bass fishing has also been heating up. Drop shots with goby imitations or tube jigs in green pumpkin have been productive. A few trophy smallies over 5 pounds were caught recently. Yellow perch are still hit or miss, but some decent schools have been found in 15-25 feet of water. Small minnows or perch spreaders with shiners are the way to go. For lures, can't go wrong with a Rapala Jigging Rap or Berkley Flicker Minnow for walleye. For smallmouth, the Poor Boys Erie Darter on a drop shot rig is always a good bet. Don't forget to tip your jigs with some Gulp Alive minnows for extra scent. As for hot spots, the mouth of the Detroit River near Lake Erie has been producing well. Also check out the area around Pelee Island for some good walleye action. For smallmouth, try fishing the rocky areas off Kelleys Island. Remember to bundle up and stay safe out there. Tight lines, everyone! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.