Lake Erie & Detroit Fishing Report: Walleye, Perch & Smallmouth Bite Strong

Hey there, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Lake Erie and Detroit fishing report for March 16, 2025. Sunrise is at 7:49 AM and sunset at 7:34 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work with. Weather's looking decent today - partly cloudy with highs around 63°F and light southeast winds at 9 knots. Water temp's sitting at a chilly 38°F, but that's not stopping the fish from biting. Tides are minimal in the Detroit River, but keep an eye on wind direction as that can push water levels up or down a bit. High tide's around 2:30 AM and low tide at 8:45 AM if you're fishing the Lake Erie shoreline. Walleye fishing has been on fire lately, especially in the Detroit River and western basin of Lake Erie. Anglers are reporting limits of fish in the 5-8 pound range, with some real lunkers over 10 pounds mixed in. Best action has been on minnow-style crankbaits like Bandits and Rapala Husky Jerks in firetiger, purple chartreuse, and grapefruit crush colors. Don't forget about jigging - a 3/8 oz jig tipped with a soft plastic minnow has been deadly. Yellow perch are starting to show up in good numbers too. Spreader rigs with shiners have been the ticket, especially around the reefs and islands in western Lake Erie. For you smallmouth bass fanatics, drop-shotting soft plastics like the Poor Boy's Erie Darter in goby colors has been producing some nice bronzebacks in the 3-5 pound class. Hot spots to check out: The Detroit River near Grosse Ile has been stacked with walleye. For perch, try around the Bass Islands or Kelleys Island in western Lake Erie. Smallmouth have been hanging around rocky points and breakwalls all along the Michigan and Ohio shorelines. Remember to bundle up - it's still chilly out there! Tight lines, everyone! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.