Lake St. Clair Fishing Report: Fall Finesse, Bronzebacks, and Walleye on the Menu

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for Thursday, November 13, 2025. Sunrise hit at 7:18 a.m., with sunset coming up around 5:13 p.m. Local temps hover in the low 40s this morning with a brisk northwest wind kicking up to 14 mph, gusting higher by lunch. Expect partly cloudy skies, the occasional spitting rain, and that classic November chill in the air. Lake St. Clair’s bite fired up ahead of last night’s cold front, and it’s holding steady despite dropping water temps. According to Sportsmen’s Direct’s latest video report, smallmouth bass are still active on hard bottoms and mid-depth breaks. Folks fishing from the 9 Mile launch and Metro Beach hammered decent numbers of bronzebacks early this week, with several boats counting double-digit catches and a handful pushing the 5-pound mark. Largemouths are less concentrated now, but still show up in the canals and shallow weedbeds along Anchor Bay. Recent creel counts from Michigan Outdoor News confirm solid bass action, with local guides reporting both size and numbers on the St. Clair cut and up near Harley Ensign. Walleye and perch have dialed back but remain available. Anglers drifting the outflow at the mouth of the Detroit River and the South Channel reported fair catches, with perch up to 12 inches and keeper walleyes hitting crawler harnesses and jig/minnow combos. White bass and a few northern pike are mixed in, especially near the spillways and deeper marinas. Fall turnover means finesse is king. Ned rigs and drop-shot rigs topped the charts, with natural colors like green pumpkin, watermelon, and smoke purple pulling more strikes. Jacob Wheeler and Kevin VanDam both vouch for the drop-shot approach on Lake St. Clair’s clear water: light braid, long fluorocarbon leaders, and baits like Roboworms or the Geecrack Revival Shad. Small marabou jigs have also produced near windblown points and rock piles. For smallmouth, scaling back to smaller plastics—Z-Man TRD, Strike King Baby Z-Too—has been money, especially when paired with swimbait heads or tossed on light line. Live bait options this time of year include shiners and small suckers for walleye and perch. The usual nightcrawlers and fathead minnows still take fish near the river mouths, but most bass guys are sticking with artificial presentations now. If you’re targeting pike, toss a larger spinnerbait, lipless crank, or sucker under a float along the weed edges. Hot spots to check today: - **Metro Beach breakwall and weedbeds**: Consistent smallmouth and pike reports. - **St. Clair Cut at the mouth of the South Channel**: Walleye, perch, and mixed species; best results drifting live bait or casting Ned rigs. - **Harley Ensign launch and adjacent flats**: Still producing solid bass action on finesse rigs. Remember, November’s cold means safety first. Wear those life jackets, keep an eye on the wind, and be respectful at the ramps. For regs, the DNR reminds that only single-pointed, unwe This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.