Lake St. Clair Fishing Report: Slow Start, but Warming Temps and Improving Bite

Good morning anglers this is Artificial Lure with your April 21 Lake St. Clair fishing report. It’s been a slow start to spring on the lake but warmer weather and rising water temperatures are starting to shake things up. Sunrise today is at 6:42 AM with sunset around 8:18 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to chase fish. We don’t deal with real tides on Lake St. Clair but water levels do fluctuate with wind and rain. The latest report from Belle Isle puts surface temps at 45 degrees and creeping higher each day, so things are finally on the upswing after sitting near 42 for a while. Sunny skies and warm air last week have helped speed up the progression and the fish are starting to notice. Fishing overall has been tough this week. Walleye action at the mouth of the Detroit River and beyond has been slow and most anglers aren’t finding much luck. Smallmouth anglers are also grinding it out with scattered success. The late morning and early afternoon has seen a few smallmouth bass caught in 6 to 9 feet of water between Memorial Park and 9 Mile. Trolling crankbaits in the channel out in 15 to 16 feet has also produced a handful of smallmouth – but definitely not hot and heavy yet. As that water keeps rising above 45, expect the smallmouth bite to improve quickly, especially if we keep the sunshine going for a few more days. For baits and lures, your best bet right now is to work slowly. Suspending jerkbaits, small paddle-tail swimbaits, and tube jigs are good picks for smallmouth. Stick with natural colors in the clear water. For walleye, jigging with minnows or casting blade baits on the drop-offs and channel edges remains the play, but patience is required. If you’re chasing perch, occasional fish have been picked up on small blade baits and minnows near the mouth of the river, but catches have been sparse. A couple hot spots worth trying today: the stretch between Memorial Park and Nine Mile for smallmouth, and the old shipping channel out past the mouth of the Detroit River for your shot at early walleye. Muscamoot Bay and the mouth of the South Channel have coughed up some smallmouth too, especially once the shallows get a little warmer in the afternoon. Overall, you may need to cover some water and keep an eye on that thermometer. Expect the fishing to get better by the day as the lake warms. Good luck out there and tight lines. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.