Lake St. Clair Fishing Report: Smallies, Perch & Walleyes Biting Amid Chilly November Conditions

Artificial Lure here, coming to you with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for Monday, November 17, 2025. We’re starting the day under classic November skies—temperatures hovering near 47 degrees, brisk east winds around 15 knots, and some low chop with 2-foot waves, according to the latest NOAA buoy data. Water temp’s sitting right near 53 degrees, making for chilly hands and active fish if you can dial in your presentation. The barometer is steady, but there’s a slight fall, which could get some fish moving even more. Sunrise kicked off at 7:20 AM and sunset will slide in early at 5:11 PM, so make those daylight hours count—mid-morning through early afternoon has been best for action as these waters keep their fall rhythms. On the fish front, the smallmouth bite on Lake St. Clair has stayed rock-solid. According to the Lake St. Clair Fishing Report from Spreaker and recent guide feedback, we’re seeing solid schools of smallies around the Mile Roads and Anchor Bay, especially where rocky transitions drop off to deeper water. Most fish have been 2–4 pounds, with a few chunky 5s hitting the scales in the past couple days, especially for anglers staying persistent through the weather swings. The perch scene is heating up, too, with good numbers being caught off the Metropark and up toward Selfridge—fish in the 8–12 inch class are stacking in 15–18 feet if you can find isolated grass clumps. Walleye action remains a bit spottier but promising, especially for those vertical jigging the Detroit River mouth and the main channel edges. Reports suggest some limits caught in the pre-dawn hours and into mid-morning. If you’re targeting walleyes, gold and purple jigs tipped with minnows are classic; swapping plastics or blade baits in white and silver has also fooled keepers. As for baits and lures, the late-fall smallmouth continue to hammer moving baits. The new for 2025 Berkley Choppo has been a hot ticket for covering water, especially near windblown points and open boulder flats—Major League Fishing recently highlighted its year-round effectiveness. Don’t overlook tight-wobble crankbaits like the Berkley Frittside or Rapala DT-10 in crayfish or perch patterns; with temps this low, the more subtle action really shines. Classic tube jigs in green pumpkin and copper, as well as Ned rigs on light heads, are still producing bites when the fish get tentative. For perch, small emerald shiners or waxies on drop-shot rigs are pulling steady numbers. If you’re out hunting hot spots, try the stretch from 9 Mile to 12 Mile along the U.S. side for smallmouth, and the Clinton River Cutoff for perch. Also, the Ontario side near Belle River Hump remains a sleeper for multi-species action, especially with recent wind pushing baitfish onto those contours. Fishing pressure is light this week—deer hunters are in the woods, so boat traffic’s down and the fish are seeing fewer lures. That means your odds of connecting with something special are up if you can handle This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.