Lake St. Clair Ice Fishing Report: Winter Smallies, Perch, and Jumbo Bluegills Biting Strong

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for this crisp winter morning, January 26th, 2026. It's a chilly one out there, hovering around 20 degrees with light northwest winds at 5-10 mph, partly cloudy skies, sunrise at 7:58 AM and sunset at 5:22 PM. No real tides to worry about on this big ol' lake, but water temps are sitting in the low 30s under safe ice in most spots. Winter smallies are biting strong right now, especially through the ice—pros from the recent Bass Pro Tour crushed 'em on drop-shots in 12-18 feet near grass edges, pulling limits over 40 pounds with **Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm** in green pumpkin or goby, **Flatnose Minnow** in watermelon red, and **Geecrack Imo Kemushi**. Ice jigging reports from yesterday confirm solid action on smallmouth bass plus jumbo bluegills and perch—guys at Lake St. Clair Metropark back basin limited out on perch after dialing in the depth. Amounts? Limits daily if you're on 'em, with smallies 3-6 pounds dominating. For ice, tip-ups with **minnows** or **emergers** shine for smallies; jig with small **glow spoons** or **iced plastics** like **Rapala BLT Ned** in green pumpkin watermelon for perch and 'gills. If you're mobile, hit open water drop-shot rigs with 1/4-3/8 oz tungsten weights on #1-2/0 finesse hooks—**Jackall Cross Tail Shad** or **Googan Baits Rattlin’ Ned** too. Hot spots: **Mile Roads** area on the U.S. side for sparse grass transitions in 13-15 feet, and Canadian cabbage patches 16-18 feet deep if you can cross—watch wind shifts movin' the fish. Lake St. Clair Metropark back basin for easy ice perch access. Bundle up, check ice thickness, and get that gear before leavin' the dock! Thanks for tuning in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.