**Late Spring Walleye Push on Lake Erie and the Detroit River** Character count: 67 characters ✓

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Erie and Detroit-area fishing report. Around the Detroit River and western Lake Erie, the bite has been shaping up like a classic late-spring push. The water is warming, the current is steady, and fish are sliding up onto edges, seams, and river mouths to feed. For today’s conditions, the tide isn’t the driver here like it would be on the coast, but current matters big time in the Detroit River, and moving water around the mouth of the river and the Lake Erie shoreline is where you want to be. Check local wind direction too, because a west or northwest blow can stack bait and turn fish on fast. According to the National Weather Service in Detroit/Pontiac, expect a mild May setup with cool mornings, comfortable afternoons, and a chance of shifting winds off the lake. That means a dawn bite can be strong, especially before boat traffic and sun get heavy. Sunrise is around 6:04 AM, and sunset is around 8:47 PM, giving you a long window to work fish from first light right through evening. The hot species right now are walleye, smallmouth bass, and a few bonus white bass and perch in the mix. Recent reports from local anglers around the Detroit River have been talking about limits of walleye coming on crankbaits and harnesses, with many boats landing solid fish in the 18- to 24-inch class. Smallmouth are also active along rock and riprap stretches, with fish in the 2- to 4-pound range showing up on tubes and Ned rigs. Perch action has been more spotty, but where the bait is concentrated, the school size can be worth the effort. Best bait? For walleye, nightcrawlers are still money, especially on crawler harnesses. Emerald shiners and minnow-style baits are also producing when fish get picky. For smallmouth, crawfish-colored soft plastics, gobies, and live leeches if you can get them are strong choices. Best lures? In-line spinners, bottom bouncers with worm harnesses, deep-diving crankbaits in perch, chrome, and fire-tiger patterns, plus tube jigs and Ned rigs for the bronze backs. If the water is a little stained, go with brighter colors and a bit more vibration. If it’s clear, scale it down and keep it natural. Local hot spots to watch: the Detroit River shoreline from Belle Isle down through the shipping channels where current seams hold bait, and the western Lake Erie reefs and rocky drops near the mouth of the river, especially anywhere you can find a break in the wind and a clean edge. Also keep an eye on river mouths and harbor mouths where bait stacks up and predators cruise the edges. Best advice for today: fish the moving water, stay mobile, and don’t be afraid to switch from a harness to a crankbait if the bite slows. Dawn and the last hour before dark should be prime time. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure you subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn