October 20th Fishing Report: Bass, Walleye, and More Biting on Lake St. Clair

Good morning, folks—it’s Artificial Lure here with your October 20th fishing report for Lake St. Clair. Grab your rods and your thermos of coffee, because it’s a chilly start with air temps hovering around 43°F at dawn, only climbing into the mid-50s by afternoon. A light SW breeze at 7 to 10 mph’s rolling across the lake, making for a little chop, but nothing that’ll keep the dedicated off the water. Skies are overcast today, though we might catch a break with partial sun around lunchtime. Sunrise hit at 7:53 AM and sunset will tuck behind the western shore at 6:46 PM, giving you a solid window for a full day of fishing action. Tidal influence here is negligible—it’s more the St. Clair River and wind direction moving water, and today, water level’s just above average, running slightly stained after the weekend’s showers. Surface temps are dropping fast, sitting 58 to 60°F, and that’s putting the big smallmouth on the move. Bass anglers are grinning ear to ear after a strong weekend bite. Reports coming out of Harley Ensign and Metro Beach launches show plenty of three and four-pound bronzebacks being caught, with more than a few tanks over five. The fall feed is well underway—look for smallmouth stacking up around rocky points, breaklines in eight to twelve feet, and the deeper ends of weed beds. Best lures for the bite right now? Can’t go wrong with natural-colored tube jigs, goby-pattern swimbaits, and green pumpkin Ned rigs. The drop shot’s producing as well—especially if you nose-hook a minnow imitation and play it slow. If you get a bit of chop on the water, switch to a crankbait in perch or craw color and rip them along the breaks; that’s been triggering plenty of reaction strikes this week. Word from the local tackle shops is perch-pattern blade baits and spinnerbaits are also getting hit hard. Walleye are starting to show up in better numbers, especially from the river and the mouth near Anchor Bay. Vertical jigging with chartreuse or firetiger jigs tipped with minnows has been the go-to for locals after first light. Just remember to slow your jigging cadence; these eyes are a bit finicky, but with persistence you could bag a decent mixed limit. The pike bite’s still going strong around the edges of the flats and at the mouth of the Clinton River. White spinnerbaits or large jerkbaits worked with an erratic retrieve are fooling plenty of hammer handles and the occasional 36-incher. For numbers, the perch have finally turned on in the Milk River cut and over the grass in Bouvier Bay. Minnows on crappie rigs are pulling plenty of twelve-inchers, especially for boats keeping mobile. Panfishing is slower overall, but you’ll find bonus bluegill if you downsize to live waxworms. If you’re looking for hot spots, try the Grosse Pointe shoreline early, especially the scattered rock humps in eight feet, and the Detroit River mouth for some of the best multi-species action right now. Don’t overlook the mouth of Anchor Bay for a mid-morning f This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.