Smallies, Perch, and Musky - Fishing Lake St. Clair

Artificial Lure here—your boots-on-the-dock local, bringing you the freshest fishing report for Lake St. Clair, Michigan on this chill Thursday, October 23rd, 2025. Sunrise hit at 7:52am today, and we’re looking at sunset around 6:44pm. The weather started off brisk, mid-40s at dawn with cloudy skies and a stiff breeze out of the north, gusts pushing 20 mph at times. Water temps are holding steady near 55°F. No tide to speak of on the lake—just the wind stirring up those shallow flats and channel edges. The wind's been making travel sticky, pushing most anglers to the south shore and protected channels. Tournament guys like Brock and Martin put up big numbers this week, hauling in a 25.29-pound limit—including a 6.60-pound bruiser of a smallie—on Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits, casting to 2–5 feet around emergent weedbeds and gravel bars. The Detroit River also coughed up a legendary 7.45-pound smallmouth, landed late morning by Mason Alverado using crankbaits and tubes. Per the Michiana Outdoors News, fifty bass came to hand during practice using finesse swimbaits: 2.8" Keitechs, Spark Shad, and the Rapala Crush City Mayor were the ticket. A-rigs and tube jigs found success for boats drifting the 8–12 foot contour. Action for perch has been solid, with reports of “HOGS” biting off the Metropark and Goose Bay, especially where you find stained water mixing with scattered cabbage beds. Drop small emerald shiners or cut crawlers on a ⅛ oz jig—keep it close to bottom. Walleye remain in summer pattern, stacked up on the mid-lake reefs and river mouths, but with cooling temps, vertical jigging Bondi baits and Fireballs is pulling strikes, especially under cloud cover. Local YouTubers are showing results—vertical jigging musky got two landed Monday (Bondi bait, deep holes near Anchor Bay). Fishing license heads-up—prices are jumping next season. This year, resident all-species stays at $25, but expect that to bump up soon. Non-resident folks, your rates will climb too. Plan ahead so you’re not caught short. Hot spots today: • South shore, off Metropark, for bass and perch by the weedline—heavy spinnerbaits, finesse swimbaits and live bait working best. • Off Goose Bay and over to the mouth of the Thames River for mixed bag: perch, walleye (vertical jigging), and the odd musky. Best lures right now: • Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits for smallmouth in the shallows. • BAFA F8 jigheads with 2.8" Keitech swimbaits for consistent bites and upgrades. • Tubes and crankbaits in the Detroit River for big smallmouth and the occasional walleye. • Bondi bait vertical jigged in deep holes for musky hunters. Live bait’s always stellar: emerald shiners for perch and minnows or crawler harnesses for walleye if artificials slow down. Keep leader size light; clarity’s up since the end of summer, so finesse presentations are key according to recent trap-net surveys run by Hessenauer and crew. When the wind’s high, Orion Road launch and the Clinton River cut offer saf This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.