Chilly Winds, Sketchy Ice, and Productive Perch on Lake St. Clair

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lake St. Clair fishing report.

We don’t get real tides here, but water levels and wind still push the bite. With cold air settling in and skim ice flirting with the canals, we’re right on that edge between late-fall boat fishing and early ice. The National Weather Service is calling for seasonably cold temps, light northwest wind, and a mix of clouds and weak sun. Sunrise is right around 7:50 a.m., sunset about 4:58 p.m., so your prime light is short and sweet.

FishingReminder’s solunar tables for St. Clair Shores show the stronger feeding windows late morning and again toward midafternoon, lining up nicely with the warmest part of the day. According to those charts, the moon phase has fish a bit finicky early but turning on in windows rather than all day.

Ice is still sketchy, but the Free Press reports Lake St. Clair has been pegged as one of the top ice-fishing lakes in the country by FishingBooker, mostly for **perch, walleye, and panfish**, and that’s exactly what’s staging now. On the U.S. side, perch and eater walleye have been coming in decent numbers when the wind lays down, with mixed panfish in the canals. Canadian side reports mirror that: more “good pick” days than “limits in an hour,” but enough to keep you busy.

Recent catches:
- Yellow **perch**: 8–12 inchers common, occasional jumbos mixed in.
- **Walleye**: mostly eaters, a few bigger girls showing up on deeper edges.
- **Bluegill/crappie**: tighter to marinas and cuts; smaller overall but steady.

Best producers right now:
- For perch: small emerald shiners or fatheads on lake-style perch rigs, size 6–8 hooks, just off bottom. Tip one rod with live bait, the other with a tiny gold Kastmaster or Swedish Pimple to call fish in.
- For walleye: slow vertical jigging with 3/8–1/2 oz jigging raps, Rapala Slab Raps, or blade baits in silver, gold, or perch pattern. Add a minnow head if they’re nipping.
- For panfish in the canals: micro tungsten jigs with wax worms or spikes under a small slip float; natural colors with a bit of glow are hot.

If you’re a die-hard plastics angler, downsized paddletails and flukes on 1/8–1/4 oz heads, dragged painfully slow, are still taking some bonus smallmouth on the breaks when the water isn’t chocolate milk.

Couple of local hot spots to think about:
- **Metro Beach / Metropark area**: Work the 8–12 foot flats and the first break; perch and the odd walleye are sliding through. Inside weed edges near the marina hold panfish.
- **Mouth of the Clinton River and surrounding canals**: Slightly stained water, a touch warmer, and good for mixed bags of perch, bluegill, and the occasional pike. Perfect when the main lake’s too rough.

Remember: ice conditions can change by the hour. Early-season folks should be carrying a spud, wearing picks, and fishing with a buddy. When in doubt, wait it out and hit the canals or launch the boat instead.

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