Lake St. Clair Early Winter Fishing Report: Smallmouth, Walleye, and Perch Bite Remains Strong

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake St. Clair report.

We’re locked into early‑winter now. According to the National Weather Service office in Detroit, air temps around the lake are starting in the upper 20s to low 30s, climbing just above freezing this afternoon with a stiff west–northwest breeze 10–15 knots and scattered clouds. Dress for spray and wind; it’s cold but very fishable if you stay on the lee shores and pick your runs.

Being a Great Lakes connecting lake, St. Clair doesn’t have true tides, but the Lake St. Clair gauge and shipping reports show only mild seiche swings this morning – just enough extra current around the river mouths and channels to help the bite without making boat control a nightmare.

Sunrise is right around 7:55 a.m. with sunset just after 5 p.m., so you’ve got a short day and long low‑light windows. First couple hours after sunup and that last hour before dark are your money shots for bigger fish.

Local charters, Facebook groups out of St. Clair Shores and Belle River, and yesterday’s Spreaker fishing update all line up: **smallmouth**, **walleye**, and **perch** are still very much in play, just grouped tighter.

Recent catches:
- Smallmouth: boats working deeper breaks are still putting 10–20 fish over the rail, with a few bruisers in the 4–5‑pound class when they grind spots instead of running all over.
- Walleye: Detroit River and the South Channel are giving up steady eaters; good crews are flirting with half‑limits on vertical jigs, plus the odd big December hen after dark.
- Perch: not a lights‑out slugfest, but mixed bags of 20–40 keepers per boat when folks stay pinned on a pod near the dumping grounds or clean water off the river mouths.

Best plays right now:

For **smallmouth**:
- Blade baits like Silver Buddy or Heddon Sonar in gold or chrome/blue, snapped off bottom in 18–28 feet.
- 3.5" goby‑style tubes and Ned rigs in green pumpkin, Canadian mist, or other dark melon tones on subtle rock.
- Slow‑rolled paddletail swimbaits on 1/4–3/8 oz heads when they’re riding a touch higher.

For **walleye**:
- Vertical jigging 3/4–1 oz jigs tipped with emerald shiners or soft plastics in the Detroit River and South Channel.
- Classic river hair jigs in purple, black, or black/chartreuse; add a minnow if they’re nipping.
- Slow‑trolled deep cranks along channel edges if you’d rather search than hover.

For **perch**:
- Simple perch rigs with emerald shiners or lake shiners, just off bottom.
- Small tungsten or lead ice jigs tipped with spikes or waxies when the bite gets finicky.

On bait, local shops around St. Clair Shores and Anchor Bay report emerald shiners are still the go‑to. Fatheads and plastics will work, but if you can source real emeralds, they’re worth the extra stop.

A couple of hot spots to lean on:

- The **9‑ and 10‑Mile areas** on the U.S. side: focus on 18–24 feet, rock and little contour changes. Watch your graph for tight pods pinned to bottom – when you stick one brown fish, hit Spot‑Lock and work that patch hard.

- The **South Channel and Detroit River mouth**: prime for walleye and late‑season perch. Slide the breaks and current seams until you mark bait and arcs, then drop blades or jigs straight down and let the current do some of the work.

Move slow, trust your electronics, and don’t be afraid to camp on a short stretch when you know you’re on them. Early‑winter St. Clair rewards patience and good boat control.

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