The Great Lakes are home to some of the best smallmouth fishing in the world. All of them can kick out giant brown bass, and each of them attracts anglers every summer from across the country. While not an actual Great Lake, Michigan's Lake St. Clair has routinely made its case as one of the best fisheries in the country.
Its big water with large waves and huge boat wakes from freighters and other massive boats, making it intimidating to anglers making their first trip there. But fish are plentiful. They can be found throughout the lake and the rivers that flow in and out of the lake.
Here's a guideline on fishing the world-class Lake St. Clair, along with places to stay and things to do in the area.
Fishing Lake St. Clair Through the Seasons
During the spring months, as many of the bass are shallow, the reaction bite with spinnerbaits and jerkbaits can be unreal, with multiple large smallmouth biting these lures. As summer begins and fish move offshore, a drop-shot rig, tube, Ned Rig, and spybait are among the best baits.
Much fishing is done in relatively shallow water, even on a lake as large as St. Clair. The 10 to 15-foot zone is a popular place for bass to swim and is a good starting point if visiting during the summer months. Much of the lake fits this range as it's a shallow, sloping bottom, even a few miles away from the shoreline. Moving quickly until you find fish is usually the best approach, and when you get bites at a specific depth or in an area, you can replicate it in other areas to keep yourself around fish.
Lake St. Clair Community Holes Produce
When viewing fishing reports, the "Mile Roads," Lake St. Clair Metropark, Anchor Bay, and the Belle River Hump names come up repeatedly among bass anglers.
The St. Clair Metropark is where many tournaments launch, and the backwater areas provide great largemouth fishing in the vegetation and around docks. Outside the no-wake zone and into the channel is some incredible smallmouth fishing, both from the fish released from tournaments and suitable habitat in the area, including long sloping points with grass and sand. Launching from here also gives anglers easy access to Anchor Bay or the "Mile Roads."
The "Mile Roads" is a general term for the area directly out from Detroit's roads name with a naming system showing how far they are from a baseline from land surveying, including the famed 8 Mile road. Depending on the season, bass will be different distances from shore out from the point where these roads meet the shoreline.
The lake is a big bowl; even miles away from the shore will show relatively shallow depths. The fish will be closer to shore in shallow water early in the year and move further to the 8, 10, 12, or 14-feet zones. A drop-shot excels among the shallow grass, and fast-moving baits like crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and vibrating jigs will also catch many big smallmouth. Burning a deep crankbait is a great way to catch fish in this area in the late summer and fall.
Anchor Bay is a large bay off the main lake with quality fish. It's been the winning area of many large professional tournaments, and anglers can fish the shallow grass or sandy flats with reaction baits and find success nearly year-round.
The Belle River Hump is another common winning location for big tournaments. It's located on the Canadian side of the lake, so additional fishing licenses are required, but it attracts anglers because it produces excellent fishing.
The Detroit and St. Clair Rivers
Between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie is the Detroit River, which flows right through downtown Detroit, Michigan, and offers some excellent fishing for smallmouth bass in the current. The river can flow exceptionally fast here, but the entrance to the Detroit River can provide excellent fishing as the water funnels and narrows near Grosse Pointe. Tubes, drop-shot rigs, and spybaits are all excellent choices in this area and at the outflow marking the start of Lake Erie.
The St. Clair River serves as the water flow between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair. It's a phenomenal fishery in its own right and offers anglers a chance at some excellent largemouth fishing as well as a place to take cover and still get some fishing in when the big lake gets too rough.
The many canals allow anglers to fish frogs, flip vegetation, and ChatterBaits for the largemouth population, which is often overlooked by so many anglers targeting smallmouth. But, the river itself is home to great smallmouth, and fishing current breaks, seawalls, deep grass lines, and rocks with several different lures will often produce quality bronzebacks.
Where to Stay and Things to See
With much of the lake in heavily populated Detroit, those visiting may want to stay a bit further out from the hustle and bustle of the big city. It is even more important when towing a boat as the big city is not the best place to pull one. One good option is staying on the lake's northern end, either around Anchor Bay in New Baltimore or further east in Algonac, Michigan. There are several boat ramps at both places and more than enough amenities for a fishing trip or family vacation.
If taking the entire family, venturing into Detroit is worth the time. There is plenty to do, including the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, the Detroit Tigers, and more. Another cool thing about the lake is the presence of large freighter ships. They can often be seen along the lake and moving down the rivers. It's a unique sight; you'll undoubtedly see many of them when fishing here.
Lake St. Clair can be intimating, but the sheer number of quality fish swimming in its waters makes it a great destination. Even anglers who have never seen the waters can locate fish and succeed on their first trip to the big lake.
