# Lake St Clair



## slik (Oct 5, 2008)

Any tips? Have always wanted to go here. Have a Triton Bass boat. Small mouth fishing mostly but I've heard there are Mushy there as well too. Want to go up in the next couple months. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

go to cananda erie side better fishing....then on Lake St Clair the bass are smaller for the most part ...i have fished tourments there for about 10 years ..erie side always wins ...when you can get to them ...there great smallie fishing here in ohio


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## Shoeman (Feb 12, 2011)

You have several options on LSC. 

The "Mile Roads" are some of the first bloomers as fish stage. South and East winds will kill ya, but hit it right and 50-60 fish days (each) are not impossible. 

Muskamoot Bay is an option when she kicks up, but the bay is fed by several channels from Lake Huron with its colder water.
That seems to set up just a tad later.

Give me a bump a week or so prior to your trip. She's in my back yard and I'm out 4-5 times a week. There's a few hiding places from the wind that I could share if needed 

As for the Muskie, we have a late opener on LSC. it's not until the first Saturday in June


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## vinnystatechamp (Jun 20, 2006)

Its been a long time since I've been there but we went to the canada side. fished the tall weeds and and trees in the water by the indian reserve and didnt catch anything. it wasnt until the end of our 1st trip towards the 2nd trip we realized people were catching everything in the middle of the lake, not on the sides. we kept casting around a bouy. things may have changed b/c its been a while but thats where i remember catching them, in the middle


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## Shoeman (Feb 12, 2011)

By the sounds of it Slik was planning on the early part of the C&R season. Most of the smallies (at least on the US side of the pond) are in 3-6 fow. I don't fish the Canadian Side so I can't speak about the swamp or Walpole Island

A huge majority of LSC is sand and silt. We concentrate our efforts along the boulder fields. The shallow ones are utilized during the spawn and as the water warms the deeper ones are occupied.

I mostly target the Southern 1/2 of the lake. (From Metro Beach down to the Detroit River). There's also less weeds to deal with, especially from the Grosse Pointes on down.


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## Whopper (Apr 28, 2006)

LSC is a very good fishery, smallies, walleye, perch and yes there's outstanding muskie fishing.
If your going you have to keep in mind that it's governed by to different governments, which have different rules/seasons, Michigan and Ontario
If your going to fish on the Ontario portion and you want to bass fish your going to have to wait until the 3rd Saturday in June I believe. Ontario unlike the State of Ohio doesn't have a C&R release season, it's either opened or closed. 

Good Luck


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## BigBwanaD (Jan 2, 2011)

Switched to LSC this winter for hard water perch fishing and was blown away. Sure, we had some tough days but generally had great catches in shallow water. Right now, it seems the late ice is presenting plenty of keepers. I'm done as I am not crossing open water to get on the flow. In talking to the locals, some tell me they drift fish Beacon Cove for walleye and perch and slip bobber for perch as soon as the ice leaves. They also said that later in the year, that area fills up with so much weed that it makes motoring difficult. Can shoeman or someone else fill me in on the rest of the story? Not sure who to believe or if it is just preference speaking. Any info would be really appreciated!


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## Shoeman (Feb 12, 2011)

You're right, Big

It does get pretty choked up, but not until mid-to late May. There's a ring of eel grass and reeds that form close to shore from Beacon's all the way up to the Beach at Metro Park. That is a prime area for Largemouth and gills. We fish the open pockets with scum frogs and spinner baits for the bass. Some of the boys anchor and fish for the gills at the outer edge. Coontail type weeds will start to form outside of that ring.

As for the walleye, pretty much the same area, but in the 7-12' range. It's a pretty small window though. I'd say maybe a few weeks in May before they abandon that area and head deep toward the shipping channel and the Middle Channel. I think the cooler water draws them out there. I do have some friends that fish it a little longer with unweighted harnesses trolling just above the tops of the weeds, but it's a chore. Many of the eyes run the Spillway and the Clinton River to spawn, but those are off limit do to our seasonal closure for Inland Waters. It's about Late April when they end up back in the lake and start to feed.

I think Erie is a more predictable fishery. I wouldn't bother with it, but it's just a few miles from the house and perfect for an afternoon. 

The perch seem to do the same and move toward the Shipping Channel, although I have done quite well off the Yacht Club in the 12-15' range.

Mid May into July it's hard to beat the St Clair River in the Algonac area and the Middle Channel for the eyes. We troll downstream and concentrate our efforts in the deeper slots and holes. Anything from 36-50 fow. 3-4 oz bottom bouncers. Bait stealers become an issue, but I have resorted to using Gulp crawlers with a piece of real meat on the front hook for flavor. Boat traffic (and I mean big boats) make fishing difficult on weekends, especially after 11am. 

Another good spot for panfish is the lower Anchor Bay, from Selfridge Airbase all the way up to the Salt River.

Give me a shout before you come up. I can probably help you out with some up to date info


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Would any of you gents have suggestions on fishing around Fairhaven area? I know its really shallow where our housing is with lots of canals. 

Sorta looking for other canal systems or protected areas that could provide largemouth action on the days the big lake is blowing hard.


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## Shoeman (Feb 12, 2011)

The canal system up behind Decker's (Anchor Bay Dr) fishes pretty good, as do the boatwells in Swan Creek, but Swan turns to mud if someone takes a leak upstream...lol

There's a canal that runs parallel to the North Channel from Decker's toward Sassy's that holds some decent fish. The weedy edges in the Sni and along the Middle Channel are pretty sheltered. Launching at Decker's or in Algonac is a good way to get close to these areas. Those are all late bloomers though. The water coming from Lake Huron is considerably cooler than the main lake and most of those cuts have current


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Much appreciated Shoeman. I think our cabin is in swan creek and yes it got sloppy quickly so your other suggestions are golden. I will most likely PM you sometime in mid May for some updates before we arrive May15-22. 

Cant wait for our week on St. Clair :B :B :B


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## little guy (Apr 11, 2009)

Pretty good info already shared so I won't duplicate. I will mention that LSC is one of the best Largemouth lakes in the world for numbers. A buddy and I caught 100 in one afternoon in April flipping jigs and pigs. Fish will average 2-3 lbs and a few 5# kickers will be mixed in if you strain enough water. Anytime during the C&R season, 2 guys could realistically expect to catch a 20 lb sack of green fish and another 20 lb sack of brown fish in the same day and not burn 5 gallons of gas.


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