# Lake St. Clair - 4/26/14



## Maisch4077 (Apr 5, 2012)

Made my annual pilgrimage north for opening day of catch and release bass seaon on St. Clair and took two buddies with me. Lake conditions were certainly less than ideal, windy, NW at 15-20mph and water was very stained, only 2 feet of visibilty at best. Was fun day all things considered, together we caught around 45 smallies but nothing over 3lbs. Usually I throw jerkbaits this time of year but had to go with dragging a green pumpkin tube due to stained water. Moved around a lot and did find some water with a little more clarity and was able to get in some jerkbait action.

Specific baits were Mikes Rx tubes with 3/8oz lead head, jerkbaits we used Pointer 100, Rapala X-rap, and Luck E Strike RC STX, colors were bone and chart. shad.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

You get any pike or muskys? Good job under tuff cond. Hopefully the lake will straighten up for our trip May 15-30th!!

Cant wait

:B


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## Maisch4077 (Apr 5, 2012)

I did catch one small pike on a tube, about 24 inches long. I only bass fish up there, never really target anything else.


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## bassyakker (Feb 12, 2013)

I've been itching to get my kayak up there sometime very soon... any suggestions on where to fish? I was thinking of putting in somewhere in the mouth of the Detroit river and starting there. Any help would be grateful. 

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## Maisch4077 (Apr 5, 2012)

You've got much guts than I do if you have put a kayak in the Detroit River because it has a very strong current, 7 mph. I would think if would make fishing very difficult because boat position is so critical. For a kayak I'd recommend driving up to the Metro Beach park at Lake St. Clair. You'll have to buy a pass, day or year, but from there you an go around a bunch of canals that are filled with largemouth and be in a protected area. It is an extremely underrated largemouth fishery and you can have 100 fish days.


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## Bucket Mouth (Aug 13, 2007)

I don't kayak, but I have seen kayaks on the lower part of the Detroit River on many occasions. The current is a sustained 7mph so I don't know how hard it is to paddle upstream. The mouth of the river where it meets the lake can be turbulent, especially with any S/SW/SE wind. Pick your days carefully if you do it.

There are a few places to launch, but boat traffic can be heavy at all launch sites. I'd hope you have a bright colored kayak for identification purposes. If you want to fish around the mouth, launch from Lake Erie Metropark. A 1 day pass is $8 or so. There are various canals in this area as well.


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## Cut Bait (Feb 3, 2006)

Never made it to St Claire but would love to go. Where do you go out of and do you have any recommendations on places to stay ?


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## bassyakker (Feb 12, 2013)

Good info. Thanks fellas

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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

Maisch4077 said:


> opening day of catch and release bass seaon on St. Clair


Is this something new???

In the past there has been no closed season for smallies on the US side, but the season doesn't open until the third Saturday in June in Canada.

I'd love to see Canada initiate something of this nature. 

It's also weird how different the attitude about pre-season C&R smallie fishing is from the Southern Ontario folks (St. Clair - Mitchell Bay) who almost promote it, to Northern Ontario (same province) in the Algoma and Rainbow districts where it is nearly criminalized.


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## williamonica0214 (Aug 1, 2006)

I am headed up to St. Clair for the first time ever next weekend. I hope it is as good as everyone tells me it is .


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

williamonica0214 said:


> I am headed up to St. Clair for the first time ever next weekend. I hope it is as good as everyone tells me it is .


St. Clair is a saucer. A much different experience than anything you've ever fished before. Shallow, very shallow and you are fishing in open water with no structure in sight. On the Canadian side, if your boat breaks down, you can get out and walk to shore although it might be miles. 

Drifting mostly, casting or pulling baits hoping to find a school, or an area inhabited by smallies. Numbers can be phenominal.
Cross your fingers for good weather. Wind will blow you off of the lake and churn it up in a heartbeat.

Good luck and enjoy the experience.


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## williamonica0214 (Aug 1, 2006)

Thanks for the tips. We will be staying in Michigan waters


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## heidlers (May 24, 2010)

williamonica0214 said:


> Thanks for the tips. We will be staying in Michigan waters


Let us know how you do...I'm dying to trailer over there from the Cleveland area some time this year!! Never been and had planned to stay on the Michigan side as well, unless I get talked out of that plan!


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## williamonica0214 (Aug 1, 2006)

heidlers said:


> Let us know how you do...I'm dying to trailer over there from the Cleveland area some time this year!! Never been and had planned to stay on the Michigan side as well, unless I get talked out of that plan!


I will let you know how I do for sure and would love to join you when you go


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Try the nine mile areas for smallies...rocky bottom and boulders... use goby tube baits and you'll tear them up.. Just drift with them bouncing the bottom... I've gone twice in the last 6 years- we had 50-60 fish days (1 angler) twice. Countless double headers...Timing with the weather and their spawning is everything.. if they are hot you can just about use anything and catch the smallies (we did- rapala's, topwater poppers, streamer flies, tube baits, spinner baits)..if it gets too windy just fish the rocky shores for largemouths. I caught 3 in a row once on a crayfish plug. Don't be afraid to fish the dock areas- we caught fish everywhere. Big fish for us was a 22in Largemouth & 20in smallie- the smallie was right at 7lbs- my bud fought him for awhile amidst 4-5 other fancy bass boats...You won't want to fish Ohio again..Love St. Clair- will be back soon.


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## Maisch4077 (Apr 5, 2012)

Made the trip back up to St. Clair again yesterday with my mom for our mother's day fishing trip. Launched at the Clinton-River cutoff ramp and headed south looking for clean water. Further south I went, the cleaner the water got! Mom probably caught 2-3 dozen smallies, I lost count but I know it was in the neighborhood of 50-70 smallies for myself. A few 4lbers, some 3s, and more 16inchers than you can imagine. I had one stretch where I caught a fish on ten straight casts with a jerkbait. Did most my damage with a jerkbait, and some on a tube in smoke purple flash. Fished in 4-9 FOW.


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## Air Blair (Jan 30, 2012)

Very nice. We are heading up to LSC this weekend.


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