Why spend a day on the water without the absolute best bass fishing information available? We put an expensive rig out there, the best rods, the finest in electronics and a list of baits and presentations big enough to index with the Library of Congress so why not bring the most accurate, up-to-date information into the game plan? Here's what you can do to get the most accurate and detailed bass fishing information on Lake St. Clair:
VISIT THE ST. CLAIR REPORT
www.stclairreport.com (http://www.stclairreport.com)
For information about products or services call TOLL FREE - (877) 485-2223
or
Email at: Email Combat Bass Fishing™ (mailto:combatfishingguy@gmail.com)
(c) 2017 Wayne Carpenter
There's a good look at how the Marked Maps Live!tm chart looked just prior to "opening day" if you go to my blog at:
http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/lake-st-clair-opening-day-2010-wrap-up/ (http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/lake-st-clair-opening-day-2010-wrap-up/)
PRODUCT UPDATE: For 2012, as of now Wayne is not putting out his weekly newsletter subscription but he and his staff are working on Marked Maps Live updates. See contact information for Wayne in this thread.
The really good news is The Complete! Lake St. Clair Bass Fishing High Definition Color Marked Maps Series bound, laminated chart book! This is a complete redo of the original black and white MMS1 (no longer being produced) now with 410 spots! Updated Spot Info! More graphics! All in Color HD produced by an expert 3D graphics designer!
HD Color The Complete! Marked Maps Series includes 27 top area maps of Lake St. Clair with detailed spot information, updated from the original series with updated wind management, GPS waypoints and more spot information and reference photos!
(http://glb.glwimg.com/images/lake-st-clair-gps-marked-maps-complete-front-200.jpg) (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/store/glbstore2.html#glbmm1)
Available from the GreatLakesBass.com Store (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/store/glbstore2.html#glbmm1)!
The new HD Color Marked Maps Series 2 coming soon!
Could I just buy the marked maps on the Mitchell's bay area ? I don't need the other spots and won't be able to afford the whol package
Call Wayne Carpenter directly at TOLL FREE - (877) 485-2223 to see what he has available for extras. I only sell complete kits. He sometimes has other options in stock. Supplies are limited and first-come, first-serve.
You can now get The Complete! Marked Map Series for Lake St. Clair (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?topic=7854.msg83642#msg83642) with 27 total HD Color GPS maps and 410 spots! Cut 10 years off your bass fishing learning curve on the big lake and the St. Clair River! You'll save hundreds of $$$ in boat gas and so much time!
This is now the only Marked Map product I have at this time in the GreatLakesBass.com Store (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/store/glbstore2.html#glbmm1).
I saw something somewhere that said we could trade in the black and white version and get a discount on the new one......Do you know anything about that....??
That is true. You can turn in your b & w maps for the new HD version. I'd send Wayne a private message and ask about price and procedure.
Thanks Fiker.... ;D
any word on the process of trading in the b and w marked maps for the new one.
Thanks
Bass Ninja
Quote from: motocross269 on July 23, 2012, 06:13:05 AM
I saw something somewhere that said we could trade in the black and white version and get a discount on the new one......Do you know anything about that....??
Wayne was doing that as an introductory offer to the new maps for the shows. I don't know if he is still doing it now that we are into the season. As fiker said, you should drop him a PM and see what his promotion du jour is. That's promotion of the day for those of you who don't know french.
BD ;D
Call Wayne Carpenter at 877-485-2223. Leave a message if you don't catch him. It was a show season special but he changes his mind off and on. Last time we discussed this a while ago he was still working some things out on this.
He is always as accommodating as he can be when it comes to repeat customers. Pretty accommodating when it comes to new customers too!
The Lake is fishing strong this year and we are still waiting to see if the St. Clair River and the Channels will develop into something more than they are now. Getting enough weight in the River and the Channels is doable by cherry picking the right spots. it would be tough to do that without some prefishing.
In the Channels (North, South, Middle) it is important to know which one is fishing stronger than the others. You can do this by tracking fishing reports and knowing the strength of key spots in the system.
The Middle Channel is showing some signs of life so far this summer. A few of the predictable spots in the South have fish but size and consistency is spotty.
Monday 08-18-2014
Today it was the attack of the 3 pound smallmouth. We caught them OK and could have continued to catch them out at the ends of the channels but we moved around to see if we could upgrade. Well, I did end up upgrading but not the way we had planned. Boated one pike over 10 pounds and next cast boated the first channel cat that I've caught on Lake St. Clair (over 20 pounds). All in all, a good day!
Thursday, August 21st
We spent all of our time in the Lake today. The channel staging areas were quiet but has some fish that we had to work hard for. Some deep Lake spots in Canada only had 2 1/2 pounders on them today but the Mile Roads treated us pretty well and served up what would have been 19 pounds in five fish if we kept at it.
Marked Maps™ customers will see a record number of covered spots this week on Marked Maps Live!™ This is a service for owners of Combat Bass Fishing™ Marked Maps™ that shows 410 spots in Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, where myself and the staff have been fishing and what we've caught. http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/410-lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-spots-in-marked-maps-hd-complete/ (http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/410-lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-spots-in-marked-maps-hd-complete/)
Saturday August 23rd, 2014
Hitting multiple spots to find big fish continues to be a good strategy. River spots in particular tend to be hot one day, not the next then hot again. It's a common pattern when the river bite is weak.
Hitting shallow structure in the river system for smallmouth is still a high percentage pattern. That includes seawalls, docks, flats, wrecks and other obstructions.
Brian O'Reilly and his friend Andrew were out in the Channel system and were able to come up with a couple of nice ones on shallow structure. A Canadian Mist tube was the bait of choice today.
September 27th, 2014
We are struggling a little with staying in the "big fish" zone with consistency. I have good reports over three of the last four days and even though some smallmouth in the four pound class are being caught, repeating the pattern has been difficult.
When you are pre-fishing or just plain fishing the way to dial in the big bite is to keep track of the depth, cover and type of structure as you go. Even dead water can tell the story about where the better bass are. If you find a good supply of small bass or keepers one day it can give you a good idea that the smallies like the spot, you just have to be there when a school of big ones are there. As you catch small bass or no bass check that depth/cover/structure that you are fishing and then go somewhere else that changes one or more of those elements.
Once you get that big bass lock in the depth/cover/structure and see if you can repeat that somewhere else in the system. Lake St. Clair and connecting waters is a big system and finding other spots that produce is just a matter of time on the water.
If you are a Combat Bass Fishing Marked Maps™ owner you can get current, inside information on the spots we are fishing on Marked Maps Live!™
For info on Marked Maps™:
http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/410-lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-spots-in-marked-maps-hd-complete/ (http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/410-lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-spots-in-marked-maps-hd-complete/)
About Marked Maps Live!™:
http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/lake-st-clair-fishing-reports-pouring-in-to-marked-maps-live/ (http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/lake-st-clair-fishing-reports-pouring-in-to-marked-maps-live/)
The bigger bite seems to be picking up this week and it should continue to strengthen into September. A lot of the bites are "swimming pickups" which makes setting the hook difficult. One thing to help with that is to put a little pressure on the bass first by lifting the rod tip, then set the hook.
Topwater continues to rock along channel edges. Mark Hill picked a nice four pound smallie up at one of our first stops this morning. Later I picked up a decent three pound plus in 17 feet then we finished in the Lake in eleven feet and picked up one at four. On a research day like this we don't work the areas hard but catch a couple to gauge the bite.
Marked Map owners see Live! reports for 8/26 and 8/28
August 31, 2014
There are a couple significant bite patterns on Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River that are worth noting. The deep bass on the U.S. side in around 15 feet is one. This area has been hammered relentlessly by tournaments and anglers practicing for tournaments and that shows no signs of letting up. The bulk of the fishing pressure has been in the northerly part of the Mile Roads and although the slow bite is a big bite here, production has been dropping off. There are many spots south of that area in the same depth range that can produce and have seen little fishing pressure.
Venturing up in to the St. Clair River and the Channels there is potential for better weight but the bass you find are typically in small schools. That means you can get one or two bass on a spot then the bite disappears or gets tougher. In most cases there are not enough bass on a single spot for you to stay productive for very long. By knowing this you can turn that into an advantage, spend less time on a single spot and hit more spots.
For guide level techniques to catch smallmouth bass anywhere, get the book "Smallmouth Confidential" at www.xtremebasstackle.com (http://www.xtremebasstackle.com)
You can get a "Marked Map HD Complete" chart book with 410 spots on Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River on Great Lakes Bass at http://www.greatlakesbass.com/store/glbstore2.html#glbmm1 (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/store/glbstore2.html#glbmm1)
09-01-2014
September gets off to a good start with at least one smallmouth over four pounds (4lbs 6oz). We get this one in the St. Clair River on a five inch St. Clair Goby NFT™ tube in less than five feet of water. In fact, we got all of our best fish in five feet of water or less today; Lake or river.
In the river there are decent populations of smallmouth in the 20 to 30 foot range on select spots. Schools are small in number but on underwater video we are seeing a few tournament quality smallmouth mixed in those schools. Moving baits at the speed of the current is getting us the smaller bite. I recommend holding the boat steady in the current over a spot in the drift that holds bass, casting the bait out in front of the boat, let the bait drift back, tight line it then wait for the bite (salmon fishing for bass).
Shallow Lake patterns on sand/cabbage or sand/bulrush combinations require 100 casts per fish in most instances but there is some weight to be had. Spinnerbaits worked just fine but a baitfish imitating tube (in this case Xtreme Bass Tackle™ Alewife™) cast around the cover or even out in the open brought the best numbers per cast.
Marked Map™ owners will see the exact spots that we fish on the Marked Maps Live!™ service.
For information on the Marked Maps HD Complete™ chart book:
http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/410-lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-spots-in-marked-maps-hd-complete/ (http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/410-lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-spots-in-marked-maps-hd-complete/)
For information on the Marked Maps Live!™ service:
http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/lake-st-clair-fishing-reports-pouring-in-to-marked-maps-live/ (http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/lake-st-clair-fishing-reports-pouring-in-to-marked-maps-live/)
To purchase Xtreme Bass Tackle™ products:
www.xtremebasstackle.com (http://www.xtremebasstackle.com)
09/07/2014
The Lake is still producing four pound class smallmouth in good numbers. If you are out pre-fishing for a tournament or just plain fishing and hook up with one of these quality bass it's likely that there are more in the area. It's possible to find a "spot" and load up with a big sack but the percentages on getting five solid smallies is higher with "area" fishing. That means picking out a zone in the Lake and working it by drifting or moving from spot-to-spot within an area.
St. Clair River fishing can be terrific if you are in the right place at the right time. We are starting to slide in to fall patterns and that means that a spot can be hot one day, off for the next then hot again. There's no way to know unless you check the spot on the day you are out there. For all the river spots that I hit in a given week there is only one that I have confidence in to deliver a five pound class smallie. Even on that spot I only expect to see a bass like that in one of every three trips.
For more on Lake St. Clair and what works, see the blog: www.basstothefuture.com (http://www.basstothefuture.com)
09/09/2014
In the Lake, smallmouth are collecting around groups of other species of fish. On this trip we caught drum, walleye, hooked a sturgeon, had jumping sturgeon and musky all around us and caught smallmouth too. It can be as simple as finding the multi-species boats and begin to drift with them.
Other groups of smallmouth go unnoticed and finding them requires hours if not days of practice time to locate. Once you locate them you can track them for weeks by understanding their seasonal patterns of movement.
For purposes of comparison I put this 4 lb. 5 oz. smallmouth (caught on Xtreme St. Clair Goby NFT drop-shot tube) next to a keeper smallmouth. It helps to see the bass to scale and how awesome a healthy Lake St. Clair Smallmouth can be.
To order Xtreme Bass Tackle baits go to: www.xtremebasstackle.com (http://www.xtremebasstackle.com)
09/17/2014
We have definitely entered the "change over" period for Lake St. Clair. Since the Lake doesn't stratify it doesn't "turn over" but it does goes through a period of adjustment where the bass can't seem to tell if it is summer or fall. It started last week and will probably last into next.
It's not unusual to be on top of fish but not get them to bite. Today I hit 25 spots and only caught bass on two.
09-18-2014
To compensate for a weak bite and shifting conditions during this period go after shallow river and channel structure. On a short day we were able to put together a good sack with our top four smallmouth at 3 lb 15 oz, 4 lb 2 oz, 4 lb 6oz and 4 lb 9 oz by pounding away at seawalls, wood and shallow flats next to deep water.
09-19-2014
Found some signs of life out in the Lake today. It wasn't the strong fall bite yet but we ran in to schools on three different spots. At one point got bit, missed the fish, dropped the St. Clair Crayfish tube back down and he took it.
Water quality is better than it was two days ago.
09-20-2014
Strong SW winds changed the bite from what it has been over the last four days. The bite on Lake spots changed to the point where we have to spend considerable time locating the schools again. There was still a bite in the river however but we had to work hard to isolate the structures that were holding bass.
We are seeing some fall aggression from the smallies and the largemouth. When we catch some smallmouth other smallies are chasing it up to boat to take the bait away. The reaction bite is very strong for the largemouth.
Great reports. How long would you say the strong fall bite lasts on St Clair??
Great question...here is the short answer:
Theoretically it can go right to the end of the season at December 31st. The purpose of the exaggeration is because it is more accurate to work backwards from that date than to go forwards from this point. Most of it depends on how fast the frigid weather rolls in, some of it on shorter days and light levels.
One of the key characteristics to this period is to watch how long the water keeps its' color. That is...how long the algae stays suspended and keeps the water some version of green. You'll know that the end game is near when the water turns to clear with blue coloring.
My guess is that your question is more to the point about what is going to happen over the next two weeks. In that case the fall bite traditionally lasts through the end of October and in most cases, into November.
Thanks a lot for your answer. Really good info there!! I'm trying to figure out the fall bite on the Great Lakes this year. It was on fire for the first 3 weeks of September. This last week was a grind tho. The water in the saginaw bay went from 69 to 59 in the last week. The bite got tough and the numbers we were catching went way down. I had a feeling we were still catching the summer patterns in the first few weeks of the month. Then that water dropped in temps and it almost feels like the fish got a little sloppy when they would bite. Maybe they take a short break before putting the fall feed bags on?? Maybe they need time to adjust to the water temp changing so fast. I know one thing I can't wait to get back out and try some things
Perfect! You just described the transition period to a "T."
A little colder up there so you are most likely running at least a week and possibly up to three weeks ahead of us in Lake St. Clair. Our temps in the Lake dipped below 60 degrees for a day or two then came back up into the 60's.
Your post: "Maybe they take a short break before putting the fall feed bags on??"
Right on again. I call it the "change over" period because we don't have stratification in Lake St. Clair so there is no "turn over." The bass don't seem to know whether it is summer or fall and appear confused. They do snap out of it and when they do, we have the highest recorded weights of the season.
For more on Lake St. Clair visit my free blog at:www.basstothefuture.com (http://www.basstothefuture.com)
Awesome. I can't wait to get back on the water. Thanks again for your info
09-16-2014
In the Lake the bite is back "on" and the smallies are schooling up in fall patterns. On one spot we had over 20 three pound smallies follow our hooked bass back to the boat. A lot of the bites were light or swimming pickups that made it difficult to get a solid hookset. In that case it's good to put pressure on the bass by lifting the rod or by reeling in, then set the hook.
Bait color is still in play and can make the difference in your catch. Our best smallmouth came after "speed loading" through tube colors until they bit Mayfly (fished wings down).
For a free blog on "speed loading" tubes click here: http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/how-to-fish-a-tube-bait-speed-loading/ (http://basstothefuture.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/how-to-fish-a-tube-bait-speed-loading/)
If you are going out this weekend there is fog in the forecast. Today we were fishing clear conditions in the north part of the Lake then ran in to a fog bank on the way to the South Shore. The fog covered the south part of the Lake and lasted in part, until 2pm.
Fall bite patterns are definitely in play. It's that time of year when a water temperature of 55 degrees seems warm. Smallies are schooling up and feeding hard. The trick is to be where they are at on any given day.
Deep water is a safe bet to fish when locating these schools. A deep flat that has some kind of relationship to a major piece of structure can keep you on fish all day long.
The shallows can load up as well. A shallow break that still has some weed on it is likely to hold smallies.
When all else fails there are always largemouth to fall back on. As the weeds die down on shallow flats the largemouth become easier to catch. If it looks like they are not going to chase, work something slow down in the weeds.
It looks like the weather is finally breaking. It will be good to get some relief from the constant barrage of east and north winds that have been buffeting the U.S. shoreline. Cold and unstable weather normally comes with those weather patterns and that can keep the bite down.
This weekend the bite should continue to pick up as it has this Friday. If you were looking for an optimum day to get out on Lake St. Clair I would pick Monday or Tuesday. That gets you as close as possible to the next front that is coming through.
The white bass have begun to show up. They tend to focus on moving presentations so keeping baits on the bottom might keep you on more smallmouth.
Overall we had a tough day today checking out spots up and down the U.S. shoreline but Jeff Ferraiuolo got on a roll with 3 and 4 pounders just before we left.
For more about our trip and Lake St. Clair bass fishing see the report at: www.stclairreport.com (http://www.stclairreport.com)
For all practical purposes, the bass spawn is pretty much completed on Lake St. Clair. That's not to say that you can't find spawning bass but the "main body" spawn has played out and we are chasing down post-spawn bass.
What that means is that it takes a lot more work to fill the boat with the same type of overall weight as it did a week ago (numbers are not a problem).
Pete VanVianen and I spent the day on June 2nd cruising the U.S. shoreline from Anchor Bay to the Mile Roads and found pretty much the same conditions. We were able to attack the outside edges of weedlines with lightweight tubes, the wacky rig and jerbait to put together a pretty good day. We would have had 20 lbs in five fish (we caught about 60 total).
You can also tell that the bass spawn is coming to a close by the numbers of pregnant rock bass that are being caught.
See more about the current conditions and more at http://stclairreport.com/ (http://stclairreport.com/)
The bite has shifted dramatically to a solid post-spawn pattern. We have been able to locate better quality smallmouth off the first significant break from shore. Numbers are no problem but you might have to be more patient with size.
Look for the bass to be still relative to their spawning areas. It will be awhile yet before they begin to settle into summer patterns.
For more info plus video's about how we are catching them on the Lake right now go to: www.stclairreport.com (http://www.stclairreport.com)
It's official...the post-spawn period on Lake St. Clair is officially over! We know this because reports are coming in from all over about big bass being caught and anglers able to put together patterns to catch these fish.
So far the winds have been a problem for the many anglers who are pre-fishing for one of the many tournaments out there this weekend. Saturday winds are supposed to die down and shift to the north then Sunday, they will kick up again and blow hard from the south. Some of these tournaments are two day events and it will make for some tricky logistics.
We checked out several major spots in the St. Clair River below Fawn Island and things were very slow. We had no bites at all on several of the spots.
Where we really got on the bass was in the shallows in Walpole. It was a solid bite with aggressive fish. If you want to see how we did go to: http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-report-07-13-2016-wayne-carpenter-randy-forszt/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-report-07-13-2016-wayne-carpenter-randy-forszt/)
You can also go to my YouTube channel, @stclairbass and see all the fishing report videos for this year.
From here out look for the bass to get more presentation and color selective but once you find the pattern, stay on it and you should be rewarded. The smallies are on the move and a lot of summer spots are starting to fill up! Have a great weekend!
The bite really picked up a week ago and there are more consistent numbers of four pound class smallmouth to be had. Look for key spots to hold more bass than they have been during the summer months.
We aren't into fall patterns yet, so a good place to start is to being working your summer patterns, then branch out on the bite from there. Soon we will be approaching the "change over" period, but we aren't there yet. Lake temperatures in the 73 degree range are still being recorded. That should change soon as daytime temps fall into the 60's and more importantly, nighttime temps fall.
The Detroit River is holding a lot of smallmouth, and has for the last couple of months. We hit six spots and found two of those filled with quality fish.
Go here for my latest video on Lake St. Clair bass fishing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMxiJFN98nc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMxiJFN98nc)
We were able to take advantage of some fine October weather and get out on the Lake. Low to moderate winds made it possible for us to go wherever we wanted to on the big water.
The water was clear to 12 feet on the Canadian side. That's where we got onto to a nice school of fall smallies.
It looks like the smallmouth bite on the Detroit is just going to keep on rolling!
We did poorly on several St. Clair River channel spots that we tried.
For more on our day plus baits that we used, go to: http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-report-10-06-2016-wayne-carpenter-jeff-ferraiuolo/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-report-10-06-2016-wayne-carpenter-jeff-ferraiuolo/)
The weather was ideal today, and the destination was the Mile Roads. This is a great place to start at the beginning of the season. The roving smallies like some key zones that range from Ford's Cove through 14 Mile.
The morning bite was slow, but a report came in that it picked up in the afternoon.
Getting big largemouth this time of year is no problem.
See the full report and more at: www.stclairreport.com (http://www.stclairreport.com)
Bass Fishing in The Lake
Fishing Report 07-26-2017
The bite in the Lake has slowed down over the last week or so. The Mile Roads bite is shaping up to be about the same as the last two seasons. The groups of smallies that were strong in the North and South parts of the Canadian side have moved. We are in-between the post-spawn and summer bite period.
There has been a big shift in the bite on the U.S. shoreline. Areas that held quality bass have been drying up as smallies make their move to summer zones. You can connect with good numbers if you hit multiple transition spots until you find them.
One zone that should maintain a steady bite would be Lake areas that are related to the St. Clair River channel system. Many of these areas are shallow, but hold smallmouth that are susceptible to spinnerbaits and swimbaits. I recommend Red Dirt 1/2oz double willow leaf models in white on white painted blades, chartreuse on chartreuse painted blades or one called "Goldie," with gold blades. The Xtreme Bass Tackle white Swim-X has been bringing in the biggest smallies on a consistent basis.
XTREME BASS TACKLE: http://www.xtremebasstackle.com/Catalog/Store.mvc.aspx/Spinnerbaits/RDS12 (http://www.xtremebasstackle.com/Catalog/Store.mvc.aspx/Spinnerbaits/RDS12)
Be prepared to make a call on a spot as just having a morning bite. That way you won't waste a whole day trying to recreate a hot morning bite on a spot where that bite won't come back. For the next week, it may be more productive to concentrate on finding, or staying on "groups" of smallies, as opposed to finding spots. The groups will move around in an area but probably won't move too far.
The productive tube baits in the Lake have been: Canadian Mist, St. Clair Goby NFT and St. Clair Crayfish.
TO SEE THE REST OF THE REPORT FROM THE ST. CLAIR RIVER CLICK BELOW
http://stclairreport.com/hope-for-st-clair-river-bite-fishing-report-07-26-2917/ (http://stclairreport.com/hope-for-st-clair-river-bite-fishing-report-07-26-2917/)
Photos: Wayne Carpenter with 4 pound smallie from St. Clair River
Randy Forszt with a 4.4lb smallie from the Lake
Lake St. Clair Fishing Report - GLB Exclusive!
Good numbers and size smallmouth can be had by targeting migration transition spots in the Lake and River at Lake St. Clair. As the mayfly hatch tapers off, baitfish movement is beginning to dictate the position of bass in the system.
Small schools of bass have been found as far up as Fawn Island. Long drifts have not paid off yet so once you get bit, plan on making multiple short drifts to get the most out of an area.
It is looking like a better year for St. Clair River fishing though. Bass are being caught on early spots (staging areas) in good numbers right now, and those will eventually move up the river. It's unlikely that the river system will be back to full strength, but it is already better than it has been for the last two years.
Some deep river spots have paid off (20 to 35 feet) and a few feeding flats have been active.
Our best bite has been coming on tubes, mainly: Canadian Mist, St. Clair Goby NFT and St. Clair Crayfish. Crankbaits, jerkbaits and swimbaits have been strong too.
FOR MORE ON THIS FISHING REPORT PLUS A VIDEO, CLICK BELOW
http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-report-07-28-2017/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-report-07-28-2017/)
A quick warm-up brought the smallies up close to shore for a couple of weeks, and it has been a ton of fun. As the daytime air temperatures have stabilized in the 60's and 70's, the bass have scattered a bit, leading to rumors of over fishing.
There may have been some spawning bass already, but look for the next warm-up to get them up on beds, as May marches on.
Switching tactics should be in order as well. Even though there are always active fish on Lake St. Clair, it still may a good move to go with jerkbaits, swimbaits and slower moving soft plastics like an Xtreme Bass Tackle, 4" Sweet Green tube right now. Don't forget to drop-shot!
Read more about Lake St. Clair bass fishing at: www.stclairreport.com (http://www.stclairreport.com)
Below is Jeff Ferraiuolo with a nice smallie from this week:
Lake St. Clair Fishing Report, May 16, 2018
We took a run at some new water, looking for spawning areas and remote places to catch some bass. What we found was a lot of water in the 50 degree range, which was temperature driven from the St. Clair River temp of 48 degrees.
It is looking like we are in for a stable period for bass anglers where the spawning will be sporadic until we get a warm-up. Jerkbaits are a good choice right now but plastics will most likely get you the bigger bite.
There are some post-spawn bass around that took advantage of the last warm-up.
Find out more with my May 16th, 2018 report at www.stclairreport.com (http://www.stclairreport.com).
http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-report-may-16-2018/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-report-may-16-2018/)
Thanks Wayne for the report ! I got to sample St. Clair again on Tuesday with a good friend from the Flint area. We managed to have a great day with our biggest just over 5#. He told me it can be a lot better that's when my jaw dropped LOL ! That lake is something else....Love It !
Hey Glenn:
That's some amazing looking bass you guys have there. It sounds like you are hooked...lol.
There was a time when a coworker of mine bugged me about going out to Lake St. Clair. I told him, "Why, I have all of these awesome inland lakes to fish?" He kept bugging me, so I went...the rest is history.
I actually remember my first day on Lake St. Clair. Pete took me out and we ended up fishing the twin towers at Muskamoot. Back then, spinnerbaits and crankbaits ruled over the 2 1/2lb. smallies. We threw plastics now and then, when we were sure the bass were around.
It looks like you will be making your own history on this crazy awesome, body of water. Keep the photos coming!
It's bass spawning time on Lake St. Clair. That means a change in tactics from the free wheeling pre-spawn patterns. It will also be over soon. Know what to expect when you visit Lake St. Clair with more information in my article on www.stclairreport.com.
http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-forecast-spawn-2018/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-fishing-forecast-spawn-2018/)
Bass fishing is going through a big change lately. The continuous warm weather is beginning to have the effect of speeding up the spawn.
It's looking like we may be headed for normal, seasonal conditions for opening day in a few weeks. Find out more with my report on www.stclairreport.com.
http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-start-thinking-post-spawn-2018/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-start-thinking-post-spawn-2018/)
It's about time for the mayflies to start showing up. Watch the hatches closely. There is one type that the bass like more than others. Learn more with the complete article at: http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-the-mayflies-are-coming-2018/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-the-mayflies-are-coming-2018/)
It has already been a great bass season on Lake St. Clair. Dan Kimmel predicted it in back in January of 2018. Find out more about that, and how Dan has shaped the course of bass fishing for anglers in Michigan: http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-bumper-crop-2018-the-kimmel-effect/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-bumper-crop-2018-the-kimmel-effect/)
It's opening weekend for bass on Lake St. Clair. Get an idea of the fishing pressure that you will see and find some inside info on the state of the spawn:
http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-tournaments-blast-off-in-2018-opener/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-bass-tournaments-blast-off-in-2018-opener/)
Thanks Captain Wayne, I enjoyed chatting at the Grand Rapids show , have been devouring the books , maps and have my Combat fishing tubes in hand. You can bet they will be first to see action in the upcoming FLW tournament.
I'm pumped, and will report back with the details on my adventure with the big boys next week. your friend Rich Soderquist
Check out the smile on this little anglers face from a recent event!
Hi Rich: That's the best kind of photo of all. Thanks for sharing it.
Looking forward to having you over here. It's been quite a season so far.
Tight lines...Wayne
We were able to compile a few tournament results from the weekend of the Lake St. Clair, bass U.S. opener:
http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-us-bass-opener-2018-tournament-results/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-us-bass-opener-2018-tournament-results/)
Lake St. Clair Canada Bass Opener 2018 is on for this weekend. See what tournaments are launching on Saturday and Sunday.
http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-canada-bass-opener-2018-tournaments/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-canada-bass-opener-2018-tournaments/)
For all the tournaments that we got access to the results for, there wasn't a single six pound bass to be found. Look for that to change in the coming weeks.
We did see a 24 pound sack come in for a win. Tons of limits were caught and this week, we have the FLW event in town.
This will be fun!
For more on the results from the Canadian Opener in 2018, check out this article: http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-canada-bass-opener-2018-tournament-results/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-canada-bass-opener-2018-tournament-results/)
Sept 7, 2018 Bass fishing report
Jeff Feraiuolo and I launched at Harley Ensign during strong north winds with a plan to fish the channels, and current related water. I turned out to be a good call since Jeff boated 4.8, 3.11, 3.11 and 3.7 smallies plus a nice walleye in a few hours.
Water temperatures were still in the low 70's which means that it would still be considered a summer bite.
The entire time we fished in U.S. waters and were happy with the results that we got on a 4" Sweet Green tube.
For more about our trip and a video: http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-seasonal-channel-bite-sept-2018/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-seasonal-channel-bite-sept-2018/)
Nate Perry debuts on St. Clair Report with an article about fall bass fishing. He talks about baits, spots and gives us data. See more at: http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-the-early-fall-bite/ (http://stclairreport.com/lake-st-clair-the-early-fall-bite/)