Bass Report

[ace 22416]

Hi All,

I'm heading up to St. Clair this weekend to fish for bass and wondering if anyone can provide an update.  I've not seen any recent postings and not asking for waypoints, but just general knowledge of what has been working well, what general location, water depth and points of interest.   This will be my first bass fishing outing with my son, so would like to find some areas / tactics that will help us a bit and make it an enjoyable outing.
Many thanks !!!!

D

[djfunkebeetz]

I got a boat slip at the marina at 11 and Jefferson about a month and a half ago and I've been taking advantage of these longer days while we still have them, I've been fishing pretty much all weekend most weekends as well as an average of 3 evenings a week after work - from about 6/6:30 til sundown. I am by no means an experienced smallmouth angler on Lake St Clair but I am learning. What I have found the last couple weeks is the smallmouth bite has been very, very slow. I found some fish over just west of the Belle River Hump, a lot of perch and walleye still over there, but I've had a couple evening trips where I caught 1 or zero smallmouth fishing local areas, like 400 club area in deeper water.

If I recall correctly, I experienced the same thing last year and the year before in early August. I am lost as to where to go to find smallmouth right now, but I am going to start trying to explore the St Clair Channels, Firecracker, Sni, stuff over there.

[Hollada]

Its that time of the year when the smallie fishing gets tough.  South shore from the hump down to pike creek is producing OK for me.  14-20 fow.  Dropshot, tubes, spybaits, cranks (dt 14,16,20 touching the weed tops), and Ned rigs are all producing.  You have to move and find the bait. 

I've also heard rumors that the 16-18 foot metro flat area a couple of miles out from the 400 club may be coming to life.  I've tried that area twice in the past couple of weeks and only had moderate success.

This is the time of year I typically rotate to fishing the mouth of the Detroit river area at erie.  Instead of doing that, we hit the St Clair river out of the Marine City lunch this past Saturday.  My first time on the SCR.  We caught lots of fish from 1 lb to 5 lbs in water from 2 feet deep to over 35 feet.  3/4 ounce tubes, dropshot, and ned.  Interesting fishery up there. 

[Revtro]

I concur with Hollada.  I was looking thru my GPS the other day and all of my waypoints up in the river and channels are from early August from various years past.  If you don't mind vertical jigging for Smallies, there should be lots of fish available up around Fawn and Stag.  There is a good DNR launch in Marine City that I tend to use from here on out unless I launch at the N. Channel Ramp to fish the upper channels.