Late Summer Smallies Dominate Lake St. Clair Bass Bite

Good morning, anglers, Artificial Lure here coming to you straight from Lake St. Clair with your fishing report for Friday, August 29, 2025.

First light greeted us at 6:47 AM this morning and you can expect the sun to set at 8:16 PM tonight. Weatherwise, conditions out on the lake are promising: air temp a cool 66°, winds are out of the northwest at about 8 knots, and water temperature is holding steady near 68.5°. A slight dip in barometric pressure has the fish feeling a bit more active, and with wave heights around a foot, boaters and shore anglers alike should have comfortable conditions throughout the day, according to recent reports from the National Data Buoy Center.

Lake St. Clair continues to be a bass angler’s paradise. Local tournament numbers from last week showcased outstanding smallmouth action—one pair of anglers in the Fishing Clash Team Series landed 24 scorable smallmouths tipping the scales at a combined 50 lbs. Largemouths have been less abundant, but the ones coming up have solid shoulders and massive bellies, with five-pounders showing up in multiple bags at recent Michiana events. The big bass trend is holding, so you’ve got strong odds for a personal best right now.

The top producing lures haven’t changed much this late summer—chartreuse and white Chatterbaits continue to rule, particularly when slow-rolled over grass beds and main lake humps. Jigging soft plastics—craw or goby imitations on football heads—has also scored limits, especially early and around the mile roads. Local bait shops, like JP Hatch, report their silicone skirted craws and dice baits have been flying off the shelves; anglers mention extra action from threaded skirt strands has been triggering those cautious, late-season bronzebacks. Swimbaits and jerkbaits retrieved with swift but erratic action have also turned reluctant strikes into hookups, particularly close to breakwalls and along weed edges at Metro Beach.

For those targeting other species, perch and walleye are getting more active post-cold front. Emerald shiners on drop shot rigs and finesse worms in natural hues will get you into a mixed bag if you’re fishing deeper holes or channel mouths. Salmon action remains a Lake Michigan story, but rumors of bonus steelhead moving inshore around the river mouths are worth a shot with smaller spoons.

Hot spots right now: Anchor Bay is seeing steady morning and evening bass bites along weed flats, with numerable two-to-four-pounders. Harsens Island cuts are also producing heavier fish—focus on shaded pockets and current edges, as baitfish are high and tight right now. The Mile Roads, especially the area between 9 Mile and 12 Mile, are always worth a drift, and the east side—Mitchell’s Bay—has had big smallmouth moving in shallow, especially on overcast days.

A reminder for our weekend warriors: there’s no classic tide here on St. Clair, but pay attention to wind direction and speed—northwest winds can push bait and predators tight to southern and western shorelines, so plan accordingly. The bite’s best early and just before sunset, with midday slowdowns likely as fish tuck in deep or under cover.

That’s all for today from your Lake St. Clair report—thanks for tuning in. Remember to subscribe and stay caught up; don’t be the one hearing about the big bite after it’s gone!

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