"St. Clair Smallmouth Bite Heating Up as Water Clears, Perch Scarce But Promising at Grand Haven"

Hey there, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Lake St. Clair fishing report for this fine Monday morning, May 12th, 2025.

Folks, let me tell ya, the smallmouth action has been a bit of a roller coaster lately. About a week ago, the high winds stirred up the water and muddied things, causing smallmouth catch rates to drop around Anchor Bay. Those fish were still hanging in the middle of Anchor Bay, but they weren't as eager to bite as they had been earlier in the spring.

The pattern's been similar since early May when reports showed slower smallmouth fishing near Memorial Park and the 9 Mile area. But don't you worry - as the water clears up, those bronzebacks should get more active again.

Looking at recent catches, we've seen smallmouth in pre-spawn mode, staging in the shallows. Some decent largemouth have been mixed in too - one lucky shore angler pulled in two largemouth and a couple of sheephead (one measuring 24 inches!) using tubes at Harley Ensign launch just a couple weeks back.

For you smallmouth hunters, the Great Lakes Finesse 2.5" Juvy Craw has been producing well in the shallows. Tube jigs are still the bread and butter around here - they've been landing some of the bigger fish. Light line and finesse tactics are your best bet right now, especially if you're fishing shallow water.

Hot spots to try today? I'd hit the middle of Anchor Bay first thing this morning. If that's slow, cruise over to the 9 Mile area. The water should be warming nicely with these May temperatures, and those smallies will be getting more aggressive as they prepare to spawn.

No perch reports to share, unfortunately. They seem to be playing hard to get right now on St. Clair. If you're after perch, you might want to head over to Grand Haven where they've been having some luck in 50-70 feet of water using spikes, wigglers, and minnows.

Weather-wise, we're looking at typical mid-May conditions - keep an eye on those winds as they can change the bite in a hurry on this lake.

Remember, folks, the smallies are in transition mode between pre-spawn and spawn, so be patient and work those shallow flats. The tube bite should improve as the water warms through the day.

That's the word from Lake St. Clair this morning. This is Artificial Lure signing off - tight lines to ya, and I'll catch ya on the water!