New to Lake St Clair

[Bucks Bass and Bourbon]

Hey guys,

As the title suggests I want to start fishing Lake St Clair. I live in Lansing so it’s only a couple hours drive to Anchor Bay or the metropark. As of this year I have a 19 foot bass boat and am much more comfortable fishing the lake in reasonable conditions and want to start making several trips each year for smallmouth. I’m inexperienced when it comes to smallies but I have started dedicating a lot more effort into targeting them on Michigan lakes that hold them. I’m not asking for spots, just general wisdom on what to look for with the electronics to locate fish and get me started, especially as summer starts to move into fall and much of the material I have found is a little generic. I’m planning a mid September three day trip if the weather holds which I’m thinking might start getting into the fall transition time but if you guys who understand the lake can help me out with how to approach it and what to look for I’d be very grateful.
Questions that come to mind are conditions that call for moving baits vs slower baits like drop shots, general depth ranges based on water temp and seasonal patterns, etc. Just a little bit of a starting point so I can start learning without spending a trip or two casting into empty water (i.e. how to think vs what to do or where to go). 

 

Any insight is very much appreciated!

[Siebert Outdoors]

The mile roads are one of the most fished areas and probably one of the best.  In very general terms the fish line up on depth and weeds in that area.  if fish are 10 FOW you wont catch much in 7 or less or 12+.  From what I have found they are very depth related.   The lake is a big bowl.  Most places are a slow taper on depth.  You might be a mile off the bank and its 10 fow.  The main key is finding structure in the depth the main population of fish is holding.

 

I mostly fish that lake with Ned heads, swimbaits, suspending jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and 3.5-4" creature/tubes.  There are alot of other baits that work and work good. Year after year those work for me. 

[TOXIC]

Been going to the lake for 21 years straight but we always go in May.  Siebert has it pretty much right on.  They are more depth and structure oriented to the time of year and water temps than they are to baits.  If you can find them, they will normally bite.  A couple of places to add to your spots are the bay by Selfridge and the mouth of the Salt.  Both offer you all the depths that they may be holding in.  Just keep working your way out until you find them.  

[Bucks Bass and Bourbon]

Thanks guys I appreciate it. A little head start on where to look saves a lot of time especially as I learn smallmouth more. I had to push back a week due to some equipment not arriving in time so I’ll keep a close eye on the water temps. 
 

The only time I’ve been out on the lake was earlier this summer. It didn’t seem like there was much structure. Just a few patches of grass. Should I expect to find rock piles, timber or gravel if I spend enough time graphing?

[TOXIC]

Deep Grass beds and rocks will be isolated.  Many times there will be a more established weed line shallower but we’ve discovered that more pike, musky, largemouth and Rockies hang there.  

[Bucks Bass and Bourbon]

Ok understood. Sounds like isolated structure in the depth range they’re relating to is what to look for. Search until you get a bite and focus on the depth range from there. 

[TOXIC]

Remember, where you get 1 there will more than likely be more.  Before spotlock, we used to drift with the wind and hit a waypoint every time we hooked up.  Then repeat the drift.  Now, we have enough spots marked that we just run to them.  Boulders, weedlines, etc., we still search by drifting or with the tm on “constant” 

[Bucks Bass and Bourbon]

One of the fun things I had only experienced once before was when one of us was reeling one in we often had one or two chase it up. Our guide always had us drop our line straight down when we brought one close to the boat and I was surprised how often we got another one doing that either from fish we saw or that were too deep but hit it on the drop. That was fun. 

[Siebert Outdoors]

Toxic is spot on.  You might have a rock or weed bed thats 3x3ft and 25 fish on it and nothing around it but flat sand and no fish except in that little tiny spot. Like Toxic said.  Its mostly about finding them.  Thats usually the hardest part. Theres alot of water out there and alot of it is dead water.   I fall in the same as Toxic.  I think the first time I fished it was around 99 or 2k.   Been fishing there for years.  Mostly in May and June and sometimes late Sept or early Oct.  Watch the winds.  It can get real rough out there real quick.

[Bucks Bass and Bourbon]

1 hour ago, Siebert Outdoors said:

Toxic is spot on.  You might have a rock or weed bed thats 3x3ft and 25 fish on it and nothing around it but flat sand and no fish except in that little tiny spot. Like Toxic said.  Its mostly about finding them.  Thats usually the hardest part. Theres alot of water out there and alot of it is dead water.   I fall in the same as Toxic.  I think the first time I fished it was around 99 or 2k.   Been fishing there for years.  Mostly in May and June and sometimes late Sept or early Oct.  Watch the winds.  It can get real rough out there real quick.

Yes the winds and weather are what I am watching. Unfortunately I am limited to weekends now so I have to watch the five day forecast closely to monitor what the conditions will be when I’m out there.