Lake St Clair and the Detroit River

[Mojo-NC]

My fishing group has the first week of August off work because it was supposed to be our week to go to Canada, which now seems very unlikely. We still want to fish somewhere. Would Lake St Clair and the Detroit River be a good place to go? I've only fished Lake St Clair once and it was in early April before the pleasure boats woke up for the season.

We would probably tent camp somewhere nearby if possible (or stay in a motel) and we would bring a boat or two along with us. What's that lake like during August? Would it be super busy with full boat ramps and crazy with pleasure boaters that time of year? A week of smallmouth fishing with a chance of catching a musky sounds good, but not if it is likely going to be a frustrating experience. Some jigging for walleye on the Detroit River sounds good too.

Thoughts from those of you who know the area would be much appreciated.

[Custom Eyes]

I fished St. Clair a few times when I lived down there and several times every week on the Detroit River. You're not going to get away from the pleasure boats this time of year, but you can still fish. You just have to be selective of where you do. Jigging for walleye, especially in the Detroit River is probably going to be out of the question, because the jigging bite, which is really slow this time of year, is generally in the shipping channels where all the pleasure boats are traveling. It can be done if you don't mind 3-4' wakes coming at you and people yelling at you to get out of the channel. Night time is a possibility for jigging, but I try to stay out of the Detroit River channels at night because of drunk boaters. Lots of people do whip, handline, and jig the St. Clair River at night though. Bottom bouncing the flats just outside the channels on the lower Detroit River is pretty effective and safe this time of year. If you don't mind casting shallow flats, that opens up most areas on both the River and lake. Great pike and bass fishing casting all up and down the Detroit River. Some of the best pike fishing in the state is on the river, casting along docks and structure. Killer largemouth bass bite there also.

[Mich_Fisherman]

[QUOTE=Mojo-NC;6460532]My fishing group has the first week of August off work because it was supposed to be our week to go to Canada, which now seems very unlikely. We still want to fish somewhere. Would Lake St Clair and the Detroit River be a good place to go? I've only fished Lake St Clair once and it was in early April before the pleasure boats woke up for the season.

We would probably tent camp somewhere nearby if possible (or stay in a motel) and we would bring a boat or two along with us. What's that lake like during August? Would it be super busy with full boat ramps and crazy with pleasure boaters that time of year? A week of smallmouth fishing with a chance of catching a musky sounds good, but not if it is likely going to be a frustrating experience. Some jigging for walleye on the Detroit River sounds good too.

Thoughts from those of you who know the area would be much appreciated.[/QUOTE

I am unaware of any campgrounds on Lake St Clair. There is Northpointe Shores RV Resort on the north end of the lake but I don't believe they allow tents. There is Algonac State Park which is near the north end of the lake on the St Clair river. Bottom bounce with harnesses on the river for walleye or jig early in the mornings there. There are many places to launch on the lake itself which would only be a 15-30 min drive (by car) depending where you want to launch.

Feel free to DM me.

[jfaisten]

I've fished that area for years. A very good choice vs Canada in my opinion. August can be tough but Lake St Clair is pretty much always good for smallmouth. The issue is that area is big -- lots of places to catch fish if you know where to go and what bait to use. I'd hire a guide your first day there -- a good one will show you several areas and how to fish with success. One guide that has been on Lake St Clair for a very long time is Doug Samsal. He's an outstanding bass guide and does a lot of walleye as well. 213-668-2894.
This will really make your trip.
Good luck

[Shellback]

I'd give Erie some thought. Much larger geographic area, multiple choices of different states and licenses, plus campgrounds or cabin rentals. If you chose western NY, and it's blowing on Erie, you can drop down to Chautauqua lake. Lots of walleye there.

[Stormsearch]

I think you can do much better for an enjoyable experience than camping around Lake St. Clair/River. Either move up to around the thumb/Saginaw Bay or drop down to camps on Erie. If you never been on the SCR/LSC/DR during busy summer boating months, I wouldn't make this my first experience. Big difference than April. But I would also consider the rest of the Great Lakes system that isn't next to a huge metropolitan area.

Your other problem is booking a camp spot in any of the State Parks that will entail staying part of the weekend.

[Mojo-NC]

Great feedback - thanks a bunch! This information will definitely give us plenty to discuss over a few beers and wings as the week gets closer.

[Mich_Fisherman]

Originally Posted by Mojo-NC

My fishing group has the first week of August off work because it was supposed to be our week to go to Canada, which now seems very unlikely. We still want to fish somewhere. Would Lake St Clair and the Detroit River be a good place to go? I've only fished Lake St Clair once and it was in early April before the pleasure boats woke up for the season.

We would probably tent camp somewhere nearby if possible (or stay in a motel) and we would bring a boat or two along with us. What's that lake like during August? Would it be super busy with full boat ramps and crazy with pleasure boaters that time of year? A week of smallmouth fishing with a chance of catching a musky sounds good, but not if it is likely going to be a frustrating experience. Some jigging for walleye on the Detroit River sounds good too.

Thoughts from those of you who know the area would be much appreciated.

Saw this and thought you might be interested......Lake St Clair portion of the show starts at about 12:30 minute mark. Also a potential charter guy in the show.

https://youtu.be/HIEAblhRYjc

Also there appears to be quite a few campsites available at the Michigan State park in Algonac for the first week of August. https://www.midnrreservations.com