Detroit River Walleye Bonanza: Late June Fishing Report for Lake Erie

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Erie and Detroit fishing report for Friday, June 20, 2025.

Sunrise this morning hit at 5:56 a.m., with sunset coming up around 9:13 p.m. Skies started out clear with a light haze, temps sitting in the upper 60s early, climbing toward the low 80s by afternoon. A gentle westerly breeze is making for comfortable drifts, and water conditions remain clear to a slight green tint in most locations. No tides to report here on the Great Lakes, but changing wind can impact currents and fish movement, so keep your eyes on the breeze.

Walleye action is still red hot from Detroit down through Bolles Harbor and out into the Ohio Dumping Grounds. Net Dreams Fishing reports plenty of four-man limits this week, especially fishing 24 to 26 feet of water where clean to lightly stained water is holding active schools. Best tactic has been trolling Hangry Brand spoons in green, gold, and pink at 2.3 to 2.4 mph, setting your leads 50 to 70 feet back off big boards or mini discs to get to those deeper marks. Spooks and small crankbaits are working if you’re handlining up in the river itself.

A few white bass, northern pike, and rock bass are showing up in good numbers near the mouths and inside shallow bays, according to the Michigan DNR’s June 11 report. Perch are still spotty but should pick up as weed growth thickens and water hits the 70s. Anglers targeting smallmouth are finding them along rocky shorelines and breakwalls in 3 to 10 feet of water—try swimbaits or tube jigs for steady action. For lake trout, head east toward Port Huron or the deeper shipping lanes and bounce bottom with spoons or spin-n-glos.

Hotspots for today include the Detroit River mouth—especially near the Belle Isle Bridge and along Grosse Ile—where hungry post-spawn walleye are still stacked up. Another winner: Bolles Harbor out to 26 feet, where big schools of eaters are being boxed daily. If you want a little variety, try Erie Metropark’s boating access for mixed bags of walleye, bass, and the occasional surprise pike.

Bait of choice remains emerald shiners for perch and minnows or leeches for bass. Trolling spoons, particularly Hangry Brand, continue to outfish harnesses right now for walleye, especially in that clean-to-slightly-green water.

That’s the rundown for today from your local fishing expert, Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe for more real-time updates and local reports. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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