Early Winter Walleye & Perch on Lake Erie - Detroit River Fishing Report

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Erie–Detroit fishing report.

We’re in that early‑winter grind now: cold, gray, and mostly ice‑free along the Michigan shore, with surface temps hovering in the mid‑30s to around 40 in the western basin. Light north‑northwest breeze this morning, stiffening through the day, with air temps struggling around freezing and windchill in the 20s. Skies stay mostly cloudy, with a chance of light snow showers mixing in this afternoon. Sunrise is right around 8 a.m. local, sunset just after 5 p.m., so you’ve got a short, tight window to make those low‑light bites count.

No real tides to speak of on Erie, but water level graphs from the Detroit River gauges show a slight seiche swing, enough to put a touch of current on the main lake points and at the mouth of the river. That subtle push is lining the fish up on current breaks and inside turns.

According to recent Lake Erie–Detroit River reports on the Lake Erie, Detroit Fishing Report podcast, walleye have been the main story: good numbers of eater‑size 16–20 inch fish, with a decent sprinkle of bigger 24‑plus inch eyes coming on the deeper edges of the dumping grounds and off Grosse Ile. Anglers trolling deep‑diving crankbaits at a crawl are putting 10–20 fish in the box on solid days when the wind lines up.

Best producers right now:
- **Lures:** Size 9–11 deep diving cranks in purples, chromes, and firetiger; smaller harness blades pulled slow when it’s really calm.
- **Bait:** Emerald shiners on floating jig heads or bare hooks, fished just off bottom on a three‑way rig in the Detroit River; salted shiners on perch rigs where you can find a school.

Perch action has been spottier but still worth a shot when you mark them—mostly mixed bags of 8–11 inchers with the odd 12–13. Look to 20–30 feet off Bolles Harbor and out toward Brest Bay when the wind lets you hold. Small emeralds or fatheads on standard two‑hook spreaders are still the go‑to.

In the river itself, vertical jigging is picking up again. Heavier 3/4 to 1‑ounce jigs tipped with minnow or a plastic fluke in chartreuse, green pumpkin, or white are taking both walleye and the occasional bonus steelhead sliding through. Short hops right on bottom and tight boat control are critical in that winter current.

Couple of local hot spots to circle for today:
- **Breast Bay / Luna Pier stretch:** Work 22–28 feet, slow‑trolling cranks tight to bottom. Watch your speed—1.0 to 1.4 mph is the sweet spot when that water’s this cold.
- **Trenton Channel on the Detroit River:** Inside turns and current breaks near the warm‑water discharge areas are holding better concentrations of eyes. Drifting and snapping jigs from upstream to down is producing steady bites when the wind isn’t fighting the flow.

Fish activity will be best in that first hour after sunrise and the last hour before dark. Midday bites are tougher but you can still scratch out a limit if you grind the structure and stay on the sonar. Downsizing baits and slowing way down usually makes the difference.

That’s it from Lake Erie and the Detroit River. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.

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