Lake Erie April Heat Wave: Walleye and Bass Pre-Spawn Bite Heats Up

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your Lake Erie angling guru out of Detroit, comin' at ya live from the banks on this crisp April 10th mornin', 8:35 AM Eastern. Water temps are climbin' into the low 50s thanks to that sweet warm-up trend hittin' the Midwest hard—mid-70s air highs expected today per Bass Forecast outlooks, pushin' bass shallow and hungry through pre-spawn.

Sunrise was at 7:02 AM, sunset 8:12 PM, givin' ya a solid 13 hours of light. No real tides here on Erie, but wind's light outta the southwest at 5-10 mph, skies partly cloudy—perfect for walleye and perch runs. Fish activity's rampin' up: recent reports from local Detroit River mouths and Erie bays mirror East Coast bites, with holdover walleye, yellow perch, and early smallmouth bass stackin' in. Anglers pulled limits of 2-4 lb walleyes yesterday on jigheads, plus perch up to 1.5 lbs and a few 3 lb smallies. Steelhead still lingerin' in the tributaries.

Best lures right now? Slow-dance light soft plastics like 3-inch twister tails or Gulp! minnows on 1/4 oz jigheads, bounced just off bottom—killin' it daytime. For topwater action at dawn/dusk, crankbaits like Rapala Shad Raps in perch or firetiger. Live bait? Emerald shinies or nightcrawlers under slip bobbers for perch; minnows on harnesses trolled slow at 1.5 mph for eyes.

Hot spots: Hit Sterling State Park reefs for perch stacks, or troll the Detroit River ship channel near the Ambassador Bridge for walleye gold. Back bays around Grosse Ile are smallie magnets with baitfish pilin' in.

Stay safe, check regs, and wear PFDs out there.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI