Late Fall Smallies & Walleyes Brave Gale Warnings on Lake Erie

Good morning—this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Erie/Detroit fishing report for Wednesday, November 26th, 2025.

Anyone heading out today, be smart and safe. National Weather Service marine forecast has a **Gale Warning** in effect from this morning through Friday. Southwest winds are pushing 30 to 40 knots, with gusts up to 50 knots. Waves are forecast at 6 to 9 feet nearshore, peaking up to 18 feet offshore. Additionally, a **Low Water Advisory** is in place due to abrupt water level drops in the western basin, making safe navigation tough off places like Toledo and the Detroit River. Water surface temps are cold—44 degrees at Toledo, 48 off Cleveland, and 47 near Erie. If you’re trailering in, consider reserving the Detroit River and protected coves for any nearshore action. Please, check before launching and respect the weather; mariners are advised to remain in port or stick to safe harbors according to the National Weather Service.

Sunrise today happens at 7:33 a.m. with sunset at 5:05 p.m. So, your prime bite windows align with dawn and dusk.

Fish activity is classic late fall—most species are holding tight as water chills, but those big mothers are hungry, putting on pre-winter weight. Recent reports from Major League Fishing say smallmouth are the ticket if you want quality, with recent tournament bags at the Detroit River and Erie mouth ranging from 20 to 24 pounds, and 25-pound bags not out of the question. Largemouth action is busy inside grass mats on the river, with reports of anglers getting 75–100 bites a day when lake conditions allow.

The last week’s catches include mainly:

- **Smallmouth Bass:** Quality fish, best near the Detroit River mouth and lower river zones.
- **Largemouth Bass:** Inside mats and shallow flows of the lower river—especially any clean spot with baitfish present.
- **Walleye:** If you’re drifting or trolling east in Erie, the bite was good near the edges of the main channel and over rock structure—think Steeples area if you make it out, but again, today’s winds make that risky.

Baits and lures making the rounds:

- For **smallies**, throw a green pumpkin drop-shot worm (like Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm or Strike King Z-Too), or swimbaits (2.8–3.8" Keitech Fat Swing Impact) in goby or natural colors. Spinnerbaits and jerkbaits in ghost shad patterns are top picks.
- **Largemouth** are eating punched Zoom Z-Craw Jr. in black/blue or South African Special, ChatterBaits (Z-Man Evergreen Jack Hammer), and Neko rigs with watermelon red flake Zoom Zlinky. Frogs and big weights for mat punching draw the most bites if the river is calm enough to work matted grass edges.
- For **walleyes**, try trolling crankbaits along channel edges—bluegill or silver patterns. Locals report that harness rigs and crawler harnesses still get hits if the water isn’t too churned.

Hot spots to keep on your radar (if conditions settle):

- **Mouth of the Detroit River:** Where it dumps into Lake Erie. Shad are schooling here mid-fall, bringing bass and feeding walleye.
- **The Steeples (Saginaw Bay east of Charity Island):** Known for good walleye action—rock outcrops at 14–19 feet, but current conditions probably mean this is for later in the week.
- **Grass mats in the lower Detroit River:** Target 2 to 5 feet deep mats, especially noted on the east and south banks.

Remember, today is all about playing it smart with the weather. If a cold front and dangerous waves keep you off the lake proper, hit the sheltered marinas and slackwaters—Detroit River canals historically hold bait and active fish during rough days.

Thanks for tuning in to the Lake Erie/Detroit fishing report—subscribe for updates and break down each week’s action. This has been a quiet please production. For more, check out quiet please dot ai.

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