Southeast Michigan offers some of the world’s best warm water species fishing plus a chance for a steelhead in four local rivers.
These stocked fish along with strays from Ohio and Pennsylvania run the Huron River in the fall and spring. The spring run is the stronger of the two with the fall run numbers being heavily dependent on rain and winds.
Southeast Michigan offers world class fishing for many warm water species including walleye, smallmouth bass, musky, and perch, but also offers local anglers cold water stream steelhead fishing. There are four stocked rivers in Southeast Michigan that get steelhead and provide Detroit area steelheaders a chance at a fish. This article explores these rivers and discusses the issues and future of Southeast Michigan steelheading.
We will start our exploration of Southeast Michigan steelhead fishery at the southern end with the Huron River. While this 900 square mile watershed runs through seven southeastern counties the steelheading is largely confined to boat and shore fishing in the river at the boarder of Wayne and Monroe counties below Flat Rock Dam. Flat Rock Dam has a Denil style fish ladder that enables the fish to reach as far upstream as French Landing below Belleville Lake Dam. DNR studies indicate that approximately 20 - 30% of the returning spring run fish will use the ladder to reach this upper stretch. This stretch features wadable gravel riffle habitat and super access via public parks. The Huron River dumps nearly straight east into Lake Erie and the lower river water height and fishing can be impacted by hard east and west winds. East winds will make the lower river rise and make the fish run and west winds make the lower river drop and prevent the fish from running. The river mouth area has little flow and lacks the depth of other Lake Erie ports so there is not much of a river mouth fishery.
I discussed the Huron River steelhead fishery with Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Biologist John Buszkiewicz. John mentioned that the Huron has been stocked in the lower river for steelhead since the early 1990s with an average stocking total of 50,000-60,000 yearling steelhead smolts. This makes the Huron River steelhead plant the largest in Southeast Michigan. These fish out migrate in late April through early May and adult in cooler deeper areas of eastern Lake Erie. These stocked fish along with strays from Ohio and Pennsylvania run the Huron River in the fall and spring. The spring run is the stronger of the two with the fall run numbers being heavily dependent on rain and winds. John also mentioned the river is fished hard both by boat and from shore fisherman and gets an estimated average run of 3000-5000 fish.
I was able to join local Huron River steelheader Mark Ruby for a morning of plug fishing the Huron in the early winter. We put in at one of the lower launches and headed upstream. We started by slow trolling fat, square billed diving plugs in classic steelhead colors occasionally pausing to let the plugs wobble in the faster deeper areas of the Huron and were fortunate enough to land a couple of beautiful steelhead from the same hole using both techniques. Other techniques popular for Huron steelhead include bobber fishing jigs or spawn and back bouncing spawn. The slower nature, distance between holes, and depth of the lower river makes wading and casting hardware difficult. A small, 12-16 foot aluminum boat with a small gas motor and either an anchor system or an auto pilot bow mount electric motor are a huge bonus when fishing this river. John mentioned the steelhead start to run in the fall in late September. Rain events, dam draw downs, temp drops and the seiche on Lake Erie are the biggest factors impacting when the fall run starts and also influence the size of the fall run. Mark added that “the Huron gets small fish early in Sept and Oct then bigger fish show up in November once the water temps get around 40 degrees”. Keep in mind that the river flow gage is way up-stream so it pays to have local eyes on the river to avoid un-fishable conditions in the lower water below Flat Rock Dam.
If an angler keeps a clipped fish they are encourage to keep the head and provide it to the DNR so they can check for a tag. These tagged fish offer valuable clues regarding the steelhead fishery.
Just an hour or so to the north is the Clinton River. This river and its tributaries drain an area of 763 square miles with most of it in Oakland and Macomb counties. Parts of the upper main branch, upper North Branch, Paint Creek, and Stony Creek flow through areas of coarse soils with high infiltration so it has the steadiest flow of the four Southeast Michigan stocked steelhead streams. This geology would typically mean steady flows but a high level of development in the watershed causes increased surface water drainage into the stream and with it increased flashiness. The Clinton offers the only cold-water trout fishing in Southeast Michigan in its tributary Paint Creek. This creek is managed for brown trout and now that the dam at Yates is breached it also has a growing population of little rainbow trout which are offspring of the stocked steelhead that now can easily reach prime spawning gravel and cool waters of Paint Creek. Public access on the Clinton is excellent with the mainstream traveling through parks featuring a paved walking/biking path from Utica through Clinton Township.
My MDNR Fisheries Biologist contact for the Clinton was Cleyo Harris. We discussed the state of the current fishery, issues with the fishery, and the future of the fishery. Currently the Clinton receives 27,000 steelhead smolts. In 2023 this number was increased to 37,000. Cleyo mentioned that the Clinton River “is the most popular steelhead fishery in southeast Michigan and one where we do see some natural reproduction.” The local anglers would like to see more fish, but the issue is hatchery capacity and fish availability. Cleyo stated “There are two main reasons: first we are at capacity for the number of steelhead we can raise in the hatchery and to get increases for one river would mean reducing numbers somewhere else, and second the streams in southeast Michigan are stocked to create a river fishery in Michigan and they do not also lend to a lake fishery like we see in tributaries to lakes Huron and Michigan. The Michigan waters of Lake Erie (including the SCDRS) get too warm for steelhead.” The other issue facing the Clinton River is the washed-out dam at Yates Cider Mill. This dam is necessary to prevent sea lamprey from reaching Paint Creek to spawn. The survival rate of lamprey fry is significantly higher in Paint Creek than the main branch due to cooler water temperatures. Currently there is a natural by-pass just west of the dam which now has the majority of the flow. This by pass has allowed steelhead to get into Paint Creek and successfully spawn. The issue here is these small rainbows compete with the brown trout for food and then out migrate before they are of legal size. This has a negative impact on the average size of the brown trout in Paint Creek. There is funding and a plan in place to repair the dam and remove the bypass.
The other Clinton River tributary besides Paint Creek of note is the North Branch. This petite stream’s upper stretches is home to a small population of natural trout. It is a beautiful stream from 29-mile Road upstream and features loads of gravel and beautiful riffle pool habitat. It clears the fastest of all the rivers in southeast Michigan and now with the metro park there is plenty of access. It used to be managed for steelhead, but the attempts were small, unsuccessful plants. At the time there was a dam that stopped migration at Romeo Plank Road so the fish could not reach the cooler water of the upper river. A few strays from the main branch can be found in the North Branch and now with the washed-out dam at Romeo Plank these fish can reach the cooler upper head-waters and potentially procreate. The lower river is more of a warm water stream and freezes hard in the winter and gets warm in the summer and there are a few panfish, bass, and pike to be caught in the summer months. A small plant in the North Branch would help spread out the pressure on the main branch especially in the spring.
Local steelhead expert and Michigan Sportsman regular Eric Lemaux aka “Nighttime” has been advocating for larger plants in the Clinton since 2017. Eric suggests that anyone who fishes the Clinton for steelhead log the trip into the Great Lakes Angler Diary as an easy way to show the DNR the amount of interest and use the river gets. Eric stated “the Clinton River water shed sits among almost 2.5 million people, largest population in the state.” It also “boast over 50 miles of trails that provide excellent access to over 40 miles of fishable steelhead water” so it’s easy to see why locals are lobbying for a larger plant. His persistence has paid off recently with an increase in the plant of steelhead in the Clinton River.
Steelhead hardware guru Dave Sluis has been fishing the Clinton for steelhead for over 20 years. Dave is a regular on the Clinton, is the admin for a Clinton River FaceBook page, and uses spinners, plugs, and spoons for Clinton steelhead. Dave offers tips to anyone who asks and suggest newcomers learn a single stretch very well concentrating on low water to reveal steelhead lies that would otherwise be undetectable. Intimate knowledge of a single section combined with the correct presentation of hardware are keys to Dave’s success on the river. In Dave’s experience, the run starts in mid October for the fall run and in mid March for the spring run but precipitation and unseasonable weather can alter these runs.
You won’t see the giant plants you see in Ohio but a chance for a southeast Michigan steelhead in a short after work outing or a weekend afternoon is pretty awesome.
Go an hour or so north of the Clinton and you will find the 73.5 mile long Belle River. This river dumps directly into the St Clair River at Marine City. While this is not a cold water stream it does feature a healthy, diverse aquatic population to go along with a stocked steelhead fishery. These fish begin to enter the river in the fall with precipitation events in late October thru early November and the run peaks in late March through early April with a few fish still in the system into May when the smallmouth are running. The river can be broken into three sections, headwaters, middle, and lower. The upper is pretty much a drainage ditch while the lower is too slow and deep to stop the running fish. The best steelhead habitat is in the middle section from Memphis down to the roadside park on Gratiot. In this area you will find decent riffle pool habitat along with 3 parks for access, each offering a chance for a steelhead. The river is smaller than the Clinton and while it can be floated with a small tube or kayak it is best fished wading. Due to its petite size float fishing and casting hardware and the primary techniques employed on this river. In the spring the Belle River clears faster than Mill and often times before the Clinton. Per DNR Fisheries biologist Cleyo Harris the “Steelhead stockings in Mill Creek and Belle River not only support a return run into those rivers but also support a fishery in the St. Clair River where anglers can target them from shore or a boat.” And as it turns out, there is a small boat fishery where the river dumps into the St Clair River in the fall and in the spring the mouth attracts salmon and steelhead due to the warmer water running from the Bell into the St Clair River. The current stocking level in the Belle over is 7,500 and there is little to no natural reproduction.
Drive another 30 minutes or so north of the Bell and you will find Mill Creek. Mill Creek is the major tributary to the Black River which dumps into the St Clair River near the mouth of the river at Lake Huron. Mill Creek has access and a dam in Yale and there is state land where it dumps into the Black. The good holding water is spread apart on this creek and you will pass a lot of frog water in between the better holding water. It is also a flashy stream that runs dark after a rain and can take up to a week to clear in the spring. The Black will often hold steelhead below where Mill Creek enters the river and this is part of the Port Huron State Game area. Unfortunately, some of the best water and grade on this creek is private and nearly impossible to access yet it still can provide some good fishing especially in late spring when you can catch both steelhead and smallmouth on the same day. The current stocking level of Mill Creek is 10,000 steelhead and like the Belle it has little natural reproduction.
Shawn Sparr is an avid steelheader who fishes both the Belle River and Mill Creek and is also the host of the YouTube Channel Sparrs Outdoors. This channel features weekly fishing updates that include up to date information for steelhead fishing the Bell, Mill Creek, and St Clair River along with pier fishing updates from lower Lake Huron. Shawn recommends float fishing spawn and casting small spinners for fishing both of these rivers due to their smaller size and flow. The spinners give you a chance at a multi-species outing as smallmouth bass, pike, catfish, and even a few walleyes can be possible.
Southeast Michigan offers some of the world’s best warm water species fishing plus a chance for a steelhead in four local rivers. You won’t see the giant plants you see in Ohio but a chance for a southeast Michigan steelhead in a short after work outing or a weekend afternoon is pretty awesome. Keep in mind the Michigan DNR has a mass marking study for all Michigan stocked steelhead so all the Southeast Michigan stocked fish have the adipose fins clipped. If an angler keeps a clipped fish they are encourage to keep the head and provide it to the DNR so they can check for a tag. These tagged fish offer valuable clues regarding the steelhead fishery. If you are a catch and release fisher it is important that you document your outing in the Great Lakes Angler Diary so the DNR can document the amount of use these Southeast Michigan steams receive. So it you are a steelheader and live in the Motown area, check out one of these local streams when you have the itch to fish for steelhead but don’t have the time to drive up north or to Ohio. You might be surprised.
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