ST. CLAIR RIVER: YEAR-ROUND FISHERY WITH A MULTITUDE OF FISH SPECIES - Chuck Lichon

One of the great advantages Captain Pete has is that his bait shop is situated right on the river, which makes it easier to leave and return without using a boat launch. Frankly it’s probably the only bait shop within at least ten miles.

   

 A limit of delectable walleye taken from the St. Clair during a sun filled day. 

   

I love fishing the St. Clair River for  several basic reasons; namely, walleye, muskie, perch, coho, brown trout, smallmouth bass, steelhead, whitefish, and a world class sturgeon fishery. In other words, the St. Clair supports the majority of game species that we as anglers, love to fish. On top of all this action, it’s a year around fishery.

Hook One Charter (hookonecharters.com) Captain Pete Patsalis, Marine City, is a ten plus year veteran of fishing this great river. Pete has about as much knowledge on fishing here as anyone I know. In addition, he runs his charter business from the only bait and tackle shop in the area which he also happens to own.

     

      

     

     

One of the great advantages Captain Pete has is that his bait shop is situated right on the river, which makes it easier to leave and return without using a boat launch. Frankly it’s probably the only bait shop within at least ten miles. “It wasn’t easy to operate early on,” he says, but Pete and his significant other made it work. It made perfect sense to purchase the shop and run his operation from there.

The St. Clair River is deep, upwards of 70 feet, with widths of 800 feet or more, and it also has a decent current to contend with when fishing. This can be intimidating for anglers who are not familiar with this river. However, if people want to catch a lot of walleyes and enjoy themselves, this is a great place to fish. And for someone who is just learning to jig deeper waters for walleye, you could probably master vertical jigging here on day one.

Captain Pete states that the St. Clair does not have a lot of structure; so they tend to drift maybe 100 yard stretches of water. You will find small shallow drop-offs or rock structures, and even old sunken boats, including old prohibition boats that were once set on fire as the feds were closing in on the then illegal booze runners. There’s even a freighter or two resting on the bottom allowing fish a great place to hide. Keep in mind also, that this river, being on the Canadian border, can only be fished up to half way across, unless you have an Ontario fishing license; not always an easy task if you’re unfamiliar with the boundaries. Pete does fish the Canadian side often and says the fishing there can be very good as well.

   

    

   

    

Having as many species of fish in this river as it does makes it an all-season fishery. It doesn’t freeze over, so boat fishing is possible all year. A caveat to this however, is that oftentimes blocks of ice flow in to the river from Lake Huron to the north during spring thaw. The river for that period of time is not navigable until it clears out.

Salmon, walleye, whitefish, and trout all arrive early in the year. Another thing I like about the St. Clair River is that while the walleye may not be as large as those found in the Detroit River, they are great table eating size. Additionally, the river environment is quieter, and the walleye seem to stay in this river system, more so than the Detroit waters. However, prior to warm up, there is a good source of feeder minnows in the St. Clair, keeping the walleye satisfied enough to hang around. Many species head out to Lake Huron when the water starts to heat up however. Prior to the warmup, mid-April thru mid-May is a prime time to fish the river for walleye, although the entire stretch from March to June is a fantastic time to be on the St. Clair River.

   

A nice St. Clair River walleye about to be added to the live box.

   

Drifting and jigging with crawler harnesses for walleye is quite popular and productive, however spinners will allow you the opportunity to catch more species. Ideally use a six-foot, medium-action rod. Start in shallow water at around 20-25 feet and become proficient at that depth before moving to deeper water. You need to get the feel of the bite first because at deeper depths it’s not as easy to detect. Boat control is important for deeper water. Pete will start in shallow water and if not successful will move deeper up to the 70-foot level.

The weight and shape of the jig is important. A round ball jig will catch the current faster and the jig will not move as well. They tend to go straight up and down. Pete’s favorite is the walleye style jig. Basically, this is a round ball that’s crimped and comes to a point and will shoot off to the side because of the pointed nose. When they drop down you can feel them hit the bottom easier. Some anglers use the ultra-minnow style, that has a thinner minnow head whereby the current has little effect on it. Use a 3/4 ounce to allow the weight to drop faster to the bottom.

    

    

   

    

The flat-sided jigs can handle the current that we see in a river like the St. Clair. The river is moving so fast that the fish have only a fleeting moment to strike the lure, and when they do, they tend to hit it hard.

There was a time I used smaller jigs for walleye on the Saginaw Bay. I was reasonably able to maintain control of my boat well enough to use as small as an 1/8 ounce. But as the saying goes, “bigger is often better.” Even though my thought was that the fish could swallow up the smaller jig easier, I now believe that a larger jig is more easily noticed. I certainly have not noticed a drop in my catch with the larger jig. In fact, just the opposite.

Plastic worms are probably effective 90 percent of the time. There are plethora of colors and styles. Paddle tails, split tail minnows, worm style baits all work well for walleye. Live bait is good early and late in the season when fish are sluggish. It’s always helpful to have minnows on board as well, just in case. More salmon and trout are caught earlier in the year as well as are aggressive walleye.

  

       

   

    

Although you can catch a lot of fish on plastic, early in the year minnows are the best. Later in the year it’s not as important whether you use plastic or minnows. You cannot replicate a live minnow, no matter the color. Live minnows are a confident thing for the fish.

Typically, emerald shiners are the best early in the year. As summer rolls around and the emeralds scatter, mud minnows are you next best bet. They are a very durable minnow and can often be used over and over. Spot tail minnows on Lake St. Clair are killers. You can also use them on Smallmouth Bass, walleye, and other species.

      

Captain Pete of Hook One Charters in Marine City displays a pair of walleyes that are abundant in the St. Clair River. 

   

Now here’s a great tip on using dead minnows. Since Emerald Shiners are not always available, Pete doesn’t just toss the remaining minnows overboard after a day on the water. He first kills them in a salt brine solution. Then they are cured in fine salt and placed in the fridge for about three hours. Last remove, rinse and place them in the freezer to be used again for a future outing. When minnows die, they turn light color, but with this salt-and-freeze process they keep their color and are an excellent bait even dead for perch, trout, and walleye.

A good choice of line for fishing walleye on this river is braided line. It’s stronger then mono and for jigging and bottom bouncing you can feel the bite better because it does not stretch. This especially holds true in deeper water. An 8-10 high visible test will work just fine with a fluorocarbon leader so the fish will not easily see it. Also, the fluorocarbon leader can more easily be snapped off if it gets hung up. High-vis lines are nice so you can see all your lines more easily especially in low light conditions. Braided line is also more abrasion resistant on the rocks.

   

   

The BnR BOMBER Bobber Dogging Floats are finally here!

These floats feature cork body that is more dense than traditional foam floats to increase your casting distance. This is helpful whether you are fishing from the bank on your favorite tributary or in a boat. Each float is manufactured with a large diameter through hole and reinforced with a grommet on both the top and bottom of the stem.

Key features of the float are:

• Dense cork construction
• Large diameter through hole
• Reinforced with grommet

Floats are available in three sizes:

• Small- 1/8th to 3/8 oz weights (4-9 grams)
• Medium- 1/4th to 1/2 oz weights (7-14 grams)
• Large- 1/2 to 3/4 oz weights (14-21 grams)

 

   

Sturgeon fishing on the St. Clair River is also a bonus for those who wish to try something different. The hook-and-line harvest season for lake sturgeon is July 16 - September 30, inclusive. The hook-and-line, catch-and-immediate-release season for lake sturgeon is July 16 - March 15. Pete says that the best fishing is in the fall; so, September would be a good month if you wish to keep your catch. The average catch is around 50 inches; however, many are over 75 inches.

Just a note on sturgeon. The typical lifespan of a sturgeon is around 55 years but can live to more than 100 years old. I once caught a 9-foot sturgeon in the Columbia River near the Bonneville Dam in Oregon. This was a significant battle of one of the “dinosaurs” of the water in the deep and strong current this river possesses. Obviously, this particular fish was one of the seniors that resided in the river for many decades and if you do a little research, you will find that my fish was far from being the largest caught in this mighty river.

    

    

  

  

Here’s a quick summary for fishing the St. Clair River: January-March: Coho’s, browns, Atlantic’s, and occasionally kings; but can target walleye as well. Most coho are on the smaller size, i.e., 17-20 inches. Steelhead are usually around a respectable 8-10 pounds. Whitefish are nice size and for some reason few anglers seem to know (or target) this delectable fish on this river, probably because there are so many other species to focus on. Then when water heats up and the fish move out to bigger waters, it’s time for summer casting and vertical jigging for muskie, and 5- to 6-pound small-mouth bass. In mid-July sturgeon season opens. When you roll through August, muskie continues with November being a great month to fish for them. At the end of September, the walleye starts to arrive again in larger numbers, and sturgeon fish-ing also is good.

So, no matter the season, the St. Clair River has a lot going for a variety of fish species. I know I’ll be visiting it more often in the upcoming years.

 

 

GET A FREE SHIRT AND HAT WITH A LAMIGLAS WALLEYE ROD:

CAPITALIZING ON THE FALL RUN (SALMON) - RUSSELL GAHAGAN

 

TWIG PICKING FOR STEELHEAD - ROGER HINCHCLIFF