Lake St. Clair (Detroit)
Visited Detroit on Business and had an opportunity to fish lake St. Clair.
I literally drove through the ghettos (burned out homes, boarded up businesses, cops on every corner) to get to the marina. The marina was wonderful. It is amazing how two blocks can transition from hell to anytown USA.
St. Clair is a relatively shallow lake famous for smallies, musky and walleye.
The water is a soft, almost limstoney blue. The bottom is mostly sand and rock (and zerbra muscles). We fishined in water between 12 and 6 feet.
Anyhow, the first trip we fished with tubes and I caught 12 smallies (biggest being little over 3lbs) and two giant drum. The three of us caught around 30 in two hours. The only reason we quit was due to wave after wave of thunderstorms. As the line started lifting off the water, we headed in.
The second trip I caught 6 smallies, again on tubes. Also caught 15 of the biggest Redeyes I have ever seen, also on tubes! The photo attached is the average, none smaller. It was a beautiful day but strong winds.
Around 6PM, my host took us to a pier. He said it always produced smallies. The wind was slamming waves into the steel and concrete. Still tossing a tube I casted, my line bowing in the wind. My lure plopped in just at the nose of the pier. Little to no control but I dropped the rod and hoped it sank. A hit. Fish on. White Bass. As I was cranking it in there were 6 more trying to rip it from the hooked fish's mouth. Next cast, another. Another cast, another fish. The white bass were having trouble getting the tube in their mouth- felt like 30 guys smacking at my bait with little baseball bats. Every cast I would have 10 hits before finally hooking them. (Did not have anything but tubes. A twister tail would have equalled 100% hook up every cast.)
In 30 minutes the three of us caught 45 fish. At one point, I hooked 10 in a row. It was fast and furious. They were all plump, good keeper size.
Later as we were heading in one of the guys asked if I was tired. I said no.
About 9PM that night my arms and hands were aching.
Thank you Wipers (knows at Silver Bass in Detroit). Thank you.
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