46.99 cm

One of my favorite fish to go for! Always a good fight!!! And pretty good to eat too!

Good one for the table!

The Detroit River is relatively short river, running less than 50 km in length. Yet it is one of the most diverse and productive fisheries in the country. Linking together Lake St. Clair with Lake Erie, this river provides a wide range of fishing experiences for many different species and appealing to hard core and beginning anglers alike. One of the biggest challenges fishing this system is figuring out what species you want to target. It has excellent fishing for walleye, three species of bass, perch, crappie, gar pike, northern pike, channel catfish, and is world class destination for the mighty muskie. So we have developed a four page spread that highlights several of these fisheries, and interviewed several staff from three Canadian Tire stores in Windsor area. WALLEYE Early in the season, usually from February to April, the walleye run is exciting in the fast currents where Lake St. Clair enters the Detroit River, around Peche Island. “Hundreds of boats will be fishing for walleye there,” says Mike Strange, General Manager at Canadian Tire at University Plaza. “At this time, guys are using jigs and bottom bouncers. And it’s heavy current so they are using a lot of weight.” Strange suggests using 3/4 to one ounce jigs to make sure it gets down deep enough in the strong current. And says there are a number of popular combinations you can try when jigging for walleye. “Some like white tails, four inches long, and some will go with yellow. [Another] popular colour is a chartreuse head with a white tail. Sometimes it’s a bright pink head with a whitetail. You can try a number of these combinations.” Moving downstream to where the river passes the downtown core of Windsor, there are a number of places that are popular right along the banks. Roberto Hospedales, fising manager at Canadian Tire Windsor South says several places are popular among anglers. “Right at Caesars Casino is a good spot. Also right in front of the police station and at the marina. You can fish either off the dock or from a boat.” Once the spawning season is over and the weather warms up, the walleye fishery changes. “In the summertime, most of the fish will move out of the river and into the lakes,” says Strange, adding there are a number of new ways to fish for walleye at this time. He suggests trying some lighter tackle, trolling nice and slow. Three types of fishing are popular among anglers, and include using spinnerbaits, jigheads with baited minnows, or going to shoals and bottom bouncing. “As the weather gets hot, it gets harder so you are looking for deeper pockets,” says Strange. “Most guys will go out to Lake Erie, way out ten miles, in the deeper water.” MUSKIE Where Lake St. Clair enters the Detroit River lies a world class muskie fishery. George Hardcastle, sporting manager from Canadian Tire at Windsor East says this is one of his favourite fisheries. “It begins as soon as the water is open, but fall is the best time for muskie.” Hardcastle says his preferred spot for catching muskie is a place called “Sturgeon Hole”, between the shore and Peche Island (see map below). When fishing for muskie, Hardcastle suggests looking for pockets in the weebed, and use a bathymetric map to see the underwater structure. “Anywhere there is a current break is a great spot for muskie. They stack up along breakwalls where there is shelter from the current.” He suggests using a cast and retrieve method, sometimes using a slow retrieve while other times trying a quick jerky motion. Early morning and late evening are the best time to fish for muskie. His top three lures are bigger Rapala’s (Fire Tiger colour), Black and Glaze top water prop lure that agitate the water, and soft plastic Bull Dogs. “Use a one pound lure and heavy duty gear. There are trophies in there, 45+ inches.” BASS Shortly after the walleye run finishes in spring, the silver bass fishery takes off as they migrate up from Lake Erie to spawn. Although it is short lived, it is a popular attraction for anglers from many cultures around the world, making Windsor a popular destination in late April and early May. It is a great fishery for the kids too, as they are easy to catch during this period. A lot of fishing takes place off piers and docks, with anglers lined up shoulder to shoulder. Strange suggests using heavy jigs when fishing for silver bass this time of year because the current is strong, and heavier jigs means fewer tangled lines with nearby anglers. A few weeks after the silver bass fishery wraps up, the largemouth and smallmouth bass fishery opens. This is another popular fishery in the slower sections of the river, as well as Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. When fishing for smallmouth in weeds, Hardcastle recommends bottom bouncing a tube jig. “See where the weed pockets are, get to the middle of the weeds. Bass will hit all day and the kids love it!” PERCH, CRAPPIE, CATFISH AND MORE Perch and crappie are also quite popular along this system. They can be found in the slower moving areas of the river. One of the popular techniques that targets multiple species is with a pickerel rig. When fishing for these species, Strange recommends reducing the size of your tackle and use smaller hooks. “We use a lot of pickerel rigs. That’s one of the most popular methods if you are just still fishing out of a boat. And you will get multiple species.” “You want the one that has the spreader on it with a couple of hooks. You put a small minnow on it no more than an inch long. I caught a 20 pound channel cat using that set up.” Catfish are yet another popular fish to target on the river. Hospedales says “if you’re going for catfish, get your lure on the bottom. They are a lot of fun to fish for, and many fish for them at night.” He sees a lot more kayak fishing, saying it is becoming quite popular, and a great way to get on the river. Gar pike is another fishery in the river that is popular, and Hospedales suggests using minnows and a whistler jig, casting out with a slow retrieve.