Mitchell's Bay – Lake St. Clair

About this water

A true trophy bass fishery on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, with world-class muskie and a strong winter perch fishery.

Shallow, weedy Canadian-side bay of Lake St. Clair. Canals give easy access to vegetation; the open bay gets rough fast in wind. FMZ 19.

FMZ 19 regulations — Lake Erie

The Canadian waters of Lake Erie — the shallowest and most productive Great Lake — together with Lake St. Clair and the Detroit, St. Clair and Upper Niagara Rivers. It is not the Lake Ontario zone.

• Walleye: open all year on Erie; S-4/C-2 – 46 cm min (varies by area, check).
• Yellow perch: open all year; S-50/C-25 (Erie).
• Muskie (St. Clair): 3rd Sat in June – Dec 15; 137 cm min, S-1/C-0.
• Smallmouth bass: last Sat in June – Dec 15 on Erie; S-6/C-2.

Zone check: FMZ 19 set by review — Great Lakes water body: access point on Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair or a connecting channel. Coordinate falls on the land side of the mapped boundary, so the zone is set from the water actually fished. Reviewed 2026-08-12.

Summary only — always confirm current seasons and limits on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 19 page before your trip.

Seasonal availability

Open-season windows for the species found at Mitchell's Bay – Lake St. Clair, taken from the FMZ 19 regulation summary. Green months are within a published open season — they are not a prediction of how well fish will bite.

Summary only, and seasons change annually. Confirm dates on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 19 page before your trip.

Fishing tips

• Erie perch stack tight to structure — bottom rigs with emerald shiners produce.
• St. Clair muskie sight-fishing shines in the shallow south basin all summer.
• Punch or frog the thick vegetation for largemouth in summer, and troll the deeper flats outside the weed line for muskie.
• Access: Public lot at the marine park; a private launch is also available at Bass Haven for boats 22 ft and under.

Gear setup

Setup:

Medium-heavy spinning for bass; heavy casting for muskie

Rod:

7' medium-heavy spinning rod; 8' heavy casting rod

Reel:

Size 3000 spinning; 300-size baitcaster

Line:

30 lb braid; 80 lb braid with fluorocarbon leader for muskie

Best bait:

Minnows, Worms, Leeches

Best lures:

Frog, Chatterbait, Wacky Senko, Bucktail