What Makes Lake St. Clair Prime Fishing Ground for Smallmouth Bass?

Lake St. Clair has been gaining a reputation as one of the best bass fisheries in the world — and for good reason.

According to a recent study by the Department of Natural Resources and published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, smallmouth bass in the lake are bigger that they used to be because they are living longer.

An article on the Bridge Michigan website suggests that the catch-and-release practices adopted by those who fish for smallmouth bass have contributed to the species' growth and longevity in Lake St. Clair.

According to the study, smallmouth bass during the early 1970s averaged about 4 1/2 years old. In 2023, they were generally 6 1/2 years old on average.

Dan Kimmel, the conservation director of the Michigan Bass Federation and the Michigan Bass Fishing Coalition, also believes these successes with smallmouth bass are due in part to technology features on boats — such as aerators, oxygen systems, and pumps — that help keep fish alive and put them in good shape to survive when they're released.

Kimmel and the study both concur that environmental regulations, such as the Clean Water Act of 1972 and Canada Water Act of 1970, improved water quality in the Great Lakes, which promotes fish health. 

An additional regulation changed the minimum size limit for the smallmouth bass. In 1995, the minimum size limit to keep a smallmouth bass in the state increased from 12 inches to 14 inches. “One researcher told me that might be the only regulation they've ever done that they could say made for bigger bass,” Kimmel said.

An alternative theory suggests that the invasive round goby, a small, bottom-dwelling fish, might be helping to sustain the bass in the lake.

“Gobies are getting eaten like crazy by the smallmouth. I've done camera work for a few TV shows, and I've seen underwater video of them where gobies come into a nest and the bass just eat one right after the other,” Kimmel said in an interview with Bridge Michigan.