Gone Fishing

When two veteran anglers describe Lake St. Clair as a “fishbowl” and the “world’s best,” believe it.

This 430-square-mile lake, known as a summer playground for boaters, is also the favorite of two of Michigan’s best and most affable charter boat captains. Both men mainly target two fish that have made Lake St. Clair famous worldwide.

Capt. Steve Jones learned his trade under legendary St. Clair musky angler Homer LeBlanc, whose lures are still used 70 years after he created them. Jones has been watching musky-fishing on the lake get better and better for 50 years; he says it’s now the world’s best.

Capt. Marcel Veenstra, a former nationally ranked tournament smallmouth bass angler, takes guests on fishing trips to the place that’s also the world’s best for smallies.

Capt. Steve Jones

Steve Jones says he’s probably booked more than 6,000 trips to Lake St. Clair’s Michigan and Canadian sides.

“I’ve definitely pulled more charters than any two captains combined out there. In the 1980s, there were only like eight of us. Now there are probably 200. Of those, very few have a larger boat,” Jones says, noting that he’s also invested in tackle and lures specially made for handling musky.

“The whole lake’s a good spawning area and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so good. For bass, you could have been fishing for two hours with nothing, and all of a sudden you’re going to get 30,” he says. “It’s such a fishbowl, and it’s all about following the bait.” Bass bait includes minnows and crayfish, which Jones says are all over the lake’s bottom.

“We start running for walleye April 5 on the Detroit River until about the 20th of May. In May, we’ll be on southern Lake Huron,” he says. Then, from May 25 through Nov. 10, it’s musky time.

“Lake St. Clair has undoubtedly the best musky-fishing in the world, no question about it,” Jones asserts. Musky used to be called the “fish of a thousand casts” because they were few in number. Now, Jones will often land and release six or more per trip. One trip in 2018 was the most memorable to date, as his clients boated and released a 44.5-pound, 53.5-inch — that’s 4.46 feet long — monster that was the fourth largest ever caught on the lake.

To coax them to hit, he uses 5- to 9-inch-long lures. As the season progresses, they get bigger, sometimes up to a foot long. Jones always sets at least one lure only 3 feet behind the stern, because the fish are so curious and so aggressive.

When he’s not trolling for musky, Jones targets Detroit River walleye. He says thanks to a vigorous state planting program, even Atlantic salmon are showing up in his net in lower Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair.

Capt. Marcel Veenstra

Lake St. Clair is also considered the best lake in the world for smallmouth, which can get up to 6 pounds because there’s so much feed, Veenstra says.

He’s been guiding bass fans for 22 years on Lake St. Clair, and has added numerous northern Michigan lakes to his list. Veenstra works with a team of five other guides under his Marcel’s Guide Service umbrella.

“This is a phenomenal fishery. I think of it as one of the most consistent bodies of water in the country. You catch fish every day; even on a bad day, Lake St. Clair still yields fish,” he says.

“Most days, we’ll start between 7 and 7:30 a.m. (and fish) for eight hours. In the spring we start shallow, and as summer progresses, we go deeper. Into fall we come back in a bit, but there are still fish deeper. I’ll start the year off on the western side, between Eight Mile Road and Lake St. Clair Metropark. Then it could be Anchor Bay one day or in the Middle Channel or on the Canadian side the next,” he says.

“We’re going to put an average of 25 to 50 fish a day in the boat. Most will weigh between 2.5 and 4 pounds. The trophy, for most, is a 5-pounder,” but a lifetime fish will be 6-pounds-plus. All fish are released, since you can now order a trophy mount using a photo.

What keeps this veteran fisherman coming back to the water?

“Have patience and confidence. If a beginner goes out and does everything I tell them to do, they’re going to catch fish. The only thing that will prevent it is the weather.

“I love it. The satisfaction of taking everything you’ve learned and watching someone else being successful (is) almost like putting the last piece of the puzzle together. You’re prepping them for success, and at the end of the day they’re happy customers.” Which goes to show: a bad day fishing is still better than a good day at the office.

Plan it!

Capt. Steve Jones
fishpredator.com

Capt. Marcel Veenstra
marcelsguideservice.com

A valid Michigan fishing license for each person aboard is required, and plan to purchase a one-day Canadian license for each trip. Both guides provide all necessary tackle and lures, and water. Bring your own snacks.