Walleye (pickerel)
Good
Through the ice where it is safe: jigging spoons and a dead-stick minnow near the bottom at first and last light. Open rivers: slow jigs in the deep holes.
Detroit River Fishing Report
Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live weather and water data
The Detroit River: a spring walleye run from Lake Erie, with muskie, bass and perch between Windsor and Amherstburg.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~6 °C est.
Air / High
5 °C / 12 °C
Wind
NW 18 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Detroit River has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the warmest hours. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 18 km/h, steady pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 12 °C. Water sits around 6 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 11:34 AM-1:34 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Yellow perch
Good
The ice season where the ice is safe: small spoons and tungsten jigs tipped with minnow heads, moving hole to hole to find the school.
Northern pike (jackfish)
Good
Under the ice where it is safe: tip-ups with dead bait in the shallow bays.
Tie on: Jigging spoon through the ice · Dead-stick minnow · Tip-up with dead bait · Tungsten jig and wax worm. Prime windows: 11:14 PM-1:14 AM, 11:34 AM-1:34 PM, 7:28 AM-8:28 AM. Warmer at 15 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Ontario requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from C$12.21. Ontario fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with Ontario MNR before you keep anything; the Smallmouth bass page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Detroit River today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (07:15), sunset (17:16), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 11:34 AM-1:34 PM; minor 7:28 AM-8:28 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Conditions here are modelled from weather, season and the nearest stations.
No live gauge on this water
Water readings appear when a Water Survey of Canada station covers it. Until then the seasonal curve below is the estimate.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp5 °C
High / Low12 °C / 5 °C
WindNW 18 km/h, gusts 26 km/h
Pressure101.61 kPa, steady
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:15 / 17:16
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~6 °C est.
The level of the whole lake, live at both ends: Lake Erie water level today.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Detroit River
The best day on Detroit River this week looks like Thursday Nov 12, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.
Best day this week: Thursday, Nov 12 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, Nov 9 — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 11:34 AM-1:34 PM
- Minor period
- 7:28 AM-8:28 AM
- Sun
- 07:15 to 17:16
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 21 km/h
- Rain chance
- 1%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Detroit River: seasons written for the Canadian year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Smallmouth bass
Opens late June in most of Ontario; best July to October
Open now Closes Dec 1, 2026. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are open from the fourth Saturday in June to 30 November. Rule as read from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on 2026-09-27.
The rock-and-current bass of the Great Lakes shores, the Bay of Quinte, the St. Lawrence and Lake St. Clair. The Ontario bass season opens in late June in most zones, after the nesting period. Closed or out of season in most waters.
Largemouth bass
Late June to October in Ontario
Open now Closes Dec 1, 2026. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are open from the fourth Saturday in June to 30 November. Rule as read from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on 2026-09-27.
The weed and dock bass of southern Ontario, Rice Lake and the Bay of Quinte. Same season as smallmouth in most zones. Out of season.
Walleye (pickerel)
Spring opener to fall, and the ice
Open all year Walleye and sauger, yellow perch and northern pike are open all year in Zone 19. Rule as read from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on 2026-09-27.
Called pickerel in much of Ontario and Manitoba. The fish of Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg and the Red River, Lake Diefenbaker, Tobin Lake, Lake Erie and the Bay of Quinte. Most zones close in spring for the spawn. Through the ice where it is safe: jigging spoons and a dead-stick minnow near the bottom at first and last light. Open rivers: slow jigs in the deep holes.
Muskellunge
Opens in June in Ontario; best in fall
Open now Closes Dec 16, 2026. Muskellunge are open from the first Saturday in June to 15 December; minimum size 112 cm. Rule as read from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on 2026-09-27.
The trophy fish of Lake St. Clair, the St. Lawrence, the Detroit River and Lake of the Woods. Catch-and-release is the culture; minimum sizes are large where retention is allowed. Out of season.
Yellow perch
Year-round; the ice season at Lake Simcoe and Long Point
Open all year Walleye and sauger, yellow perch and northern pike are open all year in Zone 19. Rule as read from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on 2026-09-27.
The ice-fishing fish of Lake Simcoe, Long Point Bay and Lake St. Clair, and a summer staple on every Great Lakes shore. Schools move constantly. The ice season where the ice is safe: small spoons and tungsten jigs tipped with minnow heads, moving hole to hole to find the school.
Northern pike (jackfish)
Spring, fall and the ice
Open all year Walleye and sauger, yellow perch and northern pike are open all year in Zone 19. Rule as read from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on 2026-09-27.
Called jackfish on the prairies. Found in almost every lake and slow river from Ontario to Alberta; big fish in the cold, deep lakes. Under the ice where it is safe: tip-ups with dead bait in the shallow bays.
When to come: the Detroit River calendar
Activity by species and month for the Canadian year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Walleye (pickerel)
Muskellunge
Yellow perch
Northern pike (jackfish)
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 6 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Detroit River today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at good. High of 13 °C, wind to 31 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at good. High of 8 °C, wind to 24 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at good. High of 10 °C, wind to 27 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Outdoors Card and Ontario fishing licence, from C$12.21 for a resident adult, with higher prices for other Canadians and visitors. Details and where to buy → Except on a one-day licence you also need the Outdoors Card.
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and protected areas are set by Ontario MNR and, in salt water and for salmon, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Ontario licence page before you keep anything. The zone-by-zone seasons and limits are on Ontario fishing seasons.
Access
An Outdoors Card and an Ontario fishing licence are needed on the Canadian side, and two lines may be used from a boat in open water in Zone 19.
About this water
Detroit River is a river in Ontario, Canada, covered from the Ontario reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Detroit River: the full guide
The Detroit River
The Detroit River runs from Lake St. Clair past Windsor and Detroit to Lake Erie at Amherstburg, forming the border between Ontario and Michigan: a wide, fast-flowing river between two cities. Each spring, walleye from Lake Erie move up the river to spawn, and the fishing that follows draws boats from both countries. The coordinates on this page are in the river off Amherstburg, near Bois Blanc Island; there is no live public gauge on the river used here.
Species and seasons
Walleye run in spring, roughly from March into May as the water warms; smallmouth bass, muskellunge, yellow perch and white bass are fished through summer and fall. The Ontario side is in Fisheries Management Zone 19, where walleye, perch and pike are open all year, muskellunge open on the first Saturday in June and bass on the fourth Saturday in June. Limits for each species are in the zone summary.
Where to fish it
Boats jig for walleye in the current along the Canadian channels near Amherstburg and around the islands at the lower end of the river. Fighting Island and Bois Blanc Island are both in Ontario’s Essex County according to the national gazetteer, and the channels around them are fished for walleye. Shore anglers use public parks and docks along the waterfront where fishing is allowed.
Boating safety
The river carries heavy ship traffic and a strong current. Anchoring in the main channel is dangerous, so most walleye anglers drift or hold position with the motor, and a vertical jig heavy enough to stay near the bottom is the usual approach. Keep clear of freighters, which cannot stop or turn quickly.
The water through the year
Spring is walleye time; summer brings bass, perch and white bass; fall is when many anglers target muskie. The current keeps the river moving through the winter, and conditions on it change quickly.
Reading this report here
Without a live gauge used here, the page shows a seasonal water temperature estimate, labelled as one; the walleye run starts as the water warms in spring. Barometric trend and cloud cover make up the rest of the score.
Licence, access and rules
An Outdoors Card and an Ontario fishing licence are needed on the Canadian side, and two lines may be used from a boat in open water in Zone 19. Michigan waters need a Michigan licence. The Zone 19 summary is linked below, with licence fees on our Ontario page.
Common questions
When is the walleye run on the Detroit River?
In spring, roughly from March into May, as fish move up from Lake Erie to spawn. The Ontario walleye season in Zone 19 is open all year.
Can I fish the Detroit River from shore in Canada?
Yes, from public parks and docks along the Windsor and Amherstburg waterfront where fishing is allowed.
Do I need two licences?
Only if you cross into Michigan waters; the Canadian side needs an Ontario licence.
Is fishing good at Detroit River right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Fish stocking
- Ontario fish stocking report
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.