Late-fall bass and walleye window on the Grand River mouth

What's biting

What's next

Flow matters most this week. USGS gauge 04119000 reads 1,780 cfs and gauge 04108660 reads 1,200 cfs, so the main channel is moving with some push. Expect fish to favor softer edges, eddies and slack water off the current rather than the middle of the flow. Gauge 04108862 shows just 5.58 cfs at 45°F, a reminder that smaller feeder water runs colder and quieter than the big river.

If temperatures hold in the mid to upper 40s, plan on slow, deliberate presentations. Tactical Bassin highlights the Alabama Rig as a cold-water tool for big, lethargic bass, and pairs jerkbait and swimbait work with a pattern-repeating approach once the first bite shows where fish are sitting. For walleye, Fishing the Midwest favors a plain bottom-bouncer rig with a nightcrawler in cooler water, and deep-diving crankbaits on rocky edges. Walleye typically feed best in low light, so dawn and dusk are the windows to circle. Bass often turn on during the warmest part of the afternoon, when the surface has had a few hours of daylight.

With a waxing crescent moon, nights stay fairly dark early in the week, which suits the evening walleye bite.

Context

Mid-November is on schedule for the late-fall transition on Lake Michigan tributaries and river mouths. Bass have typically left the shallow cover of summer and settle along deeper breaks and current seams, feeding less often but on larger meals. Walleye generally push toward harbor and river-mouth structure as baitfish gather. Cold fronts and wind can reset the bite quickly at this point in the season, so conditions are worth rechecking the morning you go. Check state regulations for seasons and limits before keeping any fish.