As spring turns to summer in Detroit, the riverfront becomes lined with anglers, their baited hooks sunk into the water, trying to fool fish into taking their last bite.

Fishing’s always been a popular warm-weather pastime in the city. The Detroit River snakes for miles along the city’s edge, flowing from east to west, and its banks have hundreds of spots – some well known, some secret – where someone can spend the day basking in the sun and listening to the waves splashing at the shore as they wait for a tug on their line.

Among the best places to fish are the east side parks, like Owen and Angel and many others; there are the informal spots, like the pier behind the post office or the foot of the Belle Isle bridge; and there are the odd spots, like the remains of the Jefferson Trailer Court near Alter or banks at the end of little streets that run to the river.

John Williams, 59, found a spot across from Zug Island one crisp morning recently, as nearby smokestacks puffed grey plumes into the air. “I’m retired, and this is my first full summer just relaxing and fishing,” he says. “I like to look at the water, I like the relaxation, just to look over and see the waves, it’s kind of serene. I like catching fish too now, but if I don’t catch a fish I really don’t get upset.”

Right this very minute, Detroiter Westley Germany, 78, probably has two poles in the water at Delray Park, where he goes every single day. The plain concrete pier is like any other fishing spot in Michigan, except for uniquely Detroit sights like the Ambassador Bridge spanning across to Canada, the Ren Cen silhouetted in the background and the sight of smoking factories up and down the watefront.

“It’s the best thing to get up get out of the house in the morning when you retire,” he says in a thick Alabama accent. He was a steelworker in Detroit for years, after coming north looking for work. “You can’t lay around the house, ‘cause you never been used to it. You been working all your life. You gotta just keep going. You gotta do something.”

Fishing is an equal-opportunity sport, requiring little money to get going. Once you’ve got the necessities like a rod, reel, fishing line and a sinker, bait such as night crawlers is free in the backyard, and artificial lures can be reused for years. The only other thing needed is a fishing license, available at most bait shops and sporting goods stores for $15, and is valid for a year.

A variety of fish live in the river, including perch, crappie, smallmouth and largemouth bass, musky, walleye, freshwater drum and northern pike. Those who fish to eat have to consider the likelihood of toxins in their catch. The river is lined with industrial sites, and though the state issues annual guidelines about contamination, not everyone takes them into consideration.

“We’ve been eating it all our lives,” says Germany, who’s fished the river for more than 60 years. “I never had no complaints. They’ve been talking about the water, some of them having mercury, different things in there, but I never had no problem.”

Detroiter Glenn Lewis, 58, also ignores the advisories. “Well it ain’t killed me yet,” he says of the river fish. “I’ve heard people say ‘I don’t eat no fish from the Detroit River. Well you’ll eat it if you get hungry.’”

Others are more cautious. “If something’s wrong with the fish you can smell it,” says David McCaleb, 52, who was fishing one morning at Riverside Park, in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge. “There’s a steel plant down here. And I’ve caught some fish where you can smell the steel.”

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, the river – like most bodies of water in Michigan – contains contaminants like PCBs, dioxin and mercury, but apart from carp, which people are advised to avoid eating altogether, other fish can be consumed in moderation.

“Cooking and trimming the fish properly can help reduce PCBs and dioxin in the fish,” says James McCurtis, spokesman for the MDCH. “But generally speaking, the fish in the river are healthy to eat.”

Fishing’s best in the morning and the evening, anglers say, when the sun is low, before the day warms up and the fish head farther from shore seeking cooler waters. Some fish, like walleye, tend to linger far offshore anyway, where they’re better caught by anglers in boats.

But regardless of whether any fish are caught on a given day, most anglers say they simply enjoy what is an old-fashioned, low-cost hobby, an inexpensive way to relax and bask in nature for a time. “It’s safe, nobody never bothers nobody,” Germany says of city fishing. “Everybody’s just out to fish and have fun.”

---

Detroit has several small, home-grown shops selling everything needed to fish. Though many bait shops have closed in recent years, including longstanding ones like Fisherman’s Marina near Harbor Island and newer ones like Detroit Bait & Tackle on Bagley in Corktown, a handful are still out there, providing a mom-and-pop source for bait, tackle and fishing tips. All are open from roughly sunrise to sunset, spring to fall.

Besides these specialty shops, other stores around town carry live bait and a handful of fishing supplies, including Mondry True Value Hardware on Michigan near Livernois, Palace Plaza on Jefferson at Meldrum, and even the old parking booth at the entrance to Delray Park – when someone’s working there.

Steve’s Bait, 6440 Jefferson. Customers walking in the door are immediately greeted by a thick air infused with the strong smell of fish, the sum total of all the baits they carry here hitting the nose at once. Billing itself as the oldest bait store in the city, they offer a huge variety of unusual bait including leeches and neon-green live worms, hundreds of lures and poles, and years of experience and advice.

Detroiter Glenn Lewis has been a longtime customer. “This is the best fishing store in the world to me,” he says. He’s around so much, an artist who painted an outdoor wall mural here included an image of him in it. “I’ve been coming here for years.” For info, call 313-259-1176.

Dicks’ Fishing Hole, 7919 Jefferson. In a new location inside an old flower shop on the corner of Van Dyke, this decades-old store is a fixture. Owner Dick Brousseau, 73, talks the talk and walks the walk – the walls display large, mounted fish that Dick’s caught over the years, and he tends to wear a funny little fishing hat that gives him the look of a man who knows what he’s talking about.

He moved to Detroit years ago from Minnesota. “I came here, went to school here, and one thing led to another and I just stayed here, and now I’m stuck,” he said with a laugh. He sells bait, poles, lures and sinkers in a little shop where the pace is positively languid. For info, call 313-824-6414.

Moe’s Bait Shop, 17412 Jefferson. Located on the far east side, Jim “Moe” Mogielski, 38, makes most of his products himself. Running the store his father began in 1966, he melts blocks of lead to pour his own sinkers, and creates his own colorful lures by hand.

He also offers fish-scented oil, which anglers dip their lures in, even soaking live bait in the mucky liquid. “A lot of guys will buy this and pour it on the whole dozen worms, kind of marinate them,” he said. “They say fish smell better than we can; they find their food by scent when the water’s dirty.”

The stretch of river near his shop has fishing nooks galore. “There’s quite a few spots out there,” he says. For info, call 313-824-5222.

Lafayette Bait and Tackle, 3331 West Lafayette. A victim of recent progress, this unfortunate place finds itself completely surrounded by the construction for the international welcome center near the Ambassador Bridge. The only access is off Fort Street near what used to be 23rd Street. “Might not make it if it stays like this,” says owner Dean Aytes, 53.

The old store sells minnows by the dozen, as well as a small line of fishing equipment. Aytes, who co-owns the shop with his wife, says he’ll provide beginners with everything they need to start fishing for about $30-$40. “I’ll set them up. Just come on in,” he says. For info, call 313-613-0549.

These articles originally appeared in the Metro Times Summer Guide.