Autumn Angling on the Mississippi: Walleye, Bass, and More in the Minneapolis Metro

Artificial Lure here with your October 30th fishing report for the mighty Mississippi River in and around Minneapolis. Right now, fall’s in full swing: the days are getting shorter, and we’re working with typical autumn Minnesota weather—overcast skies, highs close to 50°F, lows in the upper 30s, and just a whisper of wind out of the west. According to the National Weather Service, there’s a run of mostly cloudy days ahead, with maybe a sprinkle here or there, so bring a good rain jacket and layer up. Sunrise hit at 7:44 a.m. this morning and sunset will be around 6:03 p.m., giving you just over ten hours to wet a line. No tides to worry about out here, but those river flows and a mild west wind keep bait pushing against those windblown banks and inside corners—classic fall feeding zones. Water temps in the Minneapolis metro are in the low-to-mid 50s, which has really turned on the fish. On the Mississippi, Pool 1 and those downstream stretches are seeing some excellent action right now. According to Outdoor News, these cooler temps have walleye feeding heavy along breaks in 10–18 feet, especially on overcast mornings and evenings. Pair an 1/8–1/4 oz jig with a fathead minnow or a Jigging Rap, and work those inside turns and current seams. Best colors? Stick with chartreuse, gold, or plain glow, especially in stained water. For bass anglers, both smallmouth and largemouth are cooperating. Omnia Fishing reports from Pool 6 just below us say bladed jigs and swimbaits are hot—try a Z-Man Jack Hammer Chatterbait or a 3- to 4-inch paddle-tail swimbait, slow-rolled just off laydowns and chunk rock in current. You’ll find smallmouth bunched up on midriver rubble—ned rigs and finesse swimbaits are the ticket. Northern pike are still prowling the last green weedbeds—burn spinnerbaits tight to the edge, or try a slow-rolled bucktail. Muskie, meanwhile, are showing on deep metro lakes adjacent to the river, with rubber baits and glide baits working best over bait clouds in 12–20 feet. Crappies are drifting deeper—target mid-depth basins with small hair jigs or plastics under a float, especially where you can mark schools on your electronics. Sunfish can be found hanging on the first break near coontail patches, especially if there’s a little wind making things choppy. Some recent catches from area regulars: - Multiple limits of eater walleye, with fish up to 22", reported in the Minneapolis stretch using jig-and-minnow combos. - Two-pound largemouths coming on chatterbaits around laydowns and wood. - Occasional big smallmouth (18"+) showing up on swimbaits. - Crappie limits landed from shore and by boat in side channels on hair jigs tipped with a Maki plastic. - Even the young anglers are catching pike on in-line spinners along windblown banks. For bait selection, fathead minnows are tough to beat for walleye and crappie right now, especially when the bite’s slow. If you’re heading after bass, bring a handful of ned rigs and a few chatterba This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.