"Autumn's Bounty: Mississippi River Minneapolis Fishing Report for October 24, 2025"

Good morning from the riverbank—this is Artificial Lure with your Mississippi River Minneapolis fishing report for Friday, October 24, 2025. As the fall bite kicks into high gear, the river around Minneapolis is putting on a classic autumn show for anglers tough enough to brave the chill. Weather this morning sees a definite bite in the air. Overnight frost cooled the water but fired up the fish; the current temp is in the mid-40s with a stiff northwest wind around 10-15 mph and a high expected in the upper 40s by late afternoon, just like the tournament weather downriver in La Crosse, Wisconsin yesterday. The sun climbed up at 7:40 AM and it'll dip below the bluffs at 6:13 PM tonight; that's a solid window of daylight to put your time in the prime feeding hours. According to Solunar Forecast, your best shot at peak fish activity falls late morning to early afternoon, right as waters warm a bit. While the upper Mississippi near Minneapolis isn’t tidal, the flow is still up after those frosty nights, pushing baitfish into eddies and backwaters—classic set-ups for fall bass. Water clarity is fair to good despite the low levels reported in downtown St. Paul this week. You’ll want to approach shallow spots quietly and target deeper holes as the day progresses. The action has definitely heated up. Reports out of the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship in La Crosse, just downstream, show that both largemouth and smallmouth bass are on the prowl. Day 1 totals blew up with Nick Trim bagging a five-fish limit at 21 pounds, including a chunky 6-pound smallmouth—he relied on local knowledge to find where the fish migrate as temperatures drop. The championship’s first-day weigh-in also showed more than 1,000 fish caught, with 156 five-fish limits landed, most in 17- to 21-pound ranges, and those conditions track with what we see upriver in Minneapolis today. Right here in the Minneapolis stretch, local guides and regulars are boating mixed bags—solid numbers of bass, with bonus northern pike and a few surprisingly feisty channel catfish. Walleye are starting to hit in the evenings and just before sunrise. Anglers are reporting “good numbers” of eater-sized fish in city stretches as well as just upstream near the Coon Rapids Dam, where current seams and hard breaks are prime. As for panfish, crappie schools can be found roaming deeper pools now that weed lines are dying back. For lures, fall means go big and go natural. Locals are hammering fish on dark colored jigs tipped with plastic craws or swimbaits, crankbaits in silver and chartreuse, and blade baits—anything that mimics a dying shad or minnow gets crushed. Topwater action has slowed with the cooler temps, but don’t rule out a hefty chatterbait or spinnerbait around midday if you find active fish on the flats. Nightcrawlers and fathead minnows on a jig or live-bait rig work magic for walleye or channel cats, especially if you’re fishing from shore or slow-drifting. Circle hooks keep the bite safe for cat This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.