Chilly Late Fall Bite on the Minneapolis Mississippi

Artificial Lure here, bringing you the latest from the Mighty Mississippi as it winds through Minneapolis on this chilly Sunday, November 9, 2025. Bundle up, folks—the river has a bite in the air, and maybe the fish do too. Let’s kick things off with today’s weather: Minneapolis woke to a fully clouded sky, brisk northwest winds rattling the banks, and highs only topping out near 38 degrees. Lows will dip to 29 tonight, making for cold hands but steady walleye cheeks. Sunrise came at 7:01 AM and you’ll have daylight until 4:51 PM. The river’s mood matches the sky: gritty, gray, and laced with late-fall energy, perfect for anglers who don’t mind cold fingers and a bit of sleet in the beard. No tides to worry about this far north—here, river flow is the big player, and levels remain quite low according to WCCO and local spotters, so watch out for those stubborn sandbars and exposed snags. Now, fish activity: The Farmers’ Almanac rates today as a “Best Evening” for fishing—expect the bite to improve into dusk. November on the Mississippi means cool water and sluggish fish, so patience is key. Reports from Mississippi River Minneapolis Fishing Report say current clarity is pretty good despite low flow, but bank fishing might be tricky with shifting sandbars and scattered debris. As for catches, the usual late-fall suspects are in town: walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, northern pike, and the odd hungry muskie. Some shore anglers have pulled up nice walleyes in the 14–22 inch range just below the dams this past week, mostly during the evening window, with a few chunky smallmouths hanging tight to woody structure where deeper runs meet current breaks. Let’s talk tactics and tackle. Live fathead minnows and nightcrawlers on jig heads remain the best bait for reliably tempting walleyes and sauger. For lures, downsized is the name of the game—think 3/16 to 1/4 oz chartreuse or firetiger jigs, or try a hair jig with a splash of orange or pink. If you’re working deeper holes near bridge pilings, blade baits like the Johnson Thinfisher or a Rapala Rippin’ Rap in silver/blue fished slow will get smacked when nothing else will. For smallies that are still biting, opt for soft plastic craws or tubes, and twitch them over rock piles. Northern pike may hit a flashy spoon or a white spinnerbait near weed edges or backwater sloughs. A couple of proven hot spots for this time of year: - The mouth of Minnehaha Creek, just upstream of the 40th Street pedestrian bridge. Fish gravitate here for a last crack at a meal before winter. - Below the Ford Dam (Lock & Dam No. 1), where current seams and dropped water levels concentrate walleye, sauger, and even some big catfish. - Mississippi Point Park up in Champlin has a reliable shore bite, especially late in the day and after a fresh push of baitfish. A quick reminder—Pool 2, stretching from Ford Dam down to Hastings, is catch-and-release only for all bass, walleye, and northern pike. Most folks respect it, and the a This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.