Early Fall Bite on the Mississippi: Minneapolis Fishing Report

Artificial Lure here with your Mississippi River Minneapolis daily fishing report for Sunday, September 7, 2025. Early fall is showing up strong on the river. Water temps are starting to drop, and the fish are responding—especially during those low-light windows around dawn and dusk. Today’s sunrise hit at 6:42 AM and sunset will fall at 7:38 PM, so make sure to hit the water just before or after those times for the best bite. The weather forecast calls for a high near 69°F with a cool morning bottoming out around 40°F. Light breeze out of the northwest and clear skies make for primo conditions to spot active fish in the shallows or off main current seams. There’s no tidal influence here, but solunar tables rate the day as “Best”: major fish feeding times are running from about noon to 2 PM, with minor periods just before sunrise, 5:48 AM to 6:48 AM, and again 7:28 PM to 8:28 PM. Plan your serious casts around those windows to maximize results according to the Solunar Forecast. Recent catches have been solid. The word on the docks is that smallmouth bass are still aggressive near rocky riprap and along the channel edges, especially north of the Stone Arch Bridge and over by Boom Island. Anglers targeting deeper holes and mid-river eddies are finding plenty of action with walleyes and some bonus northern pike. Crappies are popping up whenever folks are patient enough to work jigs under structure—especially around laydowns and bridge pilings. According to reports from Outdoor News and local video posts, September’s cooler mornings are bringing those big bites. Most anglers are getting success with a mix of classic lures: - For smallmouth: 3-4” paddle tails in green pumpkin, chartreuse, or hot craw patterns. Ned rigs and tubes fished slowly across gravel bars. - For walleye: Spinners rigged with nightcrawlers or minnows are taking fish in deeper current breaks. Bright-colored, shallow-diving crankbaits and jig/minnow combos are working when the bite is slow. - For crappie: Downsized soft plastics, hair jigs, and plain old fathead minnows beneath a slip float. - Northern pike are whacking white Mister Twister tails and larger spinnerbaits with gold blades near submerged weeds and mud/rock transitions. Live bait shops report minnows are best for walleye and crappie right now, with crawlers and leeches picking up bonus fish if you’re working the bottom. Don’t leave home without some tried-and-true artificials—the river’s got plenty of hungry mouths willing to hit them. Numbers-wise, you can expect decent amounts: several boats have reported up to a dozen respectable smallmouths in a morning, with walleye limits seen from shore-based folks pulling spinners at twilight. Crappie catches have been spotty but solid where folks target the right structure. Pike are hit-or-miss, mostly smaller fish but with the occasional big one mixed in. A couple hot spots to target: - Boom Island Park: Find smallies behind the islands and pike near the weedier backwa This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.