Early Summer Walleye and Smallmouth on the Minneapolis Mississippi River

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Mississippi River Minneapolis fishing report. We’re sitting on a classic early-summer pattern on the big river through town. With no real tide to worry about this far upriver, the “tide” you care about is current: dam releases, wind, and barge traffic. Stronger flow pushes fish tight to seams, eddies, and behind any rock or wood that breaks current. Lighter flow spreads them onto flats and shallow riprap. Weather-wise, local forecast calls for a mild, partly cloudy day with a light south breeze and comfortable temps climbing through the 70s into the low 80s. That broken cloud cover is perfect for walleyes and smallmouth to stay active a little longer after sun-up and fire up again ahead of dusk. Expect a stable barometer most of the day, which usually means consistent but not crazy feeding windows. Sunrise comes early this time of year, with first light giving you prime action in that 30–90 minutes around dawn. Sunsets are late, and that last hour of light has been one of the most reliable bites all week, especially for smallmouth, channel cats, and panfish sliding shallow. Recent word from local anglers along Pool 1 and just above and below St. Anthony shows a mix of species coming in: eater-size walleyes in the 15–18 inch range, plenty of feisty smallmouth from 12–18 inches, a few bonus pike, plus steady channel cats and some flatheads after dark. Shore anglers have been picking up nice crappies and bluegills in current breaks near marinas and slackwater pockets off the main channel. Fish activity has followed a pretty clear schedule: Early morning, walleyes and smallmouth are pushing bait up onto shallow gravel and riprap just off the main flow. Midday, they slide deeper—edges of holes, mid-river current seams, and the backside of wing dams where you can find that soft water next to a strong push of current. Evening brings a second wind: topwater and shallow reaction baits have been putting in work once the sun gets low. Best lures right now: - For walleye: quarter-ounce jigs with plastics in chartreuse, white, or motor oil; add a fathead or half crawler if the bite is finicky. - For smallmouth: tube jigs in green pumpkin, 3–4 inch paddle-tail swimbaits, and squarebill crankbaits ticking rock. Topwater walkers and poppers around dawn and dusk are turning some big bronzebacks tight to shore. - For pike: larger swimbaits and spinnerbaits slow-rolled along weed edges and current breaks. - For cats: cut sucker, chicken liver, and nightcrawlers on simple slip rigs, parked just downstream of big eddies and deeper bends. Best bait, if you’re going natural, has been nightcrawlers and fatheads for walleyes and mixed bag; crawlers and leeches under a slip float for panfish and smallies; and cut bait for cats. River fish here are used to chasing, so don’t be afraid to move and cover water if they’re not on your first spot. A couple of local hot spots to consider: - The stretches just above and below the Franklin Avenue Bridge: classic current seams, riprap banks, and eddies. Great multi-species water, especially early and late in the day. - The pool below the Ford Dam area: deeper holes, wing-dam-style structure, and plenty of current breaks that hold walleyes, smallmouth, and cats. Work jigs and live bait along the breaks, and toss cranks across the seams. Stay mobile, watch the current, and let the river tell you where to fish—anywhere you see bait flicking in a seam or birds working is worth a few casts. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn