Fishing the Mighty Mississippi in Late Fall Chill - Walleye, Smallies, and More Await the Diehards

This is Artificial Lure bringing you your Mississippi River fishing report straight from Minneapolis for Monday, November 10, 2025. Mother Nature’s setting a brisk stage out there this morning: overnight temps dipped into the low 30s, with a chilly northwest breeze around 10–12 mph. As the sun rises at 6:57 AM and looks to set at 4:48 PM, anglers will want to layer up and watch for patchy river fog early. No tidal swing here as we’re well up the Mississippi, but river levels are above winter pool after last week’s rains—expect some stained water and higher current, especially south of St. Anthony Falls, making some backwaters and slower seams the ticket for action. Fishing’s in that late-fall phase—a little quiet compared to summer, but there’s still good opportunity if you work methodically. According to outdoornews.com’s latest Minnesota fishing and hunting report, most folks have switched to hunting, but the die-hards still pulling walleye and smallies from the river have been rewarded, especially on warming afternoons. Walleye action is best on deep holes and current breaks close to the confluence with the Minnesota River and below the Ford Dam. This is the time to slow-roll your presentation; think jigs tipped with fatheads or plastics in natural colors. For smallmouth, rocks and the mouths of tributaries continue to produce, especially on sunny afternoons. Local forums at fishingminnesota.com show several recent catches of smaller eater-size walleyes, a couple pushing 22 inches, and decent numbers of sauger mixed in. Folks are also finding some bonus crappies and sizeable white bass stacked below the dams and in the slow pockets near Lilydale and Hidden Falls Park. Reports mention fewer but larger northern pike showing up—you’ll want a bigger swimbait or a bright spoon for those. Best baits this week: - **Walleye and sauger:** ⅜ oz. jigheads with a fathead minnow or a 3–4” paddle tail plastic in chartreuse/orange or blue/white. - **Smallmouth:** ⅛–¼ oz. jig and creature bait or a suspending jerkbait in shad and perch patterns. - **Crappie and white bass:** 1/16 oz. tube or jig with white or pink bodies. A slip bobber with a crappie minnow is still a strong bet. - **Northern pike:** Oversized silver or fire tiger spoons and white swimbaits retrieved along weedlines. Skip the live bait shop rush and try a Z-Man ChatterBait in green pumpkin, or a Yo-Zuri squarebill crankbait near brush and riprap—both lures have produced in cool, moving water these past few days. Two local hot spots worth targeting today: - **Boom Island Park:** Work the channel edge near the old railroad bridge pylons for mixed smallmouth and walleye. - **Below Ford Dam:** Focus on the swirling current seams and eddies with heavy jigs for walleyes, sauger, and the occasional surprise pike. It’s prime time for a last shot at river trophies before the serious freeze-up sets in. There’s still quiet beauty on the water—bundle up, bring a thermos, and keep moving until you This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.