Fishing the Minneapolis Mississippi: Walleye, Sauger, and More on the Mighty River

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Mississippi River, Minneapolis fishing report. The big river’s running cold and steady through town now, with levels near seasonal normal and clarity a bit stained but very fishable, especially in the slower wintering holes below dams and around deep bends. The Mississippi isn’t tidal up here, so no tide charts to worry about—current is your “tide,” and it’s mellow enough this morning to work jigs without huge sinkers. National Weather Service forecasts seasonable winter conditions: temps hovering in the upper teens to 20s at daybreak, creeping into the 30s mid‑day with a light northwest breeze and high pressure parked overhead. Skies are mostly clear, giving us a bright, cold day. Sunrise around the metro is right about 7:45 a.m., with sunset a little after 4:30 p.m., so your prime windows line up nicely with low light. FishingReminder’s solunar outlook for Minneapolis shows a solid major bite early, roughly 7–9 a.m., and another window in the early evening, about 7–9 p.m. That early one will be your best shot at a decent walleye push on the river. Recent chatter from Minnesota Outdoor News and metro anglers has Pool 1 and Pool 2 giving up **walleyes and saugers** on the edges of deep holes below Lock and Dam 1 and downstream of the confluences. Most fish are coming from 18–28 feet, tight to the first sharp break off the main channel. Numbers have been decent, with plenty of 14–18 inch sauger and eater‑size walleyes, plus a few bigger fish sliding shallow right at dusk. **Smallmouth bass** reports have thinned but there are still a few stubborn bronzebacks hanging on deeper current seams and rock piles; you’ll pick them up as by‑catch dragging plastics or live bait for ‘eyes. A handful of **channel cats** are biting slow, soaking cut bait or fatheads in the deepest wintering holes when the sun is high. Best producers right now: - For walleye/sauger: • 1/8–1/4 oz jig heads in chartreuse, parrot, or glow with a fathead or small rainbow chub. • Vertically jigging blades or Jigging Raps in the same color family when they get aggressive. - For bonus smallmouth: • Ned rigs with green pumpkin TRDs or a 3–4" paddletail on a 1/8 oz head, dragged just off bottom. - For cats: • Cut sucker or large fatheads on a simple river rig, enough weight to stay pinned. Best “bait vs. artificials” mix: early and late, stick with live minnows on jigs; mid‑day, experiment with blades, Raps, or a slow‑rolled swimbait along the break. A couple metro hot spots to circle: - **Below St. Anthony Falls down through Nicollet Island and Boom Island:** work the deeper slots and current breaks along the main channel, especially where rock meets sand. - **Pool 1 around Lock and Dam 1 and the Ford Bridge area:** classic winter walleye water—deep holes, inside turns, and subtle current seams can all stack fish. Most traffic has been boat anglers slipping the current, but shore casters are still scratching ou This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.