Hardwater Walleyes and Saugers - Early Winter Fishing on the Minneapolis Pool 1 Mississippi River

This is Artificial Lure with your Mississippi River Minneapolis fishing report. We’re locked into early hardwater mode across the metro, but Pool 1 around Minneapolis is still pushing current and holding fish. FishingReminder’s solunar tables put the stronger bite windows this morning and again around dusk, which lines up with what locals have been seeing: slow mid‑day, but a real bump in activity when that light gets low. Weather-wise, the Twin Cities are sitting in typical mid‑December cold: daytime highs in the teens to low 20s, single digits overnight, light northwest breeze, and high pressure overhead according to the National Weather Service. Skies are mostly clear, so expect a bright day and a tougher middle‑of‑the‑day bite. Sunrise is right around 7:45 a.m. with sunset just before 4:30 p.m. per timeanddate, so your prime walleye and sauger windows are that first and last hour of light. No real tide to speak of on this stretch of the Mississippi, but river level has been fairly stable with moderate flow based on USGS river gauges. That steady current keeps a few seams and eddies loaded with fish even when everything else feels locked down. Recent reports from local anglers and metro shop chatter have Pool 1 giving up decent numbers of **walleyes**, **saugers**, and some bonus **smallmouth bass**, plus a few eater **channel cats** on cut bait after dark. Most walleyes are running 14–18 inches with an occasional 20‑plus sliding in at dawn. Smallmouth have mostly slid to wintering holes, but you can still pick a few off deep rock if you grind. Best presentations right now are classic cold‑water, low‑and‑slow stuff. For walleye and sauger, work 1/8 to 1/4 ounce jigs tipped with fatheads or shiners along 15–25 foot channel edges and inside turns; outdoor columnists in Minnesota Outdoor News keep hammering on that pattern every winter, and it’s playing again. If you like plastics, a small paddle‑tail on a light jig, just ticking bottom, has been enough when the sun’s low. After dark, a slow‑worked jigging rap or blade bait on deeper current breaks can trigger the bigger marks. For smallmouth, think finesse. Ned rigs with 1/10 to 1/6 ounce heads and 2.75–3 inch TRD‑style baits, or a compact hair jig, dragged painfully slow over rubble and mid‑river rock piles are getting bites from those winter groups that won’t chase a swimbait anymore. If you’re chasing cats, cut sucker or shad on a simple slip sinker rig in the deeper holes below dams is your best bet. Set up, soak it 20–30 minutes; if you don’t get touched, move. Even in the cold, channels will slide up on softer current edges when the sun’s been on the water a while. A couple local hotspots to think about: - **Saint Anthony Falls / Upper and Lower Lock areas**: current seams and deep scour holes below the structures hold walleyes and saugers all winter when conditions allow safe access. - **Lock and Dam 1 down toward Minnehaha Creek confluence**: classic wintering water with defin This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.