Late October Fishing Frenzy on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis

Artificial Lure here with your live fishing report for the Mississippi River and surrounding waters in Minneapolis on this crisp Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Sunrise rolled in at 7:43 a.m. this morning, and sunset’s pegged for 6:11 p.m. We’re looking at classic late-October weather: highs in the mid-50s, waters cooling on the back of some deep autumn nights, and minimal wind—ideal for targeting both structure and seam waters. There’s no tidal activity here in the Minneapolis stretch of the Mississippi, but watch for current shifts after these cooler nights, as they’re stacking up bait and fish on inside bends and channel edges. Now, fish activity’s been lively according to recurring reports: walleye are definitely on the chew, especially at dawn and dusk, plus on overcast days. You want to focus on 10 to 18 foot breaks and inside turns—work 1/8 to 1/4 oz jigs tipped with fatheads, or run a Jigging Rap right on breaks. Folks are sticking good eater walleye on Pool 1, and there’s been a surge around Lake Nokomis and Lake Harriet as well. If you’re angling for bass, smallmouth are pushing into current seams and midriver rocky rubble—think ned rigs or 3–4" swimbaits bounced right off the bottom. Plenty of pike are lurking around the last of the green weeds, and a spinnerbait burnt over the tops is getting the reaction bites. Meanwhile, muskie activity’s picked right up in the deeper haunts—look for bait clouds over 12 to 20 feet and throw glide baits, big rubber, or slow-rolled bucktails. Crappies are making their traditional slide out to those mid-depth basins. Side imaging helps you locate those tighter pods; once you’ve got them, suspend a hair jig or small plastic under a float and gently hover it in their zone. Recent reports over on FishingReminder and echoed on local forums say that anglers are getting into some real mixed bags lately—good numbers for walleye, with bonus pike, the odd muskie, and consistent slabs for crappie anglers. The river’s mood is definitely autumn—turnover’s finished for most metro lakes, so you want to prioritize clearer stretches. Clarity can vary, especially after windy periods, so keep an eye on water color and consider adding a scent or switching to live bait during short windows of activity—this trick’s drawn extra strikes when fish are just nipping. For bait and lures, here’s your local rundown: - For walleye: 1/8–1/4 oz jig with a fathead minnow or a Jigging Rap in blue/silver, gold, or chartreuse. - For smallmouth: ned rigs in green pumpkin, 3–4" soft swimbaits on a jighead. - For pike: white or firetiger spinnerbaits slow-rolled across weed edges. - For muskie: gliders like the Phantom Softail, big rubber like a Medussa or Pounder, and classic black-nickel or orange bucktails. - For crappie: small tube jigs or hair jigs (white, pink, chartreuse) under a float, with or without live minnow. Hot spots you don’t want to miss right now: - Hidden Falls Regional Park is holding fish on the seam off the main flo This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.