Late Summer Bite on the Minneapolis Mississippi

Good morning from the Mississippi River in Minneapolis—this is Artificial Lure with your Friday, August 29th fishing report. A hazy sunrise broke this morning at 6:31am, with a projected sunset coming up at 7:57pm. We’re sitting under cooler-than-average late August weather: expect highs around 72°F, some lingering smoke haze from northern wildfires, and little to no rain through the weekend as forecasted by the National Weather Service. The wind is laying down just a bit with light northeast breezes, so early river-goers can expect relatively calm conditions on the water. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Minnesota is looking good—moisture levels are back to normal and water flows are steady for this time of year. If you're watching for tides or flow on the Mississippi, keep in mind we're a bit too far upriver for true tidal swings. Here, river levels are holding steady and clarity is average for late summer. On to the fishing! This week the big story around Minneapolis has been a mixed bag, but plenty of action. Anglers are still hooking into classic Mississippi River walleyes early and late—reports say the bite’s best where deep current seams meet sandbars, especially near the Ford Dam and the confluence just below Minnehaha Creek. Smallmouth bass are making waves, feeding along rocky points and shallow eddies as water temps settle. A couple of decent pike have been caught near Hiawatha Avenue bridge, and I’ve seen some pickerel photos posted yesterday by local anglers—@lo_outdoors_fishing on Instagram had a nice stringer of them right below Lock and Dam #1. The best lures this week? River regulars are landing fish with perch or silver-blue colored crankbaits—particularly the shad raps and small jointed Rapalas trolled across flats and along drop-offs. Walleyes are grabbing those cranks in about 10-18 feet of water, especially in segments with decent current and scattered rocks. If you’re after smallmouth, a 3"-4" soft plastic craw or tube jig in watermelon or green pumpkin is catching numbers, especially tight to riprap and boulders. Pike and pickerel have come on white spinnerbaits or flashy spoons. Live bait is still taking fish, too. A large fathead minnow or half-crawler on a slip sinker rig works wonders on walleyes. If you’re targeting bass, a leech or lively nightcrawler drifted right into the current breaks is your go-to. Recent catch tallies: Most boats are landing 3-6 walleyes per morning outing, with the occasional bonus sauger. Smallmouth numbers are healthy—10-20 fish days are possible if you keep moving to find active fish. Toss in some pike and a few nice catfish coming from the deeper holes after dark, and it’s classic late summer action. Hot spots to hit today: • Below the Ford Dam—work the slackwater on both banks, targeting the transition zones where the current meets the still pockets. • The Minnehaha Creek confluence—smallmouth are stacked here, plus a few bonus walleyes in the predawn hour. • Hennepin I This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.