Late Summer Fishing on the Minneapolis Mississippi

This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Mississippi River, Minneapolis fishing report for August 28, 2025. The river’s settling into classic late August form. We woke up to overcast skies and temps hovering around 75, with high humidity and a light west breeze at 12 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Rain and patchy storms pushed through earlier, so the water’s running a little high and stained today, a common August scenario. The drought monitor reports the region is mostly out of abnormally dry conditions, and all that fresh rain has cooled things down, which helps both the anglers and the fish. Sunrise came at 6:29 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:59 p.m. That dusk bite is getting better by the day, especially with the overnight lows cooling into the 50s. River tides aren’t a factor here, but recent rain has put a bit of current through the backwaters and sloughs, stirring up baitfish and getting the predators hunting. Bass fishing is front and center right now. According to recent Minnesota Team Trail event results, folks are putting together decent mixed bags from Pools 3 and 4 just downstream of Minneapolis, with 5-fish bags around 12–13 pounds common this week. Most teams found action throwing topwater frogs and poppers through the morning, especially in the back channels, and then switching to plastics—think wacky-rigged Senkos, Texas-rigged creatures, and tubes—once the sun poked through. Bass are tight to wood and chasing bait in current seams. If things get tough, try a finesse drop shot along deeper cut banks, or even a subtle Ned rig over gravel bars. If you’re after something unique, bowfin are increasingly popular on this stretch. Outdoor Life just covered Ben Erb catching a 31-inch bowfin—a new Minnesota catch-and-release record—from a slow, weedy stretch not far upriver. Look for reed beds, lily pads, and calm pockets out of the main current. Bowfin devour bright swimbaits, chatterbaits, or a plain nightcrawler under a float. Walleye have slowed with the extra water, but there’s still a solid morning and evening bite trolling crankbaits or dragging live bait rigs along outside bends and downed trees. Try slow death rigs with half a crawler, or stick to shad-colored shallow-diving crankbaits in stained water. Don’t overlook jigging blades around wing dams at dawn, which can draw those cruisers from slack water. Northern pike and plenty of eater-sized channel cats are also active thanks to the cooler temps and rising flows. For pike, flashy spoons and spinnerbaits work great on the edge of weed beds or submerged wood, especially just below the Ford Dam. Catfish are biting well on cut bait or stinkbaits in holes below riffles—a classic after-dinner setup. This week’s hotspots: Boom Island backwaters for consistent largemouth action, especially in the morning. For smallmouth, head to the riprap around the U of M and down by Minnehaha Creek confluence. The slot just below St. Anthony Falls often kicks out a mixe This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.