Late Summer Smallies and Walleye Dominance on the Minneapolis Mississippi

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Mississippi River, Minneapolis fishing report for August 31, 2025. We’re rolling into the tail end of summer, but the patterns? Still summer-ish, with a notable chill from this week’s early cold front. Water temps dipped this week and now hover near 71°F around Minneapolis. The water clarity upstream is the best we’ve had in a month, giving sight-fishing fans something to celebrate, and current levels are holding steady, with slower-stabilizing flows making structure and current seams extra productive. For those heading out today, expect a sunrise at 6:33 AM and sunset tonight at 7:54 PM. You’ve got long daylight hours to work with, though the best bite windows have reliably been sunup until about 10:00 and again after 5:00 in the evening. Local reports from Outdoor News and seasoned forum regulars on BBC Boards are calling it a “bananas” stretch for smallmouth bass upstream from downtown and near the Rum River confluence. Multiple 18–20 inch bronzebacks hit the net this week. Smallmouth are holding close to rocky drop-offs and boulder clusters—look up by Meeker Island and the bridges north of Boom Island for action. These spots are our hotspots of the week. Walleye action? A touch inconsistent, but staying deep is the ticket. Folks drifting Lindy rigs, bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers, and even classic firetiger crankbaits in the deeper runs—31 to 34 feet—are boating numbers, especially south of the Ford Dam and into Pool 2. Last weekend, several two-dozen-fish days were reported, with keepers averaging 16–19 inches. If you’re after more variety, white bass and freshwater drum are schooling up in mid-river seams chasing shad. Try throwing small silver jigging spoons and inline spinners—best results right below fast water breaks. Catfish remain active on cut bait or stinkbaits, especially after sundown along riprap near the University area. Flatheads up to 30 pounds were wrestled in this week by patient night anglers. For those shore casting, small plastics imitating crawfish and ned rigs in green pumpkin are catching both smallmouth and feisty largemouth. I’ve seen steady crappie action in slackwater eddies, especially tight to wood and brush, with tube jigs and small minnows. Bait shops are running strong with fathead minnows and nightcrawlers—stick with lively bait for walleye and simple leeches for bonus panfish. Artificial presentations are on fire right now, too: topwater poppers at dawn have smallies blowing up all around the Dinkytown shoreline. No tidal influence here on the upper Mississippi, but wind out of the northwest at 7–10 mph today will give drifting anglers an edge. Light chop over the holes between Franklin Avenue and Minnehaha Creek’s mouth is prime for walleye and feeding bass. For boaters, always be on the lookout for floating debris after recent rains—but the clear water and steady levels mean navigation is solid. To sum it up: - Top species caught: smallmou This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.