Minneapolis Pool Fishing: Smallmouth, Walleye, and Catfish Heating Up Below Ford Dam

This is Artificial Lure with your Mississippi River fishing report for the Minneapolis stretch. We don’t worry about tides up here in pool country, but we do pay attention to river levels and flow. The upper Mississippi through Minneapolis is typically running a moderate flow this time of year, with slightly stained water and 1–3 feet of visibility in the current seams. Sunrise is right around 5:25 a.m., with sunset near 9:00 p.m., giving you a long window to work low-light bites. Weather-wise, early mornings are starting cool and calm, often in the low 50s, warming into the 70s by afternoon, with light to moderate winds. Those overcast mornings and evenings have been the best windows. Stable barometer days have produced a more consistent bite; fast-dropping pressure ahead of a front has fired up short feeding flurries, especially for walleyes and smallmouth. Recent reports from local anglers along the Minneapolis riverfront and the pool above and below the Ford Dam say the bite’s been solid. Folks are boating good numbers of 14–19 inch **smallmouth bass**, with a few pushing 20+. Mixed in are eater-sized **walleyes** and **sauger** in the 14–18 inch range. Shore guys near bridges and below current breaks have been tying into **channel cats** from 2–8 pounds, and an occasional bigger blue or flathead at night. Plenty of **sheepshead** and **white bass** to keep rods bending. Best lure patterns right now: - For smallmouth: 3–4 inch **swimbaits** on 1/8–1/4 oz jig heads, white or natural shad colors, slow-rolled through current seams and along riprap. Ned rigs and 3-inch tubes in green pumpkin are putting in work around rocky points and eddies. - For walleyes and sauger: jig-and-plastic combos or jig-and-minnow, worked vertically in deeper holes and at the base of current breaks. Chartreuse, orange, and firetiger are the go-to colors in that stained water. - For cats: cut suckers, cut goldeye, and stinkbait on slip rigs. Fish the downstream side of bends, deep holes, and along the base of riprap after dark. If you’re strictly a bait angler, live **fathead minnows**, nightcrawlers, and leeches on a simple slip sinker or live-bait rig are catching just about everything in the river. Crawlers on a plain hook or small spinner rig are taking mixed bags of walleyes, drum, and the occasional surprise pike. A couple local hot spots to keep in mind: - The stretch **just below the Ford Dam** on the Minneapolis side: classic current seams, deep pockets, and lots of rock. Great for smallies, walleyes, and cats. Boat anglers do well drifting jigs; shore anglers pick apart the seams with plastics and live bait. - The **riprap and bridge areas near the University of Minnesota / downtown Minneapolis**: plenty of current breaks, eddies, and man-made structure. Great shore access, especially for smallmouth and rough fish, with evenings producing consistent action. Early and late are still your prime windows. Hit it at first light with reaction baits and finesse plastics, then slow down with jigs and live bait once the sun gets higher. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more river reports and on-the-water updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn