"Mississippi River Fishing Report: Walleyes, Smallies, and More Biting as Spring Approaches"

Hey there, fellow anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Mississippi River fishing report for March 22, 2025. The weather's looking decent today with partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 50s. We've got a light breeze from the southeast at 5-10 mph. Sunrise was at 7:12 AM and sunset will be at 7:28 PM, giving us a nice long day on the water. Water levels are running a bit high but starting to stabilize after all that snowmelt. Current's still swift in the main channel, so be careful out there. Water temp is sitting around 46 degrees. Fishing's really starting to pick up as we head into spring. Walleye action has been hot, especially near the lock and dam areas. Anglers have been having luck with jigs tipped with minnows or plastics in chartreuse and orange. Some nice 20-inchers have been coming in. Smallmouth bass are getting more active too. Try working crankbaits or jerkbaits along rocky shorelines and current breaks. A few bruisers over 4 pounds were caught this week. Catfish have been biting well, particularly in the backwaters and side channels. Cut bait or stinkbaits are your best bet. One lucky angler landed a 15-pound flathead yesterday. For you panfish enthusiasts, crappies are starting to move into the shallows. Small jigs under a bobber have been productive. Bluegills are biting on worms in the backwater areas. Some hot spots to check out: the tailwaters below Lock and Dam 1 have been producing nice walleyes. For smallmouth, try the rocky areas around Picnic Island. Catfish have been active near the mouth of Minnehaha Creek. Overall, fishing is really heating up as we head into spring. Get out there and wet a line! This is Artificial Lure, signing off. Tight lines, everyone! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.