Mississippi River Minneapolis Fishing Report September 24, 2025

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure with your Mississippi River Minneapolis fishing report for Wednesday, September 24, 2025. We had a cool, crisp fall morning today, with the mercury starting out in the upper 50s and peaking in the low 70s by late afternoon, courtesy of some lingering clear high pressure. Sunrise came right at 7:02 a.m., and sunset will close the day out around 7:09 p.m. No tidal swings to speak of here in Minneapolis, but river flows are steady, keeping the water a tad high and fairly clear after some recent light rains. The fishing’s holding strong in the city stretches and upstream into the north metro. Word from several locals and shop regulars is that the **smallmouth bass** action is kicking up, especially early and late in the day. Most folks are reporting good catches on **medium-diving crankbaits** in shad or craw colors and **half-ounce spinnerbaits** with white or chartreuse skirts. Popular plastics like 4-inch Texas-rigged worms in june bug or green pumpkin have also picked up a lot of fish, particularly around the riprap and downed trees near Boom Island and Nicollet Island. Walleye anglers are doing well in the Mississippi’s deeper channels just below the Ford Dam (Lock and Dam No. 1) using **jigs with fathead minnows or soft plastics** in black and purple during dawn and dusk. A few pairs of regulars at the dam reported limits by 9:30 a.m. yesterday, with the biggest right on 22 inches. The steady flow has also pushed some decent **catfish** up near the confluences—try cut sucker or chicken liver on the river bends at Hidden Falls for a shot at a true Minneapolis whisker fish. Sunfish and crappie have been a bit slower in the city stretch, but anglers working the mouths of backwater cuts with small tube jigs or a plain hook and crappie minnow pulled in solid slabs mid-morning. If you find submerged timber off North Mississippi Regional Park, you’re likely to get on some action, especially if you drop a light slip bobber rig with a fathead minnow just above the structure. Largemouth reports are lighter, but fish are popping in the sloughs and oxbows above the Camden Bridge. Frogs and black buzzbaits tossed tight to lily edges produced some nice topwater blowups around dusk on last night’s outing, according to a father-daughter duo out of Riverfront Park. For hotspots, don’t skip the **Nicollet Island area**—there’s a mix of current, structure, and deep eddies that hold smallies and the odd walleye almost year-round. The flats below the **Ford Parkway Bridge** are a local favorite for multi-species action, especially if you chuck live bait under a float. Reminder to bank anglers: keep an eye out for zebra mussels—MN DNR recently confirmed more spread. Clean, drain, and dry your gear, every trip. Bait shops are recommending you stock up on **fathead minnows, nightcrawlers, and medium crayfish** for livebait options; crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Ned rigged plastics are crushing it for artificial. That’s the b This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.