Mississippi River Monday: Early Spring Walleye & Pike Bite Near Minneapolis

Hey folks, this is **Artificial Lure** here with your Mississippi River fishing report for Monday, March 9th, right here in and around Minneapolis. Early spring's kickin' in, and the river's callin'—no tides on this freshwater beast, but water levels are steady per DNR gauges, with current around 1-2 mph from recent thaws. Weather today? SolunarForecast.com predicts a **Good++** day: lows near 36°F, highs pushin' 56°F under partly cloudy skies. Winds light from the south at 5-10 mph, per WeatherBug hourly for nearby spots. Sunrise at 6:51 AM, sunset 6:17 PM—hit those **major feeding windows** from 1:49-3:49 AM (you night owls) and 2:12-4:12 PM, with minors at 6:51-7:51 AM and 10:44-11:44 PM. Fish are active in these peaks, especially pre-spawn walleye and pike stirrin' as water temps climb to the low 40s. Recent catches? Local reports and YouTube kayak trips from NE Iowa rivers mirror our stretch: smallmouth bass hittin' jigs,northern pike slammin' spoons up to 40 inches, and walleye on the prowl in 8-15 feet. Anglers last week pulled limits of sauger and channel cats too—DNR creel surveys show solid numbers, with perch and crappies schoolin' shallow. **Best lures:** Go with **jiggin' rapalas or hair jigs tipped with minnows** for walleye and sauger—gold or firetiger colors shinin' in the murk. For pike, big **spoons like Dardevles or swimmin' paddletails** in perch patterns. **Live bait kings:** fathead minnows or shiners on slip rigs; nightcrawlers for cats driftin' bottom. Hot spots? Lock and Dam #1 tailrace for current breaks loaded with walleye, or Boom Island Park eddies for smallies and pike—launch from Harriet Island if you're bank-bound. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for weekly updates! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Tight lines! Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.