Mississippi River November Fishing Report: Mild Temps, Mixed Bag Bites

Hey y’all, this is Artificial Lure with your Tuesday morning fishing report for the mighty Mississippi River here in Minneapolis. November’s rolling in mild—NOAA predicts above average temps, keeping the river feeling like late fall instead of deep freeze. That warm-up’s holding onto sunrise at 7:47 AM and sunset at 5:53 PM, so you’ve still got decent daylight to squeeze in some casts before those short winter hours lock us down. This morning kicked off chilly at about 43°F, but we’re headed to a high near 56°F with a light breeze, so you don’t have to dust off those hardcore ice suits just yet. According to the CBS Minnesota noon weather update, it’s a good day for layers, not heavy gear. For water movement, check Fishingreminder for tidal swings—high tide hit around 3:53 PM, low at 10:13 PM, but local river anglers know we read current, not tide. Still, with moderate flow and steady banks, the fish are on the move, especially during peak solunar windows: best action calls between 2:12 PM and 4:12 PM today and a solid minor flurry from 6:51 AM to 7:51 AM. Set your watch for those bites. Now, to the action: November in the Twin Cities means species variety. Just last week, bank fishers reported chunky channel cats, non-stop carp, plus a mix of smallies, walleyes, and random northern pike coming up around the bridges and spillways. That’s confirmed by local guides and Big River Bank Fishing trips—catfish and sturgeon anchor the numbers, but smallmouth bass are surprisingly scrappy right now, and those pike are prowling shallow weed edges. Walleye reports say numbers are down a tick, but the sizes are up; several 22- to 25-inch slabs pulled out below St. Anthony Falls and up near Boom Island. If you’re talking baits and lures, steelhead—yep, steelshad blade baits—are turning heads for multi-species action in fall, especially when the water’s cooling but not iced over. Go with classic 3-inch white or chrome blade baits, or toss a chartreuse twister-tail jig if smallmouth is your aim. For catfish, nothing beats cut bait or a big chunk of nightcrawler plopped right in the current seam. Walleyes are hitting best on ¼-ounce jig heads with fathead minnows or plastic paddle tails; look for shiner imitations in gold or green pumpkin. And don’t sleep on Rapala X-Raps in clown or perch pattern—slow rolled through deeper holes, that’s producing some surprise bites. Hot spots for November: - The Upper Landing area just east of the University of Minnesota campus is primed for mixed bag catches, especially around sunset. - Boom Island Park and the railroad trestle up by the Plymouth Ave Bridge are seeing consistent action—shore anglers tossing live bait at dusk are catching stout channel cats and the odd walleye. Remember, the best bite right now is mid-afternoon to early evening, but don’t miss that early morning minor window for pike and bass chasing shad. The river’s not too crowded yet, so you can get after it without elbowing for space. Thanks for tu This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.