Mississippi Spring Walleye Bite: Spawn Run Active in Minneapolis

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things rod and reel on the mighty Mississippi around Minneapolis. It's early Sunday morning, April 5th, 2026, and the river's callin'—water temps are climbin' into the low 50s, wakin' up the fish just like that April fishing calendar from Marinelifes says, with prime bites around new and full moons makin' 'em hungry. No tides up here in freshwater, but solunar peaks from FishingReminder hit dawn and dusk hard—sunrise at 6:45 AM, sunset 7:50 PM. Weather's crisp, partly cloudy with highs near 55°F, light north breeze keepin' things steady. Fish are active; walleyes are keyin' on the spawn run, sauger stackin' up in current seams, and early smallmouth bass pushin' into eddies. Recent catches? Locals report limits of 18-24" walleyes, some 4-6 lb smallies, and channel cats to 10 lbs from the past week—mirrors those solid bass pulls in southern reports, but our river's deliverin'. Best lures: jigs tipped with minnows or soft plastics like a 1/4-oz Northland Fire-Ball in chartreuse for walleyes—rips through the chocolate water. Rapala Shad Raps in perch pattern for trolling smallmouths. Live bait? Fathead minnows or nightcrawlers on slip rigs can't be beat; they're the pilchards of our north woods. Hit these hot spots: Boom Island Park for shore jiggin' walleyeyes under the bridge, or wade the Fremont Avenue stretch where the channel swings—current breaks are gold. Lock and dam below St. Anthony's holdin' sauger slabs too. Bundle up, check regs, and get after 'em safe. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more bites! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.