November's Mississippi Mojo: Walleyes, Smallies & Fall Catfish on the Twin Cities Stretch

Artificial Lure checking in for your November 5th Mississippi River report around Minneapolis. The sun rose this morning at 6:57 and will set at 4:56 p.m. It’s a crisp, classic fall day—temperatures in the Minneapolis area are expected to run in the mid-50s, with mostly clear skies and just a hint of northwest breeze, pretty textbook for early November. The forecast from NEXT Weather Twin Cities called for a cool, dry and stable pattern that should hold most of the morning through late afternoon. There’s no classic tidal activity to note on this stretch of river since we’re way inland, but water levels are front and center right now. Recent reports from local news outlets warn of the river cresting at higher stages this week, and stretches near downtown and St. Paul sitting at their fourth-lowest in quite some time. There’s been isolated flooding, so expect murky water, higher than usual flows, debris, and shifting currents in some channels. Despite the swings in water level, action’s still decent. According to the latest Mississippi River November Fishing Report, fish are on the move with mixed bag bites. Folks are reporting good numbers of walleyes, especially with that cooling water drawing them out of their summer haunts and towards deeper holes. Expect a lot of "eater"-sized walleyes showing up, plus the occasional bonus sauger. Pool 2, between the Ford Dam and Hastings, has produced some solid fish this week, but anglers should heed the Minnesota Department of Health’s advisories about eating too many due to lingering PFAS concerns. Smallmouth bass aren’t quite as aggressive as they were in September, but they’re still taking soft plastics and jerkbaits if you bounce your presentation slow and deep near rocks and current seams. Some good channel cats are being picked up, mostly on cut bait and the occasional live sucker minnow. White bass are spotty, but crappie schools are just starting to show themselves at creek mouths and backwaters. Best times for fishing today, based on solunar tables, are between 1:05 to 3:26 p.m. for the major peak, with a minor burst around sunup, 6:26 to 7:26 a.m. If you want to maximize your bite window, plan your casts around those periods. Top lures for today: For walleye, stick with classic jig and minnow combos—chartreuse, gold, and bright orange stand out especially well in the stained water. Plastics on a jighead are working great by the locks and deeper eddy drops. Blade baits and lipless cranks can trigger the active ones—just let them hit bottom and rip them up in short bursts. Bass guys, go for natural or smoke colored Ned rigs, or a suspending jerkbait like a Smithwick Rogue or Megabass Vision 110. Try the pumpkinseed or green-pumpkin Senkos for a wacky rig if they’re tucked in slow. Catfish will key in on cut sucker, frozen shad, or even shrimp. Crappie are responding to small tube jigs or a plain hook tipped with a fathead, especially in quieter side channels. A couple late-season hot spots to This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.