Winter Walleye Limits Under the Ice: February 2026 Mississippi Report

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things fishing on the mighty Mississippi right here in Minneapolis. It's February 25, 2026, and we're smack in the heart of winter ice season—temps hoverin' around 20°F with light snow flurries and a northwest breeze at 10 mph, keepin' that ice solid but watch your step out there. Sunrise was at 7:05 AM, sunset's 5:45 PM, givin' ya about 10.5 hours of daylight if you're bravin' the cold. No tides on this river, but water levels in Pool 2 are steady at 8 feet per USACE reports, perfect for ice access. Fish are active under the ice—walleye and sauger bitin' good in 15-25 feet near drop-offs, with limits comin' easy on minnows under a Lindy rig. Perch schools are thick, pullin' 8-10 inchers by the dozen, and some crappies up to 12 inches hittin' on small jigs. Recent reports from MN DNR anglers show 20-30 walleyes per hole some days, plus northern pike pushin' 30 inches on tip-ups. Bass? New 2026 regs from MN DNR let ya catch-and-release largemouth and smallmouth year-round inland, so target 'em shallow with jigs—no harvest till May 9 opener for walleye, pike, and such. Best lures: Go vertical with glow UV jigs or Northland Buck-Shots tipped with medium shiners for walleye. For perch and crappie, 1/16-oz tear-drop jigs with waxies or spikes. Live bait rules—minnows and wax worms outfish plastics 3-to-1 right now. Hot spots: Boom Island Park for easy access and walleye hangs, or hit the deeper holes off the Lock and Dam No. 1 for mixed bags. Stay safe, drill test holes, and fish houses gotta be off southern waters by March 2 per DNR. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.