Winter Walleyes and Sauger on the Mississippi River Minneapolis Bite Report

This is Artificial Lure with your Mississippi River, Minneapolis fishing report. Up here on Pool 1, winter’s running the show. According to NOAA’s Twin Cities office, air temps are sitting in the teens and low 20s with light northwest wind and high pressure, so it’s cold, clear, and stable. That means slower, window-style feeding, not all‑day chewing. The river’s rimmed with shore ice but the main channel is still open and pushing decent current. The Mississippi isn’t tidal up here, so no true tide swings, but FishingReminder’s solunar table for Minneapolis shows prime **major bite** this morning roughly 7–9 a.m., with another push around 7–9 p.m., and **minor** activity midafternoon. Think “first light, last light, and right before dark” as your best bets. Sunrise is right around 7:40 a.m. with sunset close to 4:30 p.m., so that late‑afternoon dusk bite is short and sweet. Bundle up and be set on your spot by 3 p.m. so you’re not fumbling with cold fingers when they turn on. According to the Minnesota statewide fishing report from Outdoor News, it’s been a fast slide into ice across the state, but rivers like the Mississippi are still giving up fish, especially walleyes. Pool 1 has been spitting out eater‑size **walleyes and sauger**, with a few bonus smallmouth and the odd pike. Most folks are reporting half‑dozen to a dozen fish in a few hours if they stick to current seams and deeper holes. Best presentations right now are low‑and‑slow: - For **walleyes/sauger**: 1/8–1/4 oz jig and fathead, or a jig and plastic paddle tail, dragged just off bottom. On the cleaner sand and gravel, a vertical‑jigged Jigging Rap or blade bait will trigger reaction strikes. - For **smallmouth** holding deep: ned rigs and 3–4" swimbaits in natural shad or goby colors, crawled along current breaks. - If you slide into nearby metro lakes, local anglers are icing early **crappies and bluegills** on small tungsten jigs tipped with waxies or plastics. Color-wise, go with **chartreuse, gold, and purple** in the murkier flows; switch to natural shiner and smelt tones if the water clears. Live fatheads are still outfishing artificials most days, but plastics catch the more aggressive fish and cover water faster. Couple of hot spots to check: - **Below St. Anthony Falls and the Upper/Lower Locks**: classic wintering water, with deep holes and soft current edges. Work the edges of the main flow, not the middle. - **Lock and Dam 1 / Ford Dam area** downriver: concentrate on the tailout of the scour hole and inside bends where the current lays down. Safety note: shore ice and shelf ice can be slick and sketchy. Treat every edge like it’s hollow—spud bar, cleats, and a buddy are smart this time of year. That’s the bite on the big river today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss tomorrow’s report. 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.