Wintertime Walleyes and Saugers on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Mississippi River Minneapolis fishing report. We’re locked into true winter patterns now. The river in town is running low and clear, with skim ice in the backwaters and slow edges, but main channel stretches below the dams are still open and fishable. USGS gauges on the upper river are showing moderate, stable flows, which keeps fish glued to current seams and deeper winter holes. No real tide to speak of on this stretch of river, but the fish are working off light and moon. Fishingreminder’s solunar tables show strong major activity early and again around dusk, so plan on the first few hours after sunrise and that late-afternoon push as your best windows. Weather-wise, local forecasts call for cold but stable conditions: daytime highs in the 20s to low 30s, light northwest breeze, and high pressure. That combo usually means slower, more deliberate bites. Sunrise is right around 7:45 a.m. with sunset close to 4:30 p.m., so your prime feeding windows are tight—don’t waste them running around. Recent reports from Minnesota-focused sites and local chatter out of the metro shops say the best action has been: - **Walleyes and saugers** stacked below dams and in deeper runs, 18–28 feet. - **Smallmouth** are mostly dormant, but a few bonus fish are coming on slow plastics. - **Channel cats** still nipping cut bait in the deepest holes if you soak it long enough. Catch rates haven’t been crazy numbers, but quality’s there: handfuls of 15–20 inch walleyes with some bigger girls mixed in, plus plenty of eater-size saugers for those working slow and tight to bottom. Best producers right now: - **Lures** - 1/4–3/8 oz jig heads with plastic paddletails or ringworms in chartreuse, purple, or motor oil. - Vertically jigged blade baits and lipless cranks, yo-yo’d just off bottom in current seams. - Finesse hair jigs for neutral walleyes when they won’t touch plastics. - **Live bait** - Fathead or small shiner minnows on a plain jig or live-bait rig. - A simple river jig tipped with half a nightcrawler if the water bumps a degree or two. Keep your presentation slow: short hops, long pauses, and hold that jig still in the current until you feel that “mushy” weight. Most bites are subtle. A couple metro hot spots to consider: - **Below Ford Dam (Lock & Dam 1)**: Classic winter walleye water. Work the current breaks, eddies, and the first deep shelf below the dam with jigs and blades. Boat and shore anglers both have a shot here when conditions allow. - **Upper Pool below the U of M and up toward the Camden/Lowry area**: Focus on deeper bends and inside turns where the current softens. Dragging jigs with minnows along the breaklines has been putting saugers and the occasional walleye in the net. Safety note from local guides: watch for ice shelves along shorelines and floating chunks in the main channel, and remember the water is deadly cold—life jacket on, no exceptions. That’s your Mississippi Rive This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.