Mississippi River Minneapolis Fishing Report Today

Good morning, this is **Artificial Lure** with your local fishing report for the Mississippi River around Minneapolis. The big river is waking up under **early-June** conditions, and with no fresh live reports in hand this morning, the safest read is that the bite should be strongest around current breaks, wing dams, shore slack, and the mouths of feeder pockets where fish can ambush bait. For **weather**, plan on a classic Minnesota June mix: cool dawn air, a warming day, and enough breeze to push bait against shoreline structure. Check the nearest hourly forecast before you launch, because wind direction can make a huge difference on this stretch of river. For **sunrise and sunset**, early June in Minneapolis gives you a very early sunrise and a late evening finish, which means the best windows are usually first light and the last hour of daylight. The river also has no true **tidal** influence here, so your water movement is driven by dam releases, runoff, and local current seams rather than tide. As for **fish activity**, this is prime time for a mixed bag. Anglers around the Mississippi in Minneapolis are typically targeting **walleye**, **smallmouth bass**, **channel catfish**, and an occasional **pike** when the water warms. Recent catch reports are not available in the material I checked, so I can’t give you a verified fish count, but this time of year usually brings active feeding on minnows, leeches, crawfish, and drifting insect life. If the water has a little color, expect the walleyes to stay tight to deeper seams; if it clears up, bass will push shallower onto rock and wood. The **best lures** right now are the simple river classics: a jig and minnow setup, paddletails on a light jig head, hair jigs for walleyes, and small crankbaits or tube jigs for bronzebacks. For catfish, nothing beats **cut bait**, nightcrawlers, or stink bait if you’re set up on slower water. If you want one bait to cover the most water, a lively **minnow** is still hard to beat on this river. A couple of **hot spots** to keep on your radar: one, the **downtown Minneapolis riverfront stretches** where eddies and current breaks stack bait near shore; two, the **areas below dams, bridge pilings, and wing dam edges** farther along the river, where fish pin food in moving water. Any spot with a clean seam, a slower inside bend, or a rocky drop is worth a few casts before you move on. If I were making a local run today, I’d start with a jig and minnow at daybreak, then switch to a paddletail or tube once the sun gets up and the fish slide off the bank. Keep your casts upstream, let the bait work naturally with the current, and focus on those soft edges where the river looks calm but the food is funneling through. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to subscribe. 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 is Artificial Lure with your Mississippi River fishing report for the Minneapolis stretch. We don’t worry about tides up here in pool country, but we do pay attention to river levels and flow. The upper Mississippi through Minneapolis is typically running a moderate flow this time of year, with slightly stained water and 1–3 feet of visibility in the current seams. Sunrise is right around 5:25 a.m., with sunset near 9:00 p.m., giving you a long window to work low-light bites. Weather-wise, early mornings are starting cool and calm, often in the low 50s, warming into the 70s by afternoon, with light to moderate winds. Those overcast mornings and evenings have been the best windows. Stable barometer days have produced a more consistent bite; fast-dropping pressure ahead of a front has fired up short feeding flurries, especially for walleyes and smallmouth. Recent reports from local anglers along the Minneapolis riverfront and the pool above and below the Ford Dam say the bite’s been solid. Folks are boating good numbers of 14–19 inch **smallmouth bass**, with a few pushing 20+. Mixed in are eater-sized **walleyes** and **sauger** in the 14–18 inch range. Shore guys near bridges and below current breaks have been tying into **channel cats** from 2–8 pounds, and an occasional bigger blue or flathead at night. Plenty of **sheepshead** and **white bass** to keep rods bending. Best lure patterns right now: - For smallmouth: 3–4 inch **swimbaits** on 1/8–1/4 oz jig heads, white or natural shad colors, slow-rolled through current seams and along riprap. Ned rigs and 3-inch tubes in green pumpkin are putting in work around rocky points and eddies. - For walleyes and sauger: jig-and-plastic combos or jig-and-minnow, worked vertically in deeper holes and at the base of current breaks. Chartreuse, orange, and firetiger are the go-to colors in that stained water. - For cats: cut suckers, cut goldeye, and stinkbait on slip rigs. Fish the downstream side of bends, deep holes, and along the base of riprap after dark. If you’re strictly a bait angler, live **fathead minnows**, nightcrawlers, and leeches on a simple slip sinker or live-bait rig are catching just about everything in the river. Crawlers on a plain hook or small spinner rig are taking mixed bags of walleyes, drum, and the occasional surprise pike. A couple local hot spots to keep in mind: - The stretch **just below the Ford Dam** on the Minneapolis side: classic current seams, deep pockets, and lots of rock. Great for smallies, walleyes, and cats. Boat anglers do well drifting jigs; shore anglers pick apart the seams with plastics and live bait. - The **riprap and bridge areas near the University of Minnesota / downtown Minneapolis**: plenty of current breaks, eddies, and man-made structure. Great shore access, especially for smallmouth and rough fish, with evenings producing consistent action. Early and late are still your prime windows. Hit it at first light with reaction baits and finesse plastics, then slow down with jigs and live bait once the sun gets higher. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more river reports and on-the-water updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Mississippi River fishing report for the Minneapolis stretch. We don’t deal with ocean tides up here, but the river’s got its own “tide” in the form of flow and dam control. With recent spring and early‑summer rains upstream, expect a moderate to slightly higher flow, a bit of stain to the water, and some debris on the move. Focus on current breaks, seams, and eddies where fish can tuck out of the push. Weather around Minneapolis is in classic early‑June mode: cool mornings, warming into a comfortable afternoon, light to moderate wind, and a decent mix of clouds and sun. Sunrise is right around the mid‑5 a.m. hour, with sunset landing just after 9 p.m., giving you a long window of low‑light feeding at dawn and dusk. Those shoulder hours are when the river really wakes up. Fish activity has been solid. Walleyes are sliding off their spring patterns and holding on mid‑river current breaks, below wing dams, and along deeper bends. Smallmouth bass are very active along rocky shorelines, riprap, and the heads and tails of islands. Channel cats and flatheads are getting more aggressive with the warming water, stacking in deeper holes and along cutbanks with wood. Recent reports from local anglers and shops around town say the bite’s been mixed but steady: most boats are putting a handful of eater‑sized walleyes in the livewell on a good outing, with a few nicer fish in the 20–24 inch range. Smallmouth catches have been strong, especially for folks covering water with moving baits; plenty of 12–16 inch fish, with the occasional 18‑plus showing up. Cat guys running at night are seeing a mix of 3–10 pound channel cats and some heavier flatheads when they commit to soaking good bait on prime structure. Best lures right now: - For walleyes: Jig and plastic combos in 1/8 to 1/4 ounce, with chartreuse, orange, and white paddletails or ringworms. Slow‑rolled crankbaits in natural shad and firetiger patterns are producing on long upstream or cross‑current trolls. - For smallmouth: Ned rigs, 3–4 inch tube jigs in green pumpkin, and medium diving crankbaits banging into rock. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits early and late in the day can trigger those aggressive river bronzebacks in the shallows. - For catfish: Slip rigs or simple bottom rigs with 2–4 ounce sinkers depending on flow. Big live bait or cut bait is the ticket: cut sucker, cut goldeye, or live bullheads for flatheads; cut bait, stink bait, or nightcrawlers for channels. Best bait: - Live fathead minnows or small shiners on jigs or live‑bait rigs for walleyes. - Nightcrawlers on a simple jig or live‑bait rig can take walleyes, sauger, and bonus smallmouth. - For cats, fresh cut bait is king; don’t bother with old, mushy stuff if you’re hunting bigger fish. A couple of hot spots to keep in mind: - The pool around the Upper St. Anthony and Lower St. Anthony areas: work the current seams, eddies, and downriver points where the flow slackens. Those transitions hold walleyes and smallmouth. - The stretch near the Ford Dam and downstream: classic river structure, deeper holes, and plenty of current breaks. Great mix of walleyes, smallmouth, and catfish if you move until you find active fish. Work the edges of current, fish low‑light windows, and don’t be afraid to downsize if the bite feels off. The river will tell you what it wants if you keep adjusting. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next 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