Fishing the Mississippi in Minneapolis: Fall Bite, Prime Spots and Solunar Timings

Artificial Lure reporting live for the Mississippi River, Minneapolis, on this chilly Sunday morning, October 19, 2025. The sun poked up at 7:33 am and will dip back down at 6:22 pm, giving us nearly 11 hours of daylight—enough to make the most of a classic fall bite according to solunarforecast.com.

Weather-wise, yesterday saw temps in the mid-60s and overnight things dropped into that crisp 30s and 40s range. Today is shaping up to be perfect autumn fishing—cool and stable, with just a touch of breeze, making the morning and late afternoon prime time for casting lines, says CBS Minnesota’s latest weekend forecast.

Mississippi River flow is typical for mid-October, no recent rain-outs or flooding in this Minneapolis stretch. Water clarity remains decent, especially in the main channel. No tidal influences here—Minnesota’s not coastal—so the bite is driven by sunlight and water temps cooling off day by day.

Fish activity’s been steady this week. Local anglers pulled in a mixed bag: solid numbers of smallmouth bass, a few chunky walleyes, and the occasional northern pike. Catfish are still being picked up near the deep holes and eddies, mostly channel cats up to 8 pounds. Anglers out of Boom Island and just below the falls by the Stone Arch Bridge reported the bass were smashing craw-colored jigs and crankbaits late in the afternoon while walleyes were hitting on jigs tipped with fathead minnows at dusk, according to conversations at the landing and area bait shops.

Hot spots to check today:
- The riprap and tailwaters below the Ford Dam—always a fall classic for mixed species.
- Hidden Falls Regional Park, which has decent bank access and steady catfish action, especially for those soaking cut bait.

Best bite periods, as mapped out by the solunar tables, are around 4:23 pm to 6:23 pm for majors, and a minor uptick from 8:29 am to 9:29 am. If you can only sneak away a few hours, shoot for those windows.

Bait and lures:
- For bass, stick with medium-diving crankbaits in firetiger or craw patterns, or go with three-inch tube jigs on an 1/8 ounce head.
- Walleye anglers should keep things simple: chartreuse or orange jigs paired with live fatheads or half-crawlers.
- Pike are showing a preference for large spinners (think #5 Mepps or similar) and white paddletail swimbaits.
- For catfish, cut sucker or fresh shrimp fished on the bottom will get the nod.

Boat launches and banks have not been crowded—no major events or closures today—so there’s plenty of room to find your own pocket of water.

No tropical weather issues heading our way, per Tennessee Valley Weather, so waters will stay calm.

Thanks a ton for tuning in to today’s on-the-water update. For daily tips and river reports from yours truly, make sure you subscribe so you never miss a bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lure reporting live for the Mississippi River Minneapolis on
this chilly Sunday morning, October nineteenth, twenty twenty five. The
sun poked up at seven thirty three am and will
dip back down at six twenty two pm, giving us
nearly eleven hours of daylight, enough to make the most
of a classic fall bye. According to Soul in her
forecast dot com Weatherwise, yesterday saw temperatures in the mid sixties,

(00:24):
and overnight things dropped into that crisp thirties and forties range.
Today is shaping up to be perfect autumn fishing, cool
and stable, with just a touch of breeze making the
morning in late afternoon primetime for casting lines, says CBS
Minnesota's latest weekend forecast. Mississippi River flow is typical for
mid October. No recent rainouts are flooding in this Minneapolis stretch.

(00:49):
Water clarity remains decent, especially in the main channel. No
tidal influences here. Minnesota is not coastal, so the bite
is driven by sunlight and water temps cooling off day
by day. Fish activities been steady this week. Local anglers
pulled in a mixed bag solid numbers of smallmouth bass,
a few chunky walleyes and the occasional northern pike catfish

(01:13):
are still being picked up near the deep holes and eddies,
mostly channel cats up to eight pounds. Anglers out of
Boom Island and just below the falls by the Stone
arch Bridge reported the bass were smashing crawl colored jigs
and crank baits late in the afternoon, while walleyes were
hitting on jigs tipped with fat head minnows at dusk.
According to conversations at the Landing and Area bait shops.

(01:36):
Hotspots to check today the rip wrap and tail waters
below the fore Dam, always a fall classic for mixed species.
The Hidden Falls Regional Park, which has decent bank access
in steady catfish action, especially for those soaking cut bait.
Best bike periods, as mapped out by the Soliner Tables
are around four twenty three pm to six twenty three

(01:57):
pm for majors and a minor from eight twenty nine
am to nine twenty nine am if you can only
sneak away a few hours, shoot for those windows. Bait
and lures for bass stick with medium diving crank baits
and fire tighter or craw patterns, or go with three
inch tube jigs on a one eighth pounce head. Wally
anglers should keep things simple chartreuse or orange jigs paired

(02:20):
with live fat heads or half crawlers. Pikeer's showing a
preference for large spinners, think number five MEPs or similar
and white paddle tail swin baits for catfish, cutsucker or
fresh shrimp fished on the bob will get the nod.
Boat launches and banks have not been crowded. No major
events or closures today, so there's plenty of room to
find your own pocket of water. No tropical weather issues

(02:44):
hitting our way per Tennessee Valley Weather, so waters will
stay calm. Thanks a ton for tuning into today's on
the Water update for daily tips and river reports from
years truly make sure you subscribe so you never miss
a bite. This has been a quiet please production. For
more check out Quiet Please dot ai