Late Fall Fishing Frenzy on the Upper Mississippi

Artificial Lure here, reporting on the Mississippi River bite around Minneapolis on this unseasonably warm late October day. Sunrise hit at 7:42 a.m. and sunset’s coming at 6:12 p.m.—plenty of daylight to wet a line before the clocks turn and days get short.

Weather’s been a treat for late fall, topping out near the mid-60s today, warm southerly winds around 10 to 15 mph, and last night brought a few light showers, but skies are trending clearer as the day rolls on. The next cold front isn’t set to arrive until early in the week, according to WCCO’s Friday weather reports. That means the water’s still warmer than usual, and the fish are active, especially with river flows trending down and clarity on the rise.

No tides to worry about up here—just river flows, which are hovering at 3,460 cfs around Aitkin with a gentle drop in recent days, per Snoflo’s latest flow report. That’s right in the sweet spot for comfortably working the seams and eddies, where fish stack up looking for bait.

Local tournament action on the Upper Mississippi’s been hot, with bass anglers hauling in some real slabs—Nick Trim landed over 21 pounds on day one of the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, showing that both largemouth and smallmouth bass are feeding aggressively as they fatten up for winter, according to The Bass Cast. Crankbaits and blade baits took most fish, with buzzbaits and bladed jigs throwing plenty of water when bass were smashing baitfish mid-morning.

Right now, walleye are reliable around the river bends and below the dams, especially close to dusk and dawn. Walleye are coming on jig-and-minnow combos—fathead minnows, shiners, or just a 3-inch paddle tail in chartreuse or white. Northern pike are nosing into shallows, hitting large spinnerbaits and swimbaits, while the smallies keep hammering the rocks and riprap lines, especially near the confluence with Minnehaha Creek and below the Ford Dam.

Best lures this week:
- For bass—3/8 oz white and chartreuse spinnerbaits, chrome or gold blade baits, and crawfish-pattern crankbaits.
- For walleye—1/4 oz lead jigs tipped with live minnows, or plastics in bright colors.
- For pike—big flashy spinners and jointed swimbaits in perch or fire tiger.

The live bait bite’s solid. Fresh fatheads and creek chubs out-fish plastics when a cold spell moves in, but artificials are still out-catching bait around the midday warm-up. Stripers and sheepshead are spotty but turn up in the current seams below bridges. Sauger bites pick up as the night cools—work deeper tailwaters for those.

Hot spots today:
- Lilydale Pool below the 35E Bridge: classic fall staging ground, good mix of bass and walleye.
- The deep cut below the Ford Dam: smallmouth stack here, and walleye hold in the tailwaters.
- Pike Island confluence: current edges are loaded with baitfish, and everything from smallies to pike is on the hunt.

Some locals reported hauling in a dozen keepers in an afternoon—mostly smallmouth and a couple thick walleye—while others saw slow stretches but snagged a brute or two, especially on blade baits bounced slow across gravel bars.

Remember, keep an eye on your electronics for bait balls and watch for gulls diving—late fall means predator fish are pushing shad and minnows into tight pockets. If you hit a school, stick with it: the window’s small but hungry.

That’s today’s scoop from Artificial Lure—a classic late October pattern, fish eating hard whenever the river is stable and the sun peeks through. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more tips and river reports. 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 lore here reporting on the Mississippi River bike around
Minneapolis on this unseasonably warm late October day. Sunrise hit
at seven forty two am and sunsets coming at six
twelve pm, Plenty of daylight to wet a line before
the clocks turn and days get short. Weather's been a
treat for late fall, topping out near the mid sixties

(00:22):
Today warm southerly winds around ten to fifteen miles per hour,
and last night brought a few light showers, but skies
are trending clearer as the day rolls on. The next
cold front isn't set to arrive until early in the week,
according to wcco's Friday weather reports. That means the water
still warmer than usual and the fish are active, especially

(00:44):
with river flows trending down and clarity on the rise.
No tides to worry about up here, just river flows,
which are hovering at three thousand, four hundred and sixty
cfs around Aiken with a gentle drop in recent days
Perflow's latest flow report. That's right in the sweet spot
for comfortably working the seams and eddies where fish stack

(01:07):
up looking for bait. Local tournament action on the upper
Mississippi's been hot with bass anglers hauling in some real slabs.
Nick Trim landed over twenty one pounds on Day one
of the Bass Nation Championship, showing that both large mouth
and smallmouth bass are feeding aggressively as they fatten up
for winter. According to the Bass Cast, crank baits and

(01:31):
blade baits took most fish with buzz baits and bladed jigs,
drawing plenty of water when bass were smashing bait fish
mid morning right now, while I are reliable around the
river bends and below the dams, especially close to dusk
and dawn, while I are coming on jegan minnow combos,
fatthead minnows, shiners or just a three inch paddle tail,

(01:54):
and chartreus a white northern pike are nosing into shallows,
hitting large spinner baits and swin baits, while the smallies
keep hammering the rocks and rip wrap lines, especially near
the confluence with many Haha Creek and below the four Dam.
Best lures this week for bass three eighth ounces white
and chartruse spinner baits, chrome or gold blade baits, and

(02:16):
crawfish padded crank baits for walleye one four ounces, lead
jigs tipped with live minnows or plastics in bright colors
for pike, big flashy spinners and jointed swim baits in
perch or fire tiger. The live bait bites, solid fresh
fattheads and creek chubs outfish plastics when a cold spell

(02:38):
moves in, but artificials are still out catching bait around
the mid day. Warm up strippers and sheep's head are spotty,
but turn up in the current seems below bridges, sauger
bites pick up as the night cools work deeper tail waters.
For those hot spots today Lilydale Pool below the thirty
five East Bridge, classic falstaging ground, good mix of bass

(03:01):
and wally, the Deep Cut below the four Dam, small
mouth stack here and wally hold in the tailwaters Pike
Island Confluence current edges are loaded with bait, fish and
everything from smallies to pike is on the hunt. Some
locals reported hauling in a dozen keepers in an afternoon,
mostly small mouth and a couple thick wally, while others

(03:22):
saw slow stretches but snagged a brood or two, especially
on blade baits bounced slow across gravel bars. Remember keep
an eye on your electronics for bait balls, and watch
for gulls diving. Late fall means predator fish are pushing
shad and minnows into tight pockets. If you hit a
school stick with it, the window's small but hungry. That's

(03:43):
today's scoop from artificial lore. A classic late October pattern,
fish eating hard whenever the river is stable and the
sun peaks through. Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget
to subscribe for more tips and river reports. This has
been a quiet please production for more chuck out Quiet
pleas Dot a eye