Mississippi River Fishing Guides

About the Mississippi River

The Mississippi River through the Twin Cities is one of the most productive urban fisheries in the United States and one of the least appreciated. The USGS gauge at St. Paul reads the main stem below the Minnesota River confluence and above Lock and Dam 2 at Hastings, and it reports discharge and stage without a current water temperature series. On a river of this size, stage is what matters for access: which ramps are usable, whether the wing dams are covered, and how hard the current is running through the pools.

The metro Mississippi supports a big-river fish community in full. Walleye and sauger are the fish most anglers come for, stacking below Lock and Dam 1 at Ford Parkway, below St. Anthony Falls, and in the tailrace at Hastings, with a genuinely strong late-fall and winter bite in the deeper holes. Smallmouth bass through the gorge between Minneapolis and St. Paul are the river’s other headline fishery, holding on rock and current seams in numbers that would justify the trip on their own. Flathead catfish reach very large sizes in the deep holes and log jams and are targeted at night through summer, channel catfish are abundant, and white bass, northern pike, drum and the occasional muskellunge fill out the mix. Lake sturgeon have recovered enough that catch-and-release encounters are no longer rare.

Access is excellent by big-river standards. Public ramps at Hidden Falls, Harriet Island, Lilydale, South St. Paul and Hastings serve the metro reach, and shore access is extensive through the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area corridor. Guiding here is a real business, with metro guides running walleye and smallmouth trips out of jet boats and bass boats year-round and catfish specialists working the summer nights.

Timing is broad. Spring high water and the walleye run make April and May the busiest weeks; summer belongs to smallmouth and to flatheads after dark; September through November is the best walleye fishing of the year as fish move into the wintering holes; and the tailwaters below the dams stay open and fishable through much of winter. Minnesota licenses are required and the regulations linked below carry current limits and the border-water provisions downstream.

Access

St. Paul access near the USGS gauge - the flow reference and the center of the metro reach.
Hidden Falls Regional Park ramp - the main St. Paul launch into the gorge and pool.
Harriet Island and Lilydale landings - downtown St. Paul trailer access.
Lock and Dam 1 at Ford Parkway - the tailrace walleye and sauger concentration.
South St. Paul and Inver Grove Heights ramps - lower metro access toward Hastings.
Hastings Lock and Dam 2 tailrace - the downstream tailwater and a major walleye fishery.
St. Anthony Falls and Boom Island in Minneapolis - upper-gorge access for smallmouth and shore fishing.

Seasons

Spring: high water and the walleye run below the dams make April and May the busiest fishing of the year.
Summer: smallmouth through the gorge all day and flathead catfish in the deep holes after dark.
Fall: September through November is the strongest walleye and sauger period as fish move to wintering holes.
Winter: tailraces below the lock and dams stay open and fish well for walleye and sauger in cold weather.