Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Mississippi River Minneapolis fishing report. We’re sitting on a stable, early‑summer pattern right now. The river’s running a bit stained but very fishable through the Minneapolis pool—flows not ripping, not slack, just enough current to set up nice seams off the wing dams and below the dams. No real tides to worry about this far upriver, so think in terms of current changes from power releases and any bumps from recent rain. Weather around the metro is classic June: mild morning temps sliding up into a warm, comfortable afternoon, with light to moderate winds and a mix of sun and clouds. Humidity’s up enough to keep the bugs around but not brutal. Sunrise is right around the early 5:20 a.m. hour, with sunset pushing close to 9 p.m., giving you a long window to work dawn and dusk—prime time on this stretch. Early and late are your best bets. Low light has the smallmouth pushing shallow on rock, and the walleyes and saugers sliding up on the tops and upstream edges of wing dams and current breaks. Midday, fish are dropping a little deeper into the holes, backside eddies, and the bases of riprap banks. Recent chatter from local anglers up and down the Minneapolis pool has been encouraging: - Solid **smallmouth bass** action, plenty of 14–18 inch fish with the occasional bruiser north of 19. Numbers have been good on rocky shorelines, bridge pilings, and current-swept points. - **Walleyes and saugers** have been coming in spurts—more of a grind than a slamfest—but guys dragging rigs are putting a few nice eaters in the livewell. - **Channel cats** are starting to wake up in a big way; cut bait in the deeper bends and below the dams is producing steady action after dark. - A mix of **white bass, sheepshead, and the odd pike** are filling in the gaps, especially for folks throwing moving baits. Best lures right now: - For smallmouth, go with **3–4 inch swimbaits**, **Ned rigs**, and compact **crankbaits** in natural shad, perch, or green pumpkin patterns. A simple tube dragged across rock is still money. - For walleyes, **jigs with plastics** or a **live-bait rig** pulled upstream along the edges of the wing dams and channel breaks. Chartreuse, white, and firetiger remain staples in this stained water. - For cats, **cut sucker**, **cut goldeye**, or a good, smelly prepared bait on a simple slip sinker rig will get it done. Best bait: - **Nightcrawlers** on a slip sinker or live-bait rig are putting both walleyes and bonus smallmouth in the boat. - **Leeches** on a jig or Lindy-style rig are consistent producers when the fish get fussy. - Don’t overlook **fatheads** or small **shiners** if you can find them—especially for sauger. Couple of local hot spots to circle: - The stretch just below **Upper St. Anthony and Lower St. Anthony** dams—anywhere you can find defined current seams, rock, and 8–14 feet of water. Work your way down until you mark bait and fish. - The **Ford Dam area (Lock and Dam 1)**: upstream wing dams, downstream current breaks, and shoreline riprap are all holding mixed bags of smallies, walleyes, and rough fish right now. Work those transitions—rock to sand, fast to slow water—and keep an eye on your electronics for bait clouds hugging bottom. If you’re not touching rock or feeling current, slide until you do. That’s the river as I’m seeing it today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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