Minnesota River Fishing Report

[Lowblazah]

caught a few flats around noon this week

you must have been fishing heavy wood?

[pureinsanity]

you must have been fishing heavy wood?

I bet it was a shallow sand flat.

[aanderud]

Dang, I'd like to get into some daytime flatties. Especially with this nice weather. We were out last night, got out there fairly late and only spent 4 hours on the water. One small channel cat on cutbait and one good thump/run on a 9 inch bullhead that I swung and missed on.

[TruthWalleyes]

Was on the river last week thursday night to friday morning. 9pm to 10am.

OH JOY THE BUGS WERE OUT!! Pretty much ran up the river blind. Turned off all lights except the front flood light, which had so many bugs in front of it there wasn't much light hitting the water. I'd turn on my spotlight for 2 seconds and it was like it started sleeting the bugs were so bad...Such is life on the muddy ditch!! Still a very enjoyable, relaxing night...well after the fog rolled in and the bugs disappeared!

And about midnight the fog rolled in thicker than the bugs, so visibility was still zero, but at least i wasn't picking mayflies out of every orfice!

Ended up missing 6 on the night. 5 on cut bait (Fresh sucker), channel cats ran with the bait, and as soon as i touched the rod to set the hook the baits were dropped. This i thought was odd. Once, the bait pulled out of the mouth. And the other missed fish was my 10" bullhead got crushed, but nothing ever took it. I noticed the bully stopped jerking my rod, so i gave it another ten minutes and reeled in a squashed bully. Good sight to see even though there wasn't a fish attached.

Turned out to be a beautiful sunrise and morning though!

I spent the morning suspending a large sucker under a floatn in a backwater area that was full of carp. Though it would produce a late feeding flathead, but no luc

[EBass]

Bust out the shopvac - I wonder if a channel destroyed that bully? Sounds like it. Cool sunrise pic!

[Gordie]

Truth its a drag cleaning up the boat after a bug night but IMO well worth it.

I have a friend that would always get in my boat barefoot he hates shoes and its not a problem but when the bugs are thick its bad enough walking thru your boat listening to the bugs snp crackle and pop but he did it barefoot and always was kinda gross with the bugs squished in his toes or on his feet

[TruthWalleyes]

Barefoot on "Pops"...

As a kid i would walk around the cattle yard barefoot, i think i'd do that again before i'd take my shoes off on a buggy night on the river

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Very, very foggy out there last night. Saw a few others who said F it and were waiting it out on sandbars like we were.

[ogrejce]

Cought my first cat of the year last night, 15lb channel. It had been so long since I caught one I let it bite up my hand some. Fog and bus came in round ten and I was wearing shorts, phone died and I too said f-it and went in.

[pulsar_nx]

Northerns, northerns, northerns, I've never caught so many and been cut off on the river as I have this year. Even got a large mouth the other day, talk about never knowing what your going to get. It's been a strange year.

[Rob55]

Northerns, channel cats, walleyes, and of course sheep head. Trolling/casting/jigging the rip rap especially by feeder creeks and outside bends. Has been great since the river has gotten low. Caught and released 28 & 29 1/2 inch marble eyes:-)

Love this time of year........fishing....hunting......and football:-)

[Gordie]

Thanks for the report Rob55 and welcome to The HSO family Great to have you on board

See Ya on the river

[Roscoe010]

We out fishing with my girlfriend on Sept. 10th. We were fishing a woodpile with nightcrawlers when she thought she was snagged for a moment. Then the rod bent over and she felt the fish. After a nice fight we boated a 16 pound flathead. She was really excited especially since it was her first catfish. I have been out twice since then and been skunked.

[Roscoe010]

Went out today with my brother who flew in. We fished about 4 hours and caught some sheephead, small channels and a 3 lb. largemouth. The bass was the first one I have caught on the MN River in the 15 years I've been fishing it. I usually target cats and carp on the river. Glad the crummy weather blew over and we had a fun day on the water.

[Rob55]

Thanks Elwood......Just got back from Lake Superior.....Wonderful Lake Trout trip:-) Looking forward to somemore time on the Minnesota River......after whatever bends the rod!!!!! Ahh the beauty of river fishing during the fall........just fishing boats.......no more pleasure cruisers;-) (no offense)

P.S. Elwood nice flathead!!!!!

[Scott M]

The walleye guys are keeping quiet, but I know they are gettin um!

[Scott K]

The river is getting pretty low now, so if you adventure out, be prepaired to get out and push if your not driving a jet boat.

[Gordie]

Iffin I wasnt going to the dead sea this weekend I would head down with the mud motor for cast and blast maybe the weekend following.

[Scott K]

I will be in sconsin this weekend for the youth deer hunt. Hoping my son throws a little lead into this

[Gordie]

good luck and nice buck

[rushing]

Was out on Mon tossin a jig around. We caught feesh.

[HONDAMAN]

My son got this one last saturday. 28in

[TruthWalleyes]

^^Nice Fish!

Was out on Mon tossin a jig around. We caught feesh.

I gave jigging the minnesota a whirl once last fall when the river was WAY high, I would like to spend some hours this fall chasing after a few feesh as well .

My question for you rushing, is when jigging, what is your preferred test of line, and do you use braid or some type of mono. I ask because i got the bright idea of using 20# fireline for my 1 trip last year, and after i broke a brand new rod (Yeah it was a cheapo) i didn't thinkg the 20# was a good idea.

So assuming that you get snagged a lot, what is you line preference?

[Gordie]

TW I use 6-8lb and have been known to use 4lb test when jiggin the river I do lose a few jigs but I fish the spots that are not log laiden and try and pick good clean spots. this spring I did a bit of jiggin and was using 4lb test and put the smack down an a bunch of FEEESH and never broke off..

I guess I would rather break off easy than spend the presious time tring to get unstuck in the snag but thats just me.

Nice eye hondaman

[TruthWalleyes]

I guess I would rather break off easy than spend the presious time tring to get unstuck in the snag but thats just me.

Thanks, That is what i was looking for!

[rushing]

I believe I am spooled with 20lb power pro. I get snagged constantly but I have yet to break off in the last two times out.

[TruthWalleyes]

Nice, SO are you just straightening out your jigs then? That is why i thought it would be a good idea to use 20#, but matched with a cheap rod was....well short lived.

[Alagnak]

I use a 10lb/2lb diameter braid on most of my river rods now, maybe one is 20 # braid, I can't remember without looking. BUT- I highly recommend the hi vis line. The one I still have green power pro on is worthless when the light starts to get low and have to switch rods to see what I'm doing. I switch some over to mono spools then for any winter fishing out of the boat.

The thing with the braid is saving the time not tying a new jig on. Most jigs you can pull out and bend back a couple times with the needle nose before you need to toss em.

[Gordie]

The thing with the braid is saving the time not tying a new jig on. Most jigs you can pull out and bend back a couple times with the needle nose before you need to toss em.

Thats another great way to look at it Alagnak and will try it also I do use braid in the spring but more often than not I use monno for other types of FEEESH

[Scott K]

Well it appears the Mn River has broke the all time top 5 low water mark in the past few days. Unbelievable how within 12 months we can have an all time high water mark, then within 12 months, we have a top 5 low water level, with top 2 lowest very easily be attained. We are at 714.52 now and the records are

Low Water Records

(1) 701.00 ft on 01/01/1950

(2) 713.29 ft on 11/16/2001

(3) 713.36 ft on 10/11/2000

(4) 714.40 ft on 09/25/1998

(5) 714.60 ft on 10/16/1996

With the lowest water level never going to be obtainable due to the river filling in so much in the past 60 years. These crazy water level swings have sure put a hurtin on my summer fishing.