Are there any fish in upper Minnihaha Creek?

[Stick500]

I'm new to the area and every day I drop off my daughter at school near the Edina Country Cub golf course and we cross Minnehaha Creek near France and 54th street. Sure looks inviting to cast a line. I can see on Google maps that it drains from Meadowbrook Lake (and further west Gray's Bay) and it really gets wide in Arden Park just below Meadowbrook. Someone told me there isn't much for fish in Minnehaha because the water levels can get drastically low in the summer when dams are closed in the lakes. Would there be anything in the stretch I am describing? Trout, suckers, smallies or even chubs? Thanks in advance for info.

[bobbymalone]

trout? HA!

smallies? HA!

you might be able to find chubs or maybe a carp, bullhead, or sucker, but you also might not find anything. I haven't been up that far, but I know if minnetonka is low and they don't open up that dam that creek will pretty much dry up.

I think its flowing well this year, judging by whats happening at the confluence with the mississippi, but it was pretty much dry last year.

[SkunkedAgain]

If you visit the Minnehaha Falls, you'll know that there is nothing swimming upstream from the Mississippi. Some fish could swim out of Nokomis or get washed over the Minnetonka dam, but you might as well just fish those lakes if you're actually looking to catch something.

Now if you're looking for a great canoe trip, drop in at Minnetonka after a nice rain and you'll get a great trip down an under-used waterway.

[HuskerBen]

If you look hard enough, you can sometimes find white suckers, chubs, and various species of bullhead and panfish. They are far from plentiful, but if you're just trying to kill twenty minutes, and don't have high expectations, it's worth bringing an ultralight or flyrod. In the wider areas with deeper water, you can occasionally find carp. I caught a couple smallish largemouth bass out of the creek this summer, too.

All of this is dependant on the flow. You can look up the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District's website, which will tell you what the current (or at least recent) flow rate is. This year, it hasn't been too bad. Last year, there was nothing in the creek.

[Stick500]

wow! thanks for all the quick info guys- I will toss a line in this fall just to see if anything bites

[hcmpls1]

What about where the creek enters the Mississippi? I usually take the kids to the falls a few times per year and walk the trails and make it down to the river. There's always more than a few people fishing this spot... maybe its because it accessible or maybe its producing something. Anyone have any luck at this particular spot from shore?

[Stick500]

well I gave it a shot today and got into some nice chubs pretty quickly- fun watching them hit my little jig with a small Gulp Alive worm on it in the clear water- I'll go back again

as for the where Minnehaha enters the mighty Miss I hear from some of these forums that that can be a great place for gamefish as well as hotspot for carp

[Stick500]

went back again and got into a bunch of sunnies below some rapids and below the dam on 50th- just little buggers but great fighters on light tackle- fun to fish streams as a change from lakes!

[batts002]

The stream below the waterfall used to be a great place before all the shoreline reconstruction. They filled in all the pools about 2 years ago and rerouted the creek in some spots. Some smaller pools have formed closer to the Mississippi where you could get some redhorse/carp/bass(SM and LM). Where the creek hits the Mississippi you'll basically find any fish that swims in MN. I've had all my best days there by putting on a pair of waders, walking out on the confluence, and finding where the dropoff is from the creek sediment. All you need is a worm and a split shot. A few weeks ago 3 of us took about 20 walleyes, plus the occasional SM and silver redhorse in about an hour's worth of fishing. Bring extra hooks, cause you're bound to get a snag or two.

[Zelmsdawg]

I don't fish the river so I'm not completely sure but if you do you might want to check the regs as I think its a catch and release only are for most species?

Maybe someone else who knows can confirm or deny but just trying to give a helpful heads up

Zelsmdawg

[batts002]

I'm not sure if Minnehaha itself has any regs, but where it hits the Mississippi, the MS is catch and release only in that pool. You don't find many people actually doing that though. Make sure you have your license, DNR checks there frequently.

[Slabasaurus]

The Mississippi River Pool 2 special regs are regarding select species:

Walleye, Sauger, LM and SM bass are all catch and release only. I believe all other species are subject to standard MN DNR Regs.

This pool is, however, open to year round fishing, which is pretty neat.

Hopin to hit up the confluence of the Minnehaha and the river before the snow flies, hear a lot of good things about this stretch. pretty area too.

[big musk411]

Sweet, Creek chubs are my favorite bait!

Would you mind sharing generally where and how you caught them?

As far as canoeing it goes we did it twice many years ago in the spring in high water and tipped over each time .

Thanks,

Matt T

[Stick500]

big musk - I've only found 2 places where the chubs are hanging out so far- one is right below the pool that forms where 54th street crosses the creek (just west of France) - in the pool itself is the sunnies and over on the right where they put canoes in along a wooden wall/berm is where the chubs were last week

the other place is the footbridge that crosses the creek in Arden Park which is just north of the area I just described- the footbridge is by the bathroom building which is just south of the playground- I could see about a 1/2 dozen nice-sized ones right away and the first 2 were easy to catch and then they got real skittish and disappeared- kinda unusual for chubs, but maybe that's the way they act in real clear water

how does the legality of moving chubs from body of water to another work? I can't quite figure it out from the DNR regs.- I actually used a few I caught in minnehaha to try and catch a muskie in Cedar Lake (hennepin)- would that be risky?

[Stick500]

oh, I forgot- I caught 'em on a little jig tipped with a small Gulp Alive worm- it's killer for all little fish

[MinnesnowtaWild]

You cannot take bait from Minnehaha Creek just so you guys know. It is an infested water and it is not legal to take bait from it.

[big musk411]

Thanks for the info! I have caught nice creek chubs fly fishing in WI. Standard trout flies.

I guess I'll have to find creek chubs elsewhere for bait...I wonder where bait comes from these days as everything seems infested.

[big musk411]

FYI -- Stick nice carp. Thats big!. Hold your fingers in and the fish out...It will look twice as big.

[pllwft]

clearly things have changed since i last visited the upper reaches of minnehaha creek. about 10 years ago i used to canoe from gray's bay to nokomis about 6 times per year and have a great time catching pike and smallies. i remember the creek slowing down and getting a little wider through hopkins, where the solid pike fishing picked up. apparently that isn't to be expected anymore, but i vividly remember a SOLID fishery

[hansyfishing02]

If you go to 54th street in Arden Park you will find a variety of fish. I have caught many nice sized large mouth, Carp, Dogfish, Sunfish and even northern. If you go there you might even see a muskie jump! Yes, there are muskie at 54th. My friend caught a small one there and hooked on to a 35+ in. a 40-45 incher went after my daredevil while I was fishing there. Ther fishing is better in the spring.

oh and another good place to ish in the spring is the edina mill for carp and pike. I have heard of 30 lb muskie being caught there

[nofishfisherman]

What about where the creek enters the Mississippi? I usually take the kids to the falls a few times per year and walk the trails and make it down to the river. There's always more than a few people fishing this spot... maybe its because it accessible or maybe its producing something. Anyone have any luck at this particular spot from shore?

Where the creek flows into the Mississippi can be a really good spot in the spring.  Usually in late April/early May you can get into some nice walleye, smallies, white bass, the occasional crappie and pike, and of course many different types of river fish (carp, suckers, and cats).

It all depends on the water levels and water temp.  This last spring with little snow melt the river never got high enough to make fishing worth while.  Other years the bridge at the mouth of the creek can be underwater.  When the water is high you can catch fish from the river itself and back up into the creek a good ways.  I've caught several 20"+ walleye and some nice smallies pretty far up the creek on really high water years.

The area does get somewhat crowded but you can usually find a place to fish.  My advice is to go on days when the weather isn't great.  If its raining it will be almost empty.  Just throw on your rain gear and you'll catch some fish.

The guys that do the best fish jig and minnows or jig and plastics exclusively.  You'll see guys bobber fishing, casting all sorts of lures, fishing off the bottom with lindy rigs, etc.  But the jig guys catch 90% of the fish.  Just takes practice dealing with the rocks and snags.

Just keep in mind the catch and release regs and make sure to bring an empty plastic bag with you so that you can fill it with some garbage on your way out.  The place collects a lot of garbage from the people using the park and from stuff that flows in from the river.  I usually try to pack a load of garbage out each time I fish down there.