St. Croix Newbie (Twin Cities area)

[Aaron Carrell]

Hey guys,

I've peaked in on this forum a few times over the last 10 years but have never followed through with my desire to hit up the St. Croix to target some smallmouth primarily. Well... I'm hoping to make it happen this Saturday and was hoping for some general guidance. I live in Minneapolis and was hoping to fish the areas nearest to me, and based on the map and previous threads I've seen I was leaning towards the area from Prescott heading north to wherever (preferably staying south of the Lake). My questions are the following:

• Where are the simplest ramps to use within the area described above, and preferably without paying a fee?
• Is there a stretch of the river that is in general easiest to start from? better overall? Areas to altogether avoid? (I'm comfortable on Pool 2 and rivers in general, though not always the best at finding the fish, but thats just due to a lack of time spent searching usually)
• Is there anything I should expect this time of year regarding the fishing, traffic, other regulations that are out of the ordinary?

I appreciate any help anyone is willing to provide! I hate going in completely blind, so thats why I'm reaching out here. 

[JBMasterAngler]

Public Access right below the hastings dam on the Mississippi. It's maybe 2 miles by water from the mouth of the croix. Lot's of wing dams to fish for smallies, and the shorelines along the croix in that area are nice and rocky. The constant wake of boat traffic might drive you nuts though.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

On a Saturday? Go early, really early.  Because by Noon-ish, it'll become a "hatch" of pleasure boats. You'll be rocked into submission shortly after.  Good luck!