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Mississippi River - Champlin to Coon Rapids
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Mississippi River - Champlin to Coon Rapids Fishing Reports
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Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Bladed Jigs
Structure
Laydowns
Forage
Crawfish
Water Temperature
64°
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Crankbaits 0-6'
Structure
Laydowns
Water Temperature
67°
They weren't exactly jumping into the boat but caught around 15 smallies tonight. Beat the banks and docks searching for fish with the squarebill. Most of the fish caught were up very tight to the bank. The current was pretty strong especially as we got closer to the Champlin bridge.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Post-Spawn)
Technique
Ned Rigs
Structure
River Channels
Forage
Crawfish
Water Temperature
73°
Pretty tough fishing, current and water levels are dropping and water was down about a foot in 4 days. fish were near but not on any structure. Faster current was key and deeper water. Bite was slow and was almost exclusively a ned rig day...
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Wacky Rigs
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
75°
Dayton to Champlin. Found the smallies to be in the rock beds out in the middle. 6 to 8 feet of water
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Topwater Prop
Structure
Boulders
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Structure Jigs
Structure
Laydowns
Forage
Crawfish
I love this stretch of the river because you can target smallies with power fishing techniques. We didn't find any giants on this outing, but caught plenty in the 2 to 3 pound range. Skipping a jig under overhanging trees was the most consistent pattern and produced our bigger bites, but we were also able to pick off a few roaming bass with a ned rig.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Bladed Jigs
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Crawfish
Decided to venture above the dam on Sunday and Monday evening. We are still learning this new stretch of the river as we have only fished it a couple times for the past few weeks now. We found tons of good areas to fish so far. The water is much deeper above the dam which allows for plenty of variations in presentation. We stuck to what has been working well for us below the dam, and that was chatter baits. Specifically, we were throwing the z man mini max green pumpkin 3/8oz with an orange trailer trying to imitate fleeing crayfish. Since the water is much deeper above the dam you could probably get away with throwing a 1/2oz as well to get that bait down to the fish. We threw lures up against the banks as we normally do but most fish came mid to late in the retrieve cycle telling us they weren't up against the shore. We didn't get many traditional "lure hits the water and fish hit" bites. I couldn't tell if fish were trailing the lures into the boat or if they weren't seeing the lures until they got deeper into the water column, but multiple fish hit right next to the boat almost like a musky bite so focus on retrieves all the way to the boat. I found the best way to actually catch fish was to fish the chatter bait similar to a jerk bait. I would cast to the bank let the lure sink a second or two start the retrieve and while I was retrieving the lure I would give it several small pops throughout and let it sink on the pause a bit each time. fishing just a straight and steady retrieve didn't produce fish as it previously had for us. We ended up doing well on each outing catching about 20-25 fish each time, with a couple of nice ones mixed in. The one thing to note is that the water above the dam is dominated by recreation from pontoons, to wake boats and jet skis the water sees a lot of boaters so just be aware if you choose to fish this stretch of river there are many other users out there. early mornings did seem to be the quietest and gradually picks up throughout the day.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Crankbaits 0-6'
Structure
River Channels
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
80°
Water was very low, bass were stacked up in a small river channel off the main channel. 4-6 feet of water
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Rip Rap
Forage
Minnows
Small swimbaits popped up and down off the bottom. The cold front seemed to turn off the bass and they weren’t chasing anything. Like the smaller hook of the guppy head for more action when working the swimbait slowly.
