Upper Mississippi: America's Great River Fishing
The upper Mississippi River runs roughly 2,000 kilometres from its source at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota to Cairo, Illinois, where it receives the Ohio River. This section of the river is managed as a series of navigation pools — 29 pools in total, created by a chain of locks and dams built between 1930 and 1940 to maintain a 2.7-metre navigation channel — each with distinct character, habitat, and fish populations. Above Minneapolis and St. Paul, the river is a different creature: unimpounded, shallow, and wild, flowing through granite country where walleye haunt the backwaters and catfish hover in the deep bends. Further south, the pool system creates the diverse habitats — backwaters, side channels, main channel borders, and tailwaters — that make the upper Mississippi one of the most species-rich fisheries in the American interior.
Walleye in the Backwaters Above Minneapolis
The stretch of Mississippi River above the Twin Cities — from Lake Itasca south through Brainerd and Little Falls to Anoka — flows through classic walleye country without the influence of the lock-and-dam system. This is the section most Minnesotans think of as "the river," a shifting channel of sandbars, rock ledges, and backwater lakes that connect to the main flow through narrow passages. Walleye are present throughout but concentrate in the backwater lakes in spring, when post-spawn fish recover and begin feeding actively. The pool created between Clearwater and Monticello above Anoka regularly produces walleye between 1.5 and 4 kilograms in April and May; early evening trolling with a deep-running crankbait on the main channel ledges is the classic method, but jig fishing with a live minnow in the backwater entries works equally well. The open-water season from late April through October offers consistent opportunities; ice fishing on the connecting backwater lakes in January and February can be outstanding.
Catfish Below the Dams
The lock-and-dam system creates tailwater zones immediately below each structure where current accelerates over a shallow sill, oxygenating the water and concentrating baitfish. These tailwaters are the finest catfish habitat on the upper Mississippi. Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) averaging 5 to 12 kilograms inhabit the deepest scour holes immediately below the dam structures; fish exceeding 25 kilograms are caught each season near Lock and Dam 14 at Pleasant Valley, Iowa, and below Lock and Dam 10 near Guttenberg, Iowa. Blue catfish are less common on the upper river but appear in the pools below Lock and Dam 19 in significant numbers. Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are present virtually everywhere and average 1 to 3 kilograms; they are the most accessible catfish species for bank anglers at the rocky riprap below dam structures. Whole bluegill and fresh-cut carp are the preferred baits; a heavy slip-sinker rig anchored in the current seam between fast and slack water is the most productive setup.
Sauger in Pool 19 Tailwaters
Pool 19 at Fort Madison and Keokuk, Iowa, is probably the most famous single pool on the upper Mississippi for sauger (Sander canadensis) — the smaller, deeper-water relative of the walleye. The dam at Keokuk, completed in 1913 and one of the oldest hydroelectric structures on the river, creates a tailwater zone that concentrates sauger in extraordinary numbers from November through March. Fish averaging 250 to 450 grams flood the tailwater during this period, stacking in the current breaks directly below the dam and on the rocky points of Sandusky Island. Jig fishing from anchored boats is the traditional method; a 3.5- to 10-gram jig in chartreuse or white, dropped to the bottom and jigged vertically, can produce fish on virtually every drop in peak season. Tournament-style boat concentrations of 200 or more craft directly below the dam on winter weekends are the norm; arriving before dawn and anchoring in position early is necessary for a productive day.
Walleye in the Main River Pools
Pools 4 through 10, running from Red Wing, Minnesota, south through Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, offer the finest walleye habitat in the pool system. Pool 4 near Red Wing is particularly celebrated: the combination of tailwater turbulence below Lock and Dam 3 at Red Wing, extensive backwater lakes on the Wisconsin side, and rocky main channel structure creates walleye habitat of exceptional quality. April and May trolling with crawler harnesses along the main channel edges between Red Wing and Wabasha produces fish averaging 1.5 to 3 kilograms; September and October see walleye moving onto the rock-strewn flats of the side channels where jigging with a tube or bucktail jig is most effective. Pool 8 at La Crosse, Wisconsin, is another benchmark location, with its extensive sand flats and wing-dam structure holding walleye through the summer.
Smallmouth Bass in the Clear Pools
Pools 1 through 3 — from St. Paul south to Red Wing — carry the clearest water on the upper Mississippi due to the influence of the clean-water tributaries entering from the Minnesota and Wisconsin bluffs. Smallmouth bass are present throughout these pools and are a priority species for many fly anglers who wade the rocky shorelines in June and July. Fish averaging 0.8 to 1.5 kilograms are consistent, with occasional fish to 2.5 kilograms taken near deep wing dams and rocky point structures. Poppers and deer-hair divers work well in the morning; weighted Clouser Minnows and crayfish imitations produce during the heat of the day. The combination of dramatic limestone bluff scenery and clear-water sight fishing makes these pools particularly memorable.
Licenses and Regulations
The upper Mississippi is divided between Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. Most states have reciprocal fishing license arrangements — an Iowa license is valid on the Iowa-side waters; a Wisconsin license covers Wisconsin-side waters — but the rules are complex and vary by species. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois all sell annual freshwater fishing licenses; non-resident licenses range from approximately $34 (Iowa) to $55 (Minnesota, Wisconsin). Catfish regulation varies significantly: in Iowa, there is no minimum size limit for channel catfish and a generous daily bag limit of 15 fish; in Wisconsin, flathead catfish have a minimum of 38 centimetres and a bag limit of 5. Always carry the regulations booklet for the state whose waters you are fishing.
When to Go
Walleye in the backwaters above Minneapolis: April through May for post-spawn fish, September through October for pre-winter feeding. Pool 19 sauger: November through March. Catfish in the tailwaters: May through September for flathead and channel catfish. Smallmouth bass: June through August in the upper pools.
Explore on the Map
The upper Mississippi's pool system is a complex network of main channels, backwaters, islands, and side channels that rewards careful study. The interactive map is an ideal tool for locating specific pools, dam structures, and the backwater lakes that connect to the main river. Trace the full river length from Lake Itasca to Cairo, then zoom in on Upper Mississippi on the map to identify the tailwater zones below each lock and dam, and the backwater systems that hold walleye and catfish at every season.