There are two things you can count on if you fish the section of the Mississippi River that passes through Elk River, Minnesota:
- You’ll be among a tremendous number of chunky smallmouths, with some extra-large fish in the mix;
- You’ll have the river pretty much to yourself.
The lack of company stems from a couple factors. First, Minnesotans don’t pay much attention to smallmouth bass. Walleyes rule. Second, river fisheries don’t tend to get a lot of attention in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
It surely isn’t because of a lack of quality fish. Smallmouth bass absolutely abound in the tea-colored waters near the town of Elk River, which is 30 miles or so north of the Twin Cities. Smallies seem to come from behind every rock to hammer BOOYAH Blades, slurp down YUM Dingers and pile drive Heddon Pop’n Images. And any fish that nabs a bait could turn out to be a big walleye, a pike or even a muskie!
Most smallies weigh between 1 1/2 and 3 pounds, but 4- and 5-pounders are amazingly common, and a true giant is always a possibility. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologists have shocked up (and subsequently released) more than one smallmouth from this section of river that would eclipse the Minnesota state record of 8 pounds.
The river is rocky and generally shallow throughout this section and it made up of mix of chutes, shoals, islands, deeper runs, gravel bars and boulder beds. Smallmouth habitat is spread literally from bank to bank in many places.
There are no true rapids, but the river is sometimes swift and its rocky bottom can tear up a boat. It can be fished from the bank, waded when it is fairly low or floated in a canoe or johnboat. Arguably the best way to fish this stretch of the Mississippi River is with a jetboat, in which an angler can venture upstream or downstream and get to areas that simply aren’t accessible with other kinds of craft. Access is good in Elk River and in neighboring towns.
Fishing on the upper Mississippi River is best through the hottest days of late summer, during which time the river tends to be fairly low and the fish are very aggressive.
Among the best offerings for this section of river are 3- and 4-inch chartreuse pepper YUM Dingers fished on small leadheads, 3-inch Wooly Hawgtails rigged the same way, BOOYAH Glow Blade spinnerbaits, 2 7/16 Cotton Cordell Grappler Shad, Juniors and various topwater baits. In this section of river, if an angler isn’t getting hit – and often – he needs to change lures or alter his retrieve.
From St. Cloud Dam to the mouth of the Crow River, which joins the Mississippi River just downstream of Elk River, the daily smallmouth limit is three fish, with a 12 to 20 inch protected slot. Of the three bass that may be kept daily only one may be more than 20 inches long.
Make a reservation and experience some of the greatest smallmouth fishing in Minnesota:
Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Elk River
18894 Dodge St. NW, Elk River, MN 55330
Reservations: (800) 456-4000 Toll Free USA
Telephone: (763) 241-6990
Fax: (763) 241-7301
Email: cx_elkr@countryinns.com