Fly Fishing the Upper Mississippi River for Smallmouth Bass
Fly fishing the Upper Mississippi River is one of the best-kept secrets in the Midwest. The stretch between Brainerd and Little Falls, Minnesota holds over 40 miles of prime smallmouth bass water—five distinct river sections, each with different structure, current, and character. It’s rare to even see another boat on the river during a day of fishing. The typical fish runs 15 to 19 inches. Twenty-inch smallmouth are common, not a once-a-season story.
Most fly anglers don’t think of Minnesota when they picture smallmouth on the fly. They should. This section of the Upper Mississippi produces the kind of fishing that makes you rethink your whole calendar.
40 Miles of Smallmouth Water Most People Don’t Know About
The Upper Mississippi between Brainerd and Little Falls isn’t the big, wide, barge-traffic river most people picture. Up here it’s a drift boat river—rocky shorelines and flats, ledges, gravel bars, and undercut banks loaded with smallmouth bass. The fishery breaks into five sections, each one fishable as a full day on its own. You could spend a week and not repeat water.
The numbers back it up. At the 2025 Kayak Adventure Series tournament held on this stretch of the Upper Mississippi and the Crow Wing River, the winning bag averaged over 20 inches per fish across five smallmouth. Eight of the top ten finishers landed at least one 20-inch bass. The series described it as a factory for trophy smallmouth.
The Upper Mississippi has a wild, self-sustaining population of river smallmouth that keeps producing big fish because the habitat is there and the pressure is sustainable. Catch and release, artificial baits and flies only—that’s how we fish it, and it’s why the quality stays high.
How to Fly Fish the Upper Mississippi
Smallmouth on the Upper Mississippi eat with conviction. They’re not subtle. A well-placed streamer swung through a current seam will get crushed, and a popper dropped along a shaded bank in July can produce explosive surface takes that ruin your composure.
Most days, you’re fishing 7- and 8-weight fly rods. Game Changers, sliders, poppers, and crayfish patterns are the workhorse patterns. When the water is low and clear in midsummer, you can most often watch the fish eat the fly. If you’ve never seen a 19-inch smallmouth eat a fly in 6” of water, it’s the kind of thing that makes your hands shake.
Topwater is the other major play. From late June through September, poppers and sliders draw aggressive strikes in the morning and evening. There’s nothing in freshwater fly fishing quite like watching a big smallmouth come up and hammer a popper off the surface.
The river itself dictates the approach. Each section fishes differently depending on water level, temperature, and time of year. That’s where local knowledge matters—knowing which section is fishing best on any given day, where the fish are staging, and what they’re eating.
When to Go
The season runs May through October, and every window has something going for it.
May and June are the prime months for numbers and size. The fish are feeding hard coming out of winter and again after the spawn. They’re aggressive, they’ll eat a variety of flies, and you’re likely to see some of the biggest fish of the year. If you can only pick one window, this is it. It's also the best stretch on the Crow Wing River, the other water we fish, so if you're deciding between the two, early season is when both are firing.
July and August bring stable water, warm temps, and predictable fish. Smallmouth push tight to shaded banks and structure. This is prime topwater season—poppers and sliders in the morning, streamers when the sun gets high. Low, clear water often means using finesse presentations and a more visual fishing experience.
September and October are the fall feed. The fish group up and eat aggressively before winter sets in. They’re harder to locate as they shift out of summer patterns, but when you find them, the fishing can be some of the best of the year. Fall on the Upper Mississippi is also just a beautiful place to be.
What a Guided Day on the River Looks Like
A guided fly fishing trip with NorthFish Angling puts you on the best water the river has to offer on that particular day. You’re fishing out of a 2024 Stealthcraft Power Drifter jet boat—big casting decks, stable platform, and a jet outboard that lets us move between sections without burning time. We drift productive water western-style, then reposition with the jet to pick apart the best sections again.
All gear is provided: fly rods, reels, flies, leaders, the works. If you have your own setup, bring it. If you’ve never cast a fly rod, that’s fine—Steve will get you throwing a functional cast in minutes. The day is built around putting you on fish, reading the river in real time, and making sure you actually learn something along the way.
Full day trips run seven hours. Half days are four. Maximum two anglers per trip. That’s it—no crowded boat, no rushing. Just focused time on the water.
Book a Guided Fly Fishing Trip
Full Day (6 hours): $500 for 1–2 anglers
Half Day (4 hours): $350 for 1–2 anglers
The Upper Mississippi between Brainerd and Little Falls is one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the Midwest, and it’s wide open. Book a trip with NorthFish Angling and come see it for yourself.
Book online at northfishangling.com, email steve@northfishangling.com, or call 612-360-7609.
