Southern Minnesota Fishing
Southern Minnesota's fishing is river-driven, not lake-driven — and Lake Pepin, a natural widening of the Mississippi River, is its centerpiece: 22,000 acres of current-fed water known for smallmouth bass and trophy channel catfish.
22,000
Acres (Lake Pepin)
60 ft
Max Depth
~1 hr
From Twin Cities
Year Round
Fishing Access
⭐ Featured Water
Lake Pepin
Formed where the Chippewa River's delta backs up the Mississippi, Lake Pepin is a 22,000-acre natural lake and the widest point on the entire Mississippi River. The current keeps it well-oxygenated year-round, producing strong smallmouth bass fishing on its rocky shorelines and some of the best channel catfish water in the Midwest.
Smallmouth BassWalleyeChannel CatfishSauger
View Lake Details →Southern Minnesota Fishing Spots
Lake Pepin
Wabasha County • 22,000 acres • 60 ft max depth
Smallmouth BassWalleyeChannel Catfish
View Details →🎯 Southern Minnesota Fishing Tips
Best Times
- • Spring for pre-spawn smallmouth staging near current breaks
- • Summer nights for the best channel catfish action
- • Fall for schooling sauger and walleye near the dam
Local Notes
- • Barge traffic is active — watch for commercial navigation
- • River current means conditions change fast after rain upstream
- • Verify current regs at DNR LakeFinder before fishing