Just wondering if anyone has been catching any smallmouths lately on the river. I was thinking about chasing some of them this weekend. Are they close to spawning and what kind of areas should you be fishing right now? Any help would be appreciated!!! Thanks. 
Where about are you located jig? 
What river is “the river”?
In Iowa. I fish the Mississippi River only. I mainly frequent pools 7-11.
I hope to get out there soon! Caught a bunch of smallies in high, muddy water on the Little Pigeon River while visiting in-laws in Tennessee, and I’m champing at the bit to stretch my string again.
In the high, muddy water I had good luck fishing big spinnerbaits vertically in the slack water seam in front of current-breaking shoreline cover. The Little Pigeon River is usually gin clear, but two or three days of rain muddied it up, sped it up and raised it up, and the smallies were hanging tight to cover.
I was basically pitching my spinnerbait as I would a jig and letting it fall vertically on slack line. A slack line was key. As the spinnerbait blades (big, big willow blades) fell vertically on a slack line, they looked a lot like baitfish that were stunned in the little vortex made when the current hit the cover and deflected off it. Pitch just upstream of your targeted spot.
If I didn’t get bit on the first drop, I would take up my slack line and then rip my rod tip up swiftly and then immediately drop it back down, causing the spinnerbait to swim up (and create considerbable noise and vibration with the blades) and then fall straight back down as the line slackened.
This same rip-and-fall tactic can also works on smallies in lightly stained moving water (rivers, big creek) on main-river current seams, when/where the current is ripping faster than usual. It often works well with Rippin’ Raps in rivers too.
Isn’t the season closed?
When the flow was really high here a week ago they were really hugging the shorelines tight along any type of good eddy. Levels have dropped a bit lately and current slowed so they are now hanging a lil deeper on the current seam but stuff with rocks is a good bet. Yes season is closed for MN’s inland waters.
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Isn’t the season closed?
Mississippi River Pool 2 is open year-round for catch-and-release. Here’s the reg explained as per the official 2013 Minnesota Fishing Regulations book:
“Mississippi River Valley (Ramsey, Washington, Hennepin, and
Dakota counties) walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, and largemouth
bass: Catch-and-release with a continuous season in the following
stretches: a) Minnesota River downstream from the Mendota Bridge;
b) Minnehaha Creek downstream from Minnehaha Falls; and c) Pool 2
of the Mississippi River between the Hastings Dam and the Ford Dam,
including all backwater lakes and connecting waters except Crosby Lake,
Pickerel Lake, Upper Lake, Little Pigs Eye Lake, and North Star Steel
Lake.”
Not sure about Iowa and those pools but everything in MN but P2 is still closed which means no intentional pursuit or you are nothing but a low-down, law breaking, self centered poacher with no respect for your fellow sportsman or the quary in which you pursue.
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Not sure about Iowa and those pools but everything in MN but P2 is still closed which means no intentional pursuit or you are nothing but a low-down, law breaking, self centered poacher with no respect for your fellow sportsman or the quary in which you pursue.
So……….how do you really feel? 
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Poaching is the unlawful or illegal taking of wild plants or animals, such as through hunting, harvesting, fishing, or trapping
Dictionary online.
So what if someone perhaps is not actually taking them? Yes maybe taking them out of the water temporarily but then putting them right back does not constitute the “taking”, more of a borrow as I see it. I can’t help it if they bite on my 1/4oz jig and 3″ gulp minnow while fishing for a state record crappie. 
Incidental catches are one thing but purposely purseuing is taking. There is no C&R season. Its up to each individual but if you continue to catch out of season fish in one spot you have a reasonable expectation of catching another so you are in fact pursueing. I once gave up a sucker spot after catching 2 walleyes because I expected to get another one.
Bass season never closes in Iowa, I cant imagine the Miss is any difference…
In fact, walleye season never closes in Iowa either, with the exception of the 5 large natural lakes in the NW corner..
Technically, they close it to have an opener, like their neighbor to the north.. Well, they close it to keep boats out of their spring gill nets for the hatchery in Spirit Lake also..
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