I work at the U of M hospital and have been interested in shore fishing after my night shift. Looking at Hidden Falls park. Would be there around 8 am and most likely fish through the morning. Any tips on this area? I’ve been reading up on what people typically use here. Also is it worth my time? I mostly just want to get out and fish and learn a little about river fishing but it’d be fun to hook into some fish.
Might be slow this time of year, but I would try north of the mouth along the rip rap, there’s a pocket where the current moves opposite, good spot in the spring. You’ll catch smallies. fyi – a lot of snags.
As fall progresses here it can turn to a good spot as it can be in spring. 8am is good,6am is good, hell anytime is good to be out.
As the water gets under that mid 60 mark I already see significant movement for eyes back up to the dam. Will see it above that but not quite the numbers.
Typically my fall morning is get to river by 530-6, get my limit before sunrise, then livebait in the deeper pockets of pool and wait for a bigger one. Not sure why but you have a lull right when the sun pops out, then about hour later I’ve had big fish move through. Not always the case obviously but seems more often than not.
And this is not pool 2, so results may vary 
Hit Hidden Falls northern park right at the boat launch yesterday morning. Got there around 745 and fish were jumping all over the place. Caught two small smallies right in the rocks off of the launch right away, then a largemouth sitting in slack water behind some debris. Went quiet for about an hour and then had something around 25-30 inches hit a spinnerbait and had it hooked until I got it about 5 ft from me and then it spit it. Think it was probably a northern although I swear I saw vertical stripes on it. Be surprised if it was a muskie but didn’t get a good enough look.
Fun morning though, will definitely be going back as it gets farther into fall. Hoping the walleye will be coming through more and more as well.
If you’re the first guy there in the AM, don’t be afraid to if there’s a decent enough shelf somewhere right on the shoreline to cast while 20-30′ AWAY from the water. If you get to close fish spook and you’ll never know. I call it ninja mode, fun getting a bonus fish that way first cast, people probably think you’re nuts casting into the water while being so far away but it can work!
We catch a lot of fish from the boat that are tight to the shoreline up there. Always thought a guy with a real long rod could troll the shore by dragging a crank while walking along the shoreline. 
-J.
Thanks for the tips!
BTW, “after your night shift”? I think Hidden Falls closes at 10pm or so. You would have to walk down after they close the gate and might find an undesirable element after hours.
They are supposed to open at sunrise and sometimes the gate is still closed until the person responsible wakes up.
Yeah……Night shift meaning 11 pm to 730 am. If you read my second post you would see that I got to the park around 745.
Went to Hidden Falls again Saturday morning and made sure to get there by sunrise. Also grabbed some fatheads to see if I could get a little more action with live bait. End result: Nothing. Ha. Didn’t get a single bite for two hours. That being said I think I’m going to try Lions Levee park and shore fish off the island there. Looks like there might be more structure around there also.
Shore fishing is going to be tough this time of year but should pickup as the water cools. Try both sides by the dam and look for any type of current seams and pitch plastics into them. I’ve had luck with gulp in the past. Use a jig just heavy enough to keep a little contact with the bottom.
You can also pitch crank baits and work them through transitions from current to slack water.
Like another poster said, work baits into the shallow water. The biggest walleye I have ever caught came in about a foot of water shore fishing pool 2.
Springtime is better but with patience you will catch fish. Low light hours are best. Good luck!
The area around the 494 landing can be really good from shore in the fall, too, and you can basically walk a trail to access a long stretch of it. Good luck!
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