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Mississippi River Pool 9 Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The driftless pool: backwater sloughs and wing dams where Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota share the Mississippi's fishiest miles.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Gauge
6.55 ft
Air / High
90 / 90 F
Wind
S 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05389500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Mississippi River Pool 9 sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings cloud cover, wind S around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 90. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassGood

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieFair

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 88 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Mississippi at McGregor.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp90 F
High / Low90 / 74 F
WindS 6-11 mph
Pressure1010.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 18%
Sunrise / Sunset06:32 / 19:34
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Storms, 90/74 F, wind 10 mph, rain 18%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Mississippi River Pool 9: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Mississippi River Pool 9 calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Mississippi River Pool 9 today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 88 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Iowa requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

IA/WI/MN border-water reciprocity on shared channels: check the boundary rules. Walleye/sauger combined limits.

Access

Lansing, Harpers Ferry (IA), De Soto, Ferryville (WI) ramps.

About this water

The driftless-bluff pool, Allamakee County IA / Crawford County WI. The river's braided best.

Fishing Mississippi River Pool 9: the full guide

The braided pool

Pool 9 spreads the Mississippi below Lynxville dam into a maze of sloughs, islands and backwaters along the driftless bluffs: 30,000 acres of the river's best habitat mix: wing dams for walleye, weedy backwaters for bass and panfish, and the border courtesies that let three states' licenses roam.

Wing-dam walleye

The main channel's wing dams run the program: willow-cat and crawler rigs worked the rock tips in current, jigs on the closing dams' seams: with October's sauger stack below the dam the pool's classic bite. Spring pulls walleye to the tailwaters: the border-water rhythm every pool shares.

Backwater kingdom

The sloughs (Harpers, Winneshiek) hold the pool's other life: largemouth under the duckweed, bluegills by the raft, crappie in the timber, pike at every weed gap. Duck-boat culture shares the marsh: fall mornings split decoys and jigs.

Pool practicalities

Lansing and Harpers Ferry anchor Iowa-side access (De Soto and Ferryville the Wisconsin mirror): border reciprocity covers the main channel and shared sloughs (check the maps): and wing-dam navigation demands respect: props meet rock on the sloppy lines. Winter's backwater ice (bluegills in the mud bays) is the driftless valley's quiet season.

Common questions

Which license works on Pool 9?

Border reciprocity covers the shared main-channel waters: three states honor each other. Tributaries and landlocked sloughs revert: carry the map.

When is the wing-dam bite on Pool 9?

June-September on the rock tips in current: willow cats and crawlers. October moves the show to the sauger stack below Lynxville.

Is fishing good at Mississippi River Pool 9 right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Upper Iowa River22 miTurkey River34 miKickapoo River36 miLake Onalaska49 miRoot River58 miCastle Rock Lake74 mi
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