Best Places to Fish in Wisconsin: Mississippi River Pool 10

Pool 10 of the Upper Mississippi River extends 32.8 miles between lock and dam 10 in Guttenberg, Iowa, to lock and dam 9 in Lynxville, Wis. Along this stretch of waterway you'll find islands, side channels and backwaters alongside limestone bluffs that make for a diverse aquatic habitat. This stretch of the river is home to more than 119 species of fish – more varieties than are found in any of Wisconsin’s inland lakes!

Favorite sport fish include walleye, sauger, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, northern pike, bluegill, and crappie. The list also includes riverine species such as blue sucker, shorthead redhorse, and bigmouth buffalo that are typical of large rivers in Wisconsin as well as some ancient fish such as paddlefish, lake sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon.

On the Mississippi River, you don't necessarily need a boat to catch them either. Depending on water levels and time of year, it's not unusual to find many species of fish avoiding the main current channel and moving closer to shore. Find yourself a surrounding park, fishing pier, or shoreline access point and there's a good chance you'll come away with something at the end of your line!

Interactive Lake Map

For a more detailed lake map and up-to-the-minute fishing reports, follow the Mississippi River Pool 10 waterway page on Fishidy.

Here are some tips for locating and catching fish on Mississippi River Pool 10:

• The shoreline by Lynxville can be loaded with walleye and sauger. This is a congregation point for large fish, especially in the summer and fall when most anglers are fishing for other species. Drifting live bait rigs, casting and trolling with hard body lures, and slip bobbering with willow cats and minnows are all great methods for catching walleye.
• A maze of small interwoven lakes, known as Taylor Lake, holds bluegill and crappie when water levels are high. For largemouth and pike, run swimming jigs with plastic tails or spinnerbaits during the summer. In the fall if the water is up above normal, use the same technique for some great action.
• Mud Hen Lake and its slough, which enters the area of Harpers Slough and the main channel, has fairly deep water and should be fished for summer crappie and bluegill. This is also a great place to fish for bass all year. Look for bass during high water conditions. The water clarity at this location cleans up fairly quickly. This area is a good place to run surface lures.
• The mouth of the Wisconsin River is a good place in late fall to vertically jig for saugers in about 15 to 25 feet on the east side of the main channel.
• Bussey Lake, immediately north of Guttenberg, is a good ice fishing area for bluegill. Some of this lake has been dredged and now has the potential to hold largemouth bass all year. The lake has marked areas that are no wake zones. Fish docks with jig combos or plastic worms for best productivity. 

Fishidy is the premier map-based social network for anglers. The online community gives anglers the ability to record and track their on-the-water experiences and view detailed fishing maps on more than 17,000 bodies of water.

Fishidy.com is the premier map-based, social network for anglers. The online community gives anglers the ability to record and track their on-the-water experiences and view detailed fishing maps on over 8,000 bodies of water.