Cannon River flows through the rolling hills and woods south of the Twin Cities, yielding northern pike, black crappies, catfish and smallmouth bass. This rural, family-friendly waterway has a few rapids and an abundance of wildlife, including bald eagles. The stretch below Cannon Falls is particularly pretty as it flows through a broad gorge flanked by 300-foot-tall bluffs. 

From its confluence with the Mississippi River below historic Historic Fort Snelling in St. Paul, this placid river flows 370 miles south to Mankato and west to Big Stone Lake at Ortonville. Known for channel and flathead catfish (including a 50-pounder), it’s also possible to reel in walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and sauger. Big Stone Lake, Lac qui Parle and Upper Sioux Agency state parks all offer fishing kits to borrow.

Flowing north along Minnesota’s northwest border, the Red River of the North is a warm and muddy waterway that harbors channel catfish, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, sauger and lake sturgeon. Campsites can be found along the shore at East Grand Forks’ Red River State Recreation Area.

Smallmouth bass, catfish, rock bass and more can be found in this gentle- to moderate river that flows through southeast Minnesota. Some spots may harbor brown trout, which thrives in the region’s smaller streams. 

Running from Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota to the Mississippi River in Anoka — the site of a scenic dam that's worth a quick walk — the Rum River offers numerous shore fishing sites and boat accesses for catching walleye, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappies and northern pike.

With the Dalles rocky bluffs and glacial potholes at Interstate State Park, this river dividing northern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota delivers dramatic scenery along with smallmouth bass, catfish, walleye, sauger and lake sturgeon among its 60-plus species of fish. Other state parks along its shores include Afton, St. Croix and Wild River.

This Iron Range river known for dramatic rapids sought by expert paddlers joins Lake Superior at Duluth, where its 12,000-acre sprawl makes it North America’s largest freshwater estuary. Restoration efforts are underway to reclaim the estuary from former industries and improve access for anglers seeking walleye, northern pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass and sturgeon.