Guide Steve DeZurik admires a heavy Mississippi River smallmouth bass that hit a 5-inch soft stickbait in Minnesota.

Anglers who relish river fishing for walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike or muskies should take a trip to the upper reaches of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. The river section that extends from north of Minneapolis-St. Paul upriver to the Brainerd area features diversity in both habitat and fish species.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sample the outstanding fishing the upper Mississippi provides. While I've had similar outings, quality-wise, on my home waters of Western Pennsylvania, I must say I witnessed things I've not seen before.

From the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis and points downriver, the Mississippi is navigable and under the influence of a network of locks and dams. Upriver, however, it's a free-flowing river, interspersed with several small dams. Here, gamefish have the option of holding in or near fast-moving water, working into tailrace areas below dams or moving downriver into impounded sections.

During my late September visit, the primary focus was on smallmouth bass. On my first outing on the river, John Church, who was my guide for the day, explained that the river's brown bass concentrate in specific spots when the water begins to cool and the days start to shorten.

"Throughout the summer, the smallies are spread out more," Church said. "But even though the water is still relatively warm, when the days get short in September, they really start to stack up in specific locations. When you find one, usually you find a bunch."

Now, anyone who has spent much time fishing for smallmouth bass knows the species has the tendency to follow a hooked fish. In clear water, it's common to see three for four fellow bronzebacks chasing one of their pinned brethren to the boat.

If you're fast, a cast pitched back into the fracas occasionally results in a bonus fish. Note the word occasionally.

But it happens often on the upper Mississippi, at least when the bass are staged in tight concentrations during early fall feeding frenzies.

Tossing a bait in there pretty much was an automatic hook-up. Singles became doubles, even triples when there was a third angler in the boat.

The following day, I fished with Steve DeZurik, who guides on several sections of the Mississippi for both smallmouth bass and walleyes.

"After someone in the boat has caught a fish, it pays to hang a bait over the side of the boat for a while," he said. "Bass that follow a hooked fish will duck under the shade of the boat. We've caught them five minutes after someone has boated a fish."

DeZurik's comment proved true over the course of the day, as several bonus bass were caught simply by jigging an offering beside the boat.

During my three-day stay, I experienced some of my best fishing for oversized river smallies. The average fish was about 3 pounds, with fish up to 5 pounds taken each day.

The water was clear in the sections I fished. The most productive baits were suspending ones, and most hits came as the bait suspended motionless a few seconds following a twitch.

My headquarters was in the St. Cloud area, which is a good choice for visiting anglers. There are many hotel and dining choices, as well as a well-stocked sporting goods store.

Good river sections are found both upriver and downriver of St. Cloud. I fished the Sartell and Royalton pools, which are both good for smallmouth bass and walleyes.

Since the dams serve as barriers, each pool has its distinct characteristics and fishery dynamics. Upriver, in the Brainerd area, there's an excellent muskie population in addition to the bass and walleyes. Northern pike are common throughout, but don't usually attain much size.

A seven-day non-resident fishing license runs just under $30. Starting in mid-September, a catch-and-release season applies to Mississippi River bass, a measure aimed at protecting these fish when they are tightly grouped and aggressive.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.