Vermilion River

Anyone fish the Vermilion? (the one south of the Twin Cities) Fished Rum by Anoka and was underwhelmed, lots of Mcmansions and fishing was so so. Vermilion is a pretty little river-looking for a mixed bag of SMBs and whatever else.
Thanks

Above the falls in Hastings there are some trout. It’s tight and winding with lots of downed trees crossing the river. Pretty tough even in a kayak.

Below the fall, it becomes more backwater-y and the riverine species are present. Lots of northerns, some largies, walleyes, saugers, and every type of rough fish/farm animal you can think of. Great spot to put a small-medium sized boat in and go exploring.

Tons of nice fish in the rum. I fish it alot and it rarely disappoints. No idea about the vermillion

If I had an option I’d rather fish the Rum than the Vermillion.

Thanks-for the replies.

Go to the Vermillion above Hastings and catch and eat every trout you can – they have eaten every chub in that river (like anyone else cares)

No Vermilion fans yet? Gets some ice attention-PM me if you want to keep it quiet like litteraly metro stuff is a zoo!

I’m a big fan… I have just never heard of a smallie coming out of the verm.

Ok-what do you catch there? I know crappies and white bass are there…

From its source in lakeville it is a dedicated catch and release trout except in town of Farmington. Downstream of hiway 52 it has a occasional brown but mainly suckers chub occasional pike until impassable waterfall in Hastings. Below waterfall it runs all the way to Mississippi below lock and dam at treasure island emptying Into pool 4. I have caught everything except a muskie or a Smallmouth below the waterfall. It is to narrow and twisty a full of downed trees to float and runs through mainly private land so access is an issue. You can canoe below falls to Mississippi. 12 or 14 ft job or shallow draft boat can navigate sections of it but not whole thing. Be prepared to push pole walk in muck and sand to navigate. The 3 navigable sections have boat landings for small watercraft. Been fishing it on and off for 40+ years

Mwal

mwal summed it up. Above the falls is a trout stream. Below the falls I target walleyes and panfish. Tons of northerns too, I just don’t really target them. Those are just accidental catches I guess you can say.

mwal hit the nail on the head. I have caught smallmouth in it below hastings. It connects directly to pool 3 so it has everything the Miss does. I’ve always wanted to launch my small boat on the lower sections but haven’t done it yet.

If I could throw a spinner around, catch 10 norts, 1 dog and 2 eyes, on a quiet and pretty river I would be thrilled.
People like Mwal make this site great, thanks a bunch any other pointers would be great.

Use the Du Cheins access near Hastings and head upstream. Some spots get a little shallow. Cast a spoon, spinner, daredevil, or lipless bait and hang on.

Snake River I’ve heard is very good too for big smallmouth, parts you have to navigate by canoe/kayak though..

Thanks! Maybe what I’m really looking for is shade, was not liking the sun, lack of wind, heat and humidity yesterday, was bad by 930.

I always find that the sunny side at sunrise is best for a couple hours this time of year. Smallies are sight feeders and after being dark all night, get active at low light.

Best of all combinations are a sun/shade combo shoreline creating visual ambush points – especially if around rock, rip-rap, cement pilings, etc. These attract crayfish more than wood.

Great tip Fry-Shade sounds good, fish like it too.

tim hurley wrote:

Great tip Fry-Shade sounds good, fish like it too.

To clarify – best scenario is the first 2 hours at sunrise. Fish the shore that is both a combination of sun and shade, not all shade or all sun. And if rock is present – even better!

Somebody (like me) reading Fry’s post might think that advice sounds ‘fussy’ then you get out there, one guy fills out another gets zero-those details are huge thanks!