- Welcome to "Prairie Sportsman".

I'm Brett Amundson.

It's about 22 degrees out here in February.

And what do we like to do in the winter?

We go fishing.

But I'm not gonna need these or these because we're jumping in a boat to hit pool two of the Mississippi River.

(uplifting music) We're doing it.

(uplifting music continues) Well here's something you only see in Minnesota.

This must be a good spot because if we're gonna be in a boat, open water fishing and we're 50 yards away from a guy fishing on the ice right now, this must be the spot.

So I think we're gonna use all artificial today and probably drop the live scope.

Look around for some fish, maybe pitch at 'em or just slowly drag them up through the river here.

(uplifting music continues) All right, so pool two is pretty much right on the south part of the Twin Cities, actually goes into the Twin Cities.

It goes from the Ford Dam all the way down to the dam just north of Hastings.

And it's an interesting body of water because it's part of the Mississippi.

There's a lot of industry here, so you don't really think of it as a recreational fishing area, but it's been a kind of a secret for a long time.

People that walleye fish a lot are here around the metro know about it, but it can be a great place to catch some really big walleyes.

(uplifting music continues) See if Dan can drop his jigs on one of these fish.

We marked about four of 'em, about 20 to 60 feet out in front of the boat.

One's kind of up and suspended up here.

The rest were down on the bottom.

(light music) (wind blowing) - Hey guys.

(lively music) - [Bret] You got Wade.

(Wade laughing) - [Bret] Carpola.

Big ole carpola.

(Wade laughing) (lively music continues) - All right.

I mean, we're just getting started here.

Dan and I haven't dropped a jig in the water yet and my brother Wade's along with us.

We're in his boat, and he looked into the first fish of the day.

We got excited 'cause it was pulling pretty hard.

Carp.

(lively music continues) Now what makes this area really unique is that it's open year round for fishing, so if you want to come out here when it's 20 degrees and deal with your guides icing up like we are right now, you can walleye, sauger, large mouth bass, small mouth bass are all available to catch here.

And because it's catch and release year round, it grows some big fish too, so it can give you an opportunity close to the metro to catch some really nice fish.

(soft music) Well, this is the beginning of pool number two here, right at the Ford Dam.

This is a really neat spot.

This first time I've been up here.

When you go into the Twin Cities and you drive into the metro and you're in that hustle and bustle of rush hour traffic, you just pass over this river.

You don't even really think about it, but seeing it from the water down here, it gives you a completely different perspective on this whole area.

The Ford Dam, or Lock and Dam number one, was built in 1917, making it one of the oldest dams on the Mississippi.

The lock is operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

It allows boats to navigate upstream to St.

Anthony Falls.

On the east side of the dam, there's a hydroelectric power station, which originally was owned by the Ford Motor Company.

Electricity generated from the dam powered their assembly plant just up the hill where Model Ts were being built.

The assembly plant closed in 2011 and the hydro station was sold.

Today, electricity generated here just goes back onto the grid.

The west side of the lock features an observation deck that is open to the public April through November.

(soft music continues) All right, so right now we're gonna stop and fish here at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Minnesota rivers.

Of course, Minnesota flowing from Western Minnesota here, meeting up with the mighty Mississippi.

You can see actually a difference in the water color where the two rivers join.

We're gonna try it here.

See if we can't find a walleye.

(trumpet plays) Just upstream from this main confluence stands one of the most historical sites in the state.

Fort Snelling.

Fort Snelling was built in 1825 right across the river from the American Fur Company headquarters.

Buildings and walls were constructed using limestone from the edge of the river bluff.

The fort was decommissioned in 1857, but quickly reopened at the start of the Civil War in 1861, where it served as a recruitment and training center as well as a primary center for the US military during the US Dakota War of 1862.

Fort Snelling also served as a recruiting center during the Spanish American War and both world Wars before being decommissioned for a final time in 1946.

(soft music) The confluence is also a sacred spot for the Dakota oyate called Bdote, which means where two waters come together.

It's believed by many Dakota people that this spot is where their creator made the first Dakota man and woman.

During the US Dakota War, this spot was also used as a concentration camp where many Dakota people were held before being removed from Minnesota.

(soft music continues) This spot is now a popular spot for walleye anglers.

(upbeat music) The Mississippi River is home to a ton of wildlife and is a major flyway from migratory birds.

Just above Lock and Damn number two is Spring Lake, a popular place for duck hunters to hunt in the fall close to the metro because the water and parts of pool two tends to stay open most of the year.

In addition, providing a fun opportunity for anglers, it's an attractive place for waterfowl and other birds to live all winter.

In our time in the river today, we saw a few different species of ducks, Canada geese and lots and lots of eagles.

(upbeat music continues) (wind blowing) (upbeat music continues) - Small mouth.

Yeah.

Another carp.

(upbeat music continues) - [Wade] Carpola.

(all laughing) (upbeat music continues) - Nice.

- Nice job, Dan.

I mean, you talk to people in Europe, this is one of their favorite fish to catch.

(upbeat music continues) Well, it's not very often that you can get a backdrop of a major metropolitan area while you're sitting in a boat.

Pool two is a really unique opportunity for Minnesota anglers and non-residents that come to this state and wanna enjoy fishing here.

There's a number of accesses up and down the pool where you can launch your boat.

There's also a lot of shore fishing opportunities and then plenty of park space along the way too.

We saw people walking their dogs, people with fat tire bikes and some picnic areas, which they're probably not using this time of year.

But if you wanna come out here and fish this, it's a great opportunity to catch a bunch of fish, maybe some of the biggest fish of your life, make sure you're well aware of all the regulations, including where the no wake zones are, like the one that we're in right now.

And enjoy a great fishing opportunity that might not be very far from where you live.

(upbeat music continues)