MN Fish On Conditions — Nov 6–12, 2026 (Fri–Thu)

Public NWS/NOAA cues only. No lake temps claimed.

The rain finally left, and Minnesota woke up to sunshine like somebody opened the curtains in a cabin that had been closed all week. High pressure is parked overhead. The coldest morning of the season already came and went for a lot of folks, and the next stretch is dry and milder. Superior gets a little windy again this weekend, then settles.

Friday (Nov 6): the calm day

• Sunny to start, light winds, highs in the 40s (MSP and Rochester ~46, Brainerd ~42, Duluth ~41). A high near 1026 mb sits over Minnesota.
• This morning was the cold one. NWS Twin Cities had MSP at 34° around 1:45 AM CST and said this morning could very likely be the first freeze of the season for the Twin Cities metro. Lows elsewhere ran in the upper 20s to low 30s. Yesterday’s card still had Saturday as the big cold start. That timing has moved up.
• Tonight into Saturday morning: another chilly night (Brainerd ~27, Rochester ~28, Duluth ~30, MSP ~32), with patchy fog possible up around Brainerd after midnight. Clouds sliding back in from the west may keep Saturday morning a touch milder than Friday was. NWS Twin Cities says this is the last stretch of below-freezing overnight temps through at least mid next week.
• No frost or freeze headlines. Dress for cold docks and ramps early.
• Angler read: launch today if you can. Light wind, sunshine and a break after a week of rain. Rivers and inflows may still run high and dirty, so check local reports first. We’re not guessing at water levels or fish activity.

Lake Superior (nearshore): calm Friday, watch the weekend

• Thursday’s Gale Warning and Small Craft Advisories have expired. The last advisories ended at 6 AM CST this morning (Grand Portage–Silver Bay, Port Wing–Saxon Harbor and the Outer Apostles). No marine alerts are active as of ~9:20 AM CST.
• Today: winds turn light and variable, then southwesterly into the weekend. Friday is the quiet window.
• Saturday into Sunday: NWS Duluth says Small Craft Advisories may be needed for much of western Lake Superior as southwest winds increase and waves build. The hazard outlook calls for southwest gusts over 25 kt Saturday afternoon into Sunday and waves above 4 ft, which would be hazardous for smaller vessels. Nothing has been issued yet, so treat this as a watch-and-check item.
• Angler read: Friday on Superior looks usable if the leftover swell has died. Saturday and Sunday may get bumpy again. Check the marine forecast before you trailer north.

Saturday–Thursday (Nov 7–12): dry and warming

• Saturday: mostly sunny south, more clouds up north behind a dry front. Highs upper 40s to low 50s (MSP and Rochester ~52, Brainerd ~52, Duluth ~47). Southwest gusts of 20–25 mph are possible up north Saturday night.
• Sunday: sunny and a few degrees warmer (MSP ~54, Rochester ~55, Brainerd ~52, Duluth ~49).
• Monday: the mild peak. Low 60s south (MSP ~60, Rochester ~61), mid 50s north (Brainerd ~57, Duluth ~54). A weak cold front Monday night doesn’t do much damage.
• Tuesday–Thursday: still dry and above normal. Highs in the 50s south and mid 40s to around 50 north. Veterans Day (Wed) looks mostly sunny.
• Rain: basically none. NWS Twin Cities and NWS Duluth keep the storm track north of the border. A weak system midweek may bring a light shower chance to eastern MN and the Arrowhead Wednesday night (Duluth ~20%), with little or no accumulation expected.
• Above-normal temps look likely into mid-November (Climate Prediction Center, as cited by NWS Duluth). Normal highs up north this time of year are still upper 30s to low 40s.
• Angler read: Sunday through midweek is the stretch. Dry, mild and mostly light winds inland. Give rivers a little more time to settle after last week’s soak.

Angler cheat sheet (Nov 6–12)

Cue	Status
Today	Sunny, light winds, highs in the 40s; first freeze morning for MSP already in
Tonight	Chilly again (upper 20s–low 30s); patchy fog possible around Brainerd
Superior Fri	Calm; advisories expired at 6 AM
Superior Sat–Sun	Small Craft Advisories may be needed; SW gusts over 25 kt and waves above 4 ft possible
Sat–Sun	Dry; highs upper 40s–mid 50s
Mon	Mild peak, low 60s south
Tue–Thu	Dry, 50s south; slight shower chance east Wed night
MN land headlines	None as of ~9:20 AM CST

No lake water temperatures, bite reports, stocking or water-level claims in this digest. We didn’t find solid public numbers for those, so we’re not inventing any. Still uncertain: whether Superior advisories get issued this weekend, how cloudy Saturday morning runs, and how long rivers stay high. Check weather.gov before you launch. Friday is quiet. The weekend inland looks good. Watch Superior Saturday.

Sources: NWS Twin Cities AFD (discussion 208 AM, aviation 541 AM CST Fri Nov 6) and HWO (no hazards); NWS Duluth AFD (discussion, marine and fire weather 216 AM; aviation 524 AM CST) and HWO (including Lake Superior); api.weather.gov active alerts for Minnesota and western Lake Superior nearshore (none active, ~9:20 AM CST); NWS point forecasts for MSP, Duluth, Rochester and Brainerd (~9:20 AM CST). Forecasts change, so check weather.gov before you launch.

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