The Lower St. Croix River runs along the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, flowing southward into the Mississippi River. It spans roughly 25 miles and is known for its scenic beauty, with a landscape that includes steep bluffs, forests, and numerous islands. The river is home to a variety of fish species, including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and walleye. Smallmouth bass and walleye are particularly abundant in the river’s stained waters, while largemouth bass thrive in the slower-moving backwaters north of Downtown Stillwater. These species, along with others, create a diverse and healthy aquatic ecosystem.

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The structure and cover in the Lower St. Croix River offer ideal habitats for a variety of fish species. Fish can be found near rocky outcroppings, submerged boulders, and along drop-offs where the riverbed changes from shallow to deep. In addition, the river features numerous log jams, aquatic vegetation, and eddies where the current breaks, providing shelter and ambush points for these predatory fish. Smallmouth bass often prefer the rocky structures where they can lie in wait for their prey, while walleye are commonly found near deeper, slower-moving waters with gravel or sand bottoms.
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As one of the premier St. Croix River fishing guides, Trevor employs a range of techniques to target bass and walleye in the river. For smallmouth bass, popular methods include casting swimbaits, jigs, and soft plastics along rocky shorelines or deeper water drop-offs. Walleye fishing generally involves a lot of the same techniques, although the use of live bait such as minnows or leeches can greatly increase angling success. Both species can be caught year-round, though the best fishing typically occurs in the spring, when the water is high, and during the fall when fish are feeding heavily in preparation for the cold, long winter.