My Good friend Dan, an old timer of St Paul took me on a hike down the Mississippi and showed me exactly how to fish for some amazing catch and release fish. Dan explained that when he was a kid the river was polluted and actually smelled. The Bald eagles had started to die off from DTE chemicals back in the 60s and 70s. Nationally to USA addressed the pollution and now the river is so clean you can eat the fish and actually swim if you pick a warm enough day. Now the river is a lot cleaner and Bald eagles fly all over the place. I plan on spending a lot of time fishing this wonderful river and so far I have caught. Crappie, Catfish, Walleye, Sauger, Northern pike, Sheep head and Silver bass but all catch and release. There still is more that needs to be done to preserve and protect our national water treasures from pollution and this rivers fish still have higher mercury in their blood than is normal. Protecting our ecosystem is not only important for fishing but an important inheritance for our children.