A new program in eastern South Dakota dedicated to creating and empowering female anglers made waves throughout the summer months and is continuing to build momentum for recruiting additional female anglers to the sport of fishing.  Ladies, Let’s Fish was a pilot program started by Cassy Behnke, a naturalist with South Dakota Game, Fish and […]

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Pheasant season is upon us, and the outlook for the 2024 pheasant hunting season in South Dakota is extremely positive! Hunters should expect to find both great numbers of birds and ample public hunting opportunities as South Dakota continues to prove it is the greatest state to pheasant hunt. The 2023 season was extremely successful, […]

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The second year of Casting for Recovery-South Dakota has continued to build on last year’s success, holding a second successful retreat and announcing a grant award as the chapter continues to positively impact the lives of women impacted by breast cancer. Casting for Recovery-South Dakota held their second retreat this past weekend, October 4-6, at […]

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Dry conditions have been persisting across South Dakota, particularly western South Dakota, and this has prompted both South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) and the US Forest Service to issue reminders on how to prevent wildfire. Fall means hunting, fishing, and camping are all going strong and however individuals enjoy recreating across the state, […]

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The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) today announced the main ramp at Lake Thompson State Recreation area, sitting on Lake Thompson near De Smet, will be temporarily closed to the public for a complete boat ramp replacement. “This ramp will be closed beginning October 2,” stated Adam Kulesa, GFP Parks Planning Administrator, in […]

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Fall is officially here in South Dakota, but it doesn’t necessarily feel that way! Despite the summer-like temperatures, fall activities are in full swing across the state and the fishing, waterfowl hunting, grouse hunting, and South Dakota State Parks continue to provide ample opportunities for individuals to enjoy! Lake Sharpe Fishing Report The fishing on […]

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Each fall, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) fisheries biologists conduct their annual fall lake sampling. This data is then made available to anglers, who may use it to learn more about their favorite fisheries and discover new ones as well. “Beginning in late-summer, and into early-fall, our fisheries crews begin their annual lake […]

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The Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) has announced their 2025 season schedule. This schedule will include six regular-season events, the 2025 World Walleye Championship for 2024 season qualifiers, and the 2026 World Walleye Championship for the 2025 season qualifiers.  The 2025 season features six regular-season events across six different states. Teams that participate in three or […]

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The 2024 Lip Ripper Fishing tournament season is complete, and one special highlight of the season included raising awareness for South Dakota’s Casting for Recovery organization.  “This year’s league season was dedicated to supporting Casting for Recovery in South Dakota,” said Nick Harrington, Owner of Lip Ripper Fishing. “This organization takes women battling breast cancer […]

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The 50th Annual South Dakota Governor’s Cup is this weekend, July 20-21, and in addition to crowning the champions for the longest running known walleye tournament The Fishing Crew will also be hosting two National Team Championship (NTC) qualifying events within the format of the two-day tournament. “The 2025 NTC is going to be taking […]

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The Fishing Crew announced Saturday, Day One, of the 23rd Annual Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament has been canceled due to forecasted high winds. “Safety is the number one priority for our anglers,” said Curt Underhill, Tournament Director. “We watched the forecast closely and ultimately made the decision to cancel Day One of the event […]

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The two major walleye tournament circuits in Nebraska, Nebraska Walleye Association and Nebraska Walleye Trail, have both announced their schedules for the 2024 season. Nebraska Walleye Trail The 2024 schedule for the Nebraska Walleye Trail will feature four regular season events and a State Championship. Three of the regular season events have been announced, and […]

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The Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) has announced the 2024 season schedule. This schedule will include seven regular-season events, the 2024 World Walleye Championship for 2023 season qualifiers, and the 2025 World Walleye Championship will be for the 2024 season qualifiers. The 2024 season features seven regular-season events across six states. Teams that fish three or […]

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Trolling crankbaits is an extremely popular technique for targeting walleye across all waterbodies and fisheries. This is for good reason, trolling crankbaits allows anglers to cover the most water, contact active fish, and is an extremely simple presentation as a whole. Despite it’s popularity, many anglers still do not take advantage of one of the […]

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Historically one of the top walleye fishing destinations in the country, Lake Oahe can produce spectacular fishing, but can also be very daunting for anglers as well. The reservoir features hundreds of creeks and tributaries, thousands of points, submerged islands, large flats, and an abundance of deep-water structure that can leave anglers overwhelmed looking at […]

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After consecutive mild winters that saw limited snowfall across the northern plains and Rocky Mountains, winter returned with a vengeance in 2022-2023. Areas of central South Dakota received upwards of 60-75 inches of snow and the Rocky Mountain snowpack tracked above average throughout the winter months.  As of April 2, 2023, the mountain Snow Water […]

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Trolling crankbaits is a popular way to target walleye throughout all of the open water months. Regardless what time of year you’re trolling crankbaits, an important component of your trolling program is a planar board. Planar boards serve a variety of purposes and when deployed properly, will help you crank more fish into the boat. […]

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The Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota can produce some of the best bites of the season to start the year. Anglers flock to areas such as Pierre, Chamberlain, Mobridge, and Platte to take advantage of the year-round walleye season and excellent bite the areas can produce in the springtime. However, when Mother Nature decides […]

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It’s no secret that walleye is king in South Dakota, but many other fishing opportunities present themselves for anglers, especially in the spring. In fact, the excellent walleye fisheries are the reason many other terrific bites fly under the radar of many anglers.  Anglers flock to the Missouri River to enjoy the terrific walleye bite, […]

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The Second Century Habitat Fund, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Toyota, and Alumacraft boats are raffling off the ultimate outdoor package with all proceeds supporting habitat in South Dakota. The ultimate outdoor raffle package is valued at $90,000 and includes: The proceeds of this raffle will support the Second Century Working Lands Program, Conservation Reserve Enhancement […]

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One of the most special fisheries in the area, Lake Oahe is truly a spectacular reservoir. The expansive waterbody features both numbers and trophy caliber walleye, terrific smallmouth bass fishing and the only salmon fishery in the state. Indeed, Lake Oahe continues to maintain its reputation as one of the most unique bodies of water […]

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Lake Sharpe is another reservoir on the Missouri River that is a walleye factory. The Pierre area can quietly hold some of the best fishing along the river, while areas like Chamberlain and Mobridge can draw more attention. Make no mistake though, the fishing can be fantastic all along Lake Sharpe. The 2022 season is […]

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The first tournament of the season for Mason Propst and Nick Harrington is in the books! Fishing out of Pierre, Lake Sharpe played host for this local tournament and provided an insight into fishing on the Missouri River near Pierre. Anglers fanned out across 20 miles of the upper end of Lake Sharpe and found […]

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Lake Francis Case is a popular destination for springtime walleye fishing on the Missouri River. The Chamberlain area becomes the epicenter of walleye fishing across the Midwest and for good reason, the fishing can be absolutely spectacular! The 2022 season is shaping up to be another terrific year on Lake Francis Case. Early reports indicate […]

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For many passionate anglers, the next step in their fishing career is to upgrade being powered by their own two feet to being powered by an outboard motor. While South Dakota has numerous shore fishing opportunities, anglers looking to open additional opportunity for themselves can do so by purchasing their first boat. While this can […]

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Are you looking to test your skills against your fellow anglers? Tournament fishing provides anglers the opportunity to compete against one another to see who can put the best bag of fish together. While catch, photograph, and release tournaments over the internet have become more and more popular, a traditional fishing tournament puts anglers head […]

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For anglers looking to turn their hobby into a career, one of the easiest routes is through becoming a fishing guide. Simply put, a fishing guide brings paying customers, clients, out on the water and helps them catch fish. In many situations, the guide supplies the boat, all equipment, fuel, bait, fish cleaning and packaging […]

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One of the first steps an angler takes when entering the fishing industry is generally becoming a “pro staff” or “field staff” for one or multiple companies within the fishing industry. While the position, requirements and incentives can vary based on the company and the individual angler the same general concepts apply to most of […]

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Wow, I’m not even sure what to describe the 2020 season like! Crazy? Unprecedented? What about awesome!? Yes, I said awesome! As the world battled a pandemic, social justice issues and a wild election year, people were taking to the water to enjoy some fishing in major numbers! Fishing license sales were in record numbers […]

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A large and expansive Missouri River reservoir, Lake Oahe stretches from Pierre, South Dakota to Bismarck, North Dakota. The deep, clear waters draw all types of water lovers-fishing boats, sailboats, wakeboard boats, cabin cruisers, and kayaks may all share the water on any given day. The fishing opportunities will also draw anglers from across the […]

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The fishing on the lower end of Lake Oahe continues to be excellent! The weather threw many curveballs this week, with calm conditions, strong north winds, strong south winds, thunderstorms and sunny conditions all made for a melting pot of weather patterns. However, many anglers were still able to find some excellent bites! Lake Oahe […]

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It was a busy week for fishing on the Missouri River! The Masters Walleye Circuit made a stop in Mobridge and my goodness that tournament did not disappoint! In this week’s fishing report, we take a deep dive into everything about fishing on Lake Oahe! Mobridge Area The Mobridge area was in the spotlight for […]

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BREAKING NEWS: It didn’t blow 30 mph every day this week!! Favorable conditions for anglers resulted in a lot of folks having fun out on the water this week and there was good fishing to be had for many of them. There are still a variety of bites taking place this week, let’s talk about […]

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Well if you’re a fan of wind this past week was for you! Wind was one of the biggest story lines for anglers this weekend, strong winds blew across the majority of the region. Luckily, anglers that did venture out were often rewarded, let’s talk about it! Lake Oahe The fishing on Oahe can be […]

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I must admit I’ve not been doing a good job putting out fishing reports this year! As I mentioned in the summer fishing update last week, I’ve been having just too much fun in the new boat! Fortunately, summer is officially here and the fishing has been as hot as the weather! Let’s talk about […]

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Nebraska can really be broken down into two areas when it comes to fishing. The central and western portion of the state features the majority of the large reservoirs, while the eastern portion features more of the smaller reservoirs. The western area is also quite vast, with minimal population whereas the eastern portion features both […]

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Whenever you hear an interview with an athlete that just won a championship, they often talk about the “long hours at practice and preparing” or something similar along those lines. There is plenty of truth to this, we often hear about how success comes from preparation and lack of preparation can result in failure. The […]

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The Missouri River becomes the epicenter of walleye fishing all across the region in early spring. The river presents the first open water opportunities, often in mid-late February or early March. Anglers flock from across the state, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and everywhere in-between. The capitol of walleye fishing in the Midwest instantly becomes Chamberlain, South Dakota. Lake […]

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Predator and prey relationships are not just something you see when the lion is chasing the gazelle on Animal Planet or National Geographic-they are all across the landscape. In fact, predator and prey relationships impact our fishing every time we are on the water. Today, we’ll discuss the dynamics of predator/prey relationships and how they […]

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Expanding water has made Lake Sinai a very unique waterbody. In fact, Sinai has expanded to nearly twice the size it originally was. The original lake bed is extremely present as it drops off quickly to very deep water. The expansion has flooded farmland, equipment, and buildings as well as road beds and shelterbelts making the area outside […]

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Happy first day of fall! To celebrate, let’s talk fall fishing! Fall fishing is coming into full swing and we have plenty of bites to talk about. Let’s get to it! Missouri River Lake Sharpe There are several bites taking place on Lake Sharpe right now. The best bite has been wherever the Propst Professional […]

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Though the temperatures were in the high 80s and lower 90s this weekend, I swear fall fishing is still underway!! It was a great weekend to get out and enjoy the warm weather on the water for many folks, let’s talk about the different bites across the state! Missouri River Reservoirs Lake Sharpe Lake Sharpe […]

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Early and late in the season when water temperatures are low fish will act lethargic and be quite picky when it comes to presentation.  Savvy anglers recognize these situations and tailor their presentation to suit these fish.  For these situations, two presentations fished together actually shine the brightest. It’s important to note fish are ectothermic.  This means their […]

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The versatility of the Smile Blade makes it a critical part of every walleye angler’s arsenal. The small, .8” blades make for a perfect added attraction for a live bait rig without stealing the show. These blades excel when trolled slowly as they require hardly any speed to make the blade turn correctly. This makes them a perfect early and late season option for waterbodies as big […]

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Fall is the time of year that walleye begin prepping for a long, stressful winter.  Much like a runner “carb loading” the night before a race, walleye feel the need to consume as much energy as possible in preparation for winter.  Energetic demands are even greater in females as they are also budgeting resources for egg production. These […]

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There have been a lot of advancements in the fishing tackle industry.  These advancements are making us significantly better anglers, but making tackle shopping much more stressful.  This article is going to detail the most over-looked aspect of fishing presentation.  That is line selection.   The majority of anglers don’t think about their line until something goes wrong at a critical moment.  The goal of this article is […]

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The summer time blues can hit even the most persistent anglers on the Missouri River.  With so much bait in the system, many anglers resort to tubing and other watersports until fishing can get better.  However, walleye dinners can occur on hot summer evenings as well.  For anglers looking to try these “cool” presentations, fish can be found at the end of their […]

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Father’s Day fishing treated many people well! The fishing has been good all across the region and we’ll hit on it today! Lake Sharpe Lake Sharpe has turned the corner and fishing is getting better and better! Right on schedule, Sharpe is becoming one of the hottest places to be along the Missouri River. The […]

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This week’s fishing report is a little different. We’re going to be discussing multispecies action and also highlighting some fishing opportunities that can be done from shore. Reason being is this Sunday, Father’s Day, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks is going to be offering free fishing and free park entrance! If you’re looking to […]

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Bottom bouncing is an extremely versatile tactic that can work on nearly any body of water that walleye swim.  Consistent success with bottom bouncers requires a great deal of boat control, understanding of walleye behavior and the courage to break the mold of conventional beliefs.  Today I am going to discuss different approaches to selecting speeds to present at and how […]

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We have had awesome weather and awesome fishing! Tons to cover in this week’s so report, so here we go! Lake Francis Case Fishing Let’s start with the fun stuff. Fishing has been very good on Lake Francis Case. We boated probably 150 fish over the weekend. There were many short fish, but we were […]

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Hope your Memorial Day weekend was a good one! We have lots to cover in this week’s fishing report, so let’s get to it. Lake Francis Case Special Note Before I say anything about the fishing on Lake Francis Case I cannot stress safety and knowing your surroundings here. From Big Bend dam all the […]

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Walleye fishing is a beautiful sport because there is a technique for everyone.  Hardcore casters can enjoy pitching plugs and jigs for shallow, aggressive walleye. This is best particularly in spring and fall.  Anglers looking for a relaxing day on the water can enjoy pulling plugs, while anglers looking to relax, but still feel every bite can pull […]

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Jigs are a staple of cold water fishing.  They could be tipped with plastics or live bait, but regardless they are extremely popular.  There is an alternative to jigs though: its suspending jerkbaits.  These are generally a hard plastic bait with a minnow profile.  Often they have rattles inside of them, but the key to the presentation is that […]

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This previous weekend was the Mobridge ice fishing tournament. As always this tournament yielded some terrific fish. Walleyes over 12lbs aren’t surprising in this tournament, in fact they’re almost common! Ice conditions aren’t great, but when driven smartly and in appropriate locations pick ups are moving across the lake. The Webster area is presenting it’s […]

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