Lake Sharpe is a Missouri River reservoir located in central South Dakota. The reservoir runs from Oahe Dam in Pierre to Big Bend Dam at Fort Thompson. Lake Sharpe sits below Lake Oahe and above Lake Francis Case. The lake is over 60,000 acres and reaches depths of over 75 feet.
Lake Sharpe, better referred to as “the river” by Pierre locals, offers anglers an excellent opportunity to fill a limit of solid 15-18 inch walleyes. Lake Sharpe, a walleye factory, offers an excellent action fishery and consistently produces strong numbers of walleyes each year. There are still plenty of “overs”, or fish greater than 20 inches, available for anglers to catch as well!
Fish Community
Lake Sharpe offers a strong multispecies fishery for walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, white bass, and channel catfish. Black crappie, yellow perch and northern pike can also find their way into an angler’s bag as well. Anglers also may find chinook salmon and Atlantic salmon in Sharpe, particularly in the Oahe Dam tailrace. These fish can end up going through the dam from above Lake Oahe and will often stay close to the colder, flowing water of the dam. Other species include common carp, freshwater drum, goldeye, bullhead, flathead catfish, burbot, and other sucker species.
While Sharpe is known for it’s walleye fishing, anglers will often find saugers in their bag as well. While many of these saugers blend in well with a bag of walleye, Sharpe has been known to produce some very nice saugers surpassing 20 inches and bigger.
Forage
Sharpe’s fishery is predominantly fed by gizzard shad. This means the fishing will often be dictated by the time of year, with spring producing the best fishing when gizzard shad are least abundant. As summer rolls on, an abundance of gizzard shad will greatly slow down the bite. During fall, fishing will again be strong and continue to produce fish sometimes even all winter long.
During periods of high flows, the coldwater prey species of Lake Oahe may be flushed through the dam and diversify the Sharpe forage options. These species include lake herring and smelt, which are a particular favorite of the trophy caliber walleyes in Sharpe.
Other prey options in Sharpe include shiners, minnows, and juvenile perch and crappie.
Regulations
Walleye/sauger regulations feature a 15 inch minimum, except during July and August. The daily limit is four fish, with up to one over 20 inches.
Zebra mussels were discovered in Sharpe in July of 2019. Boaters are reminded they must pull their plugs every time after they load up and only put them back in once they are ready to launch. Do not transport any lake water from minnow buckets, coolers or other storage devices.
Walleye Fishing
There are few fisheries that can offer a strong walleye bite all 12 months of the year, but Sharpe is one of these fisheries. Whether anglers are looking to enjoy a strong bite in the spring, turn their pheasant hunt into a “blast and cast” in the fall, take advantage of the action fishing in the summer or catch fish out of the boat in the winter Sharpe provides an abundance of opportunities for anglers.
Winter
Generally, the Oahe Dam tailrace remains open throughout the year and the section of river in Pierre will often remain open except for maybe a few weeks in the winter depending on conditions. This allows anglers an opportunity to fish much of the winter months out of their boats, especially during milder weather. During this time, fishing depends on the ice conditions, but is generally confined to the upper end of the reservoir.
Depending on the weather conditions, the first part of winter can produce spectacular fishing. Anglers looking to target walleye in November and December, when the weather allows, will often find the best success pitching jigs and minnows. Any ice conditions can limit locations anglers can target, but look for fish on sand bars or in the submerged timber adjacent to the main river channel.
Outside of pitching jigs, trolling flats with crankbaits can produce success as well. Trolling crankbaits is an excellent way to locate pods of fish to pitch or grind out a limit of fish throughout the day as well. Both pitching jigs and and trolling crankbaits can produce fish greater than 20 inches this time of year.
Fishing the bluffs along the main river channel can also produce success, as fish will use this area to transition up and down the reservoir or stage for extended periods of time as well. Once again, trolling crankbaits along the bluffs and then pitching individual pods of fish can produce the best results.
The sand bars in town can also produce very good fishing opportunities. Looking for pods of fish on the numerous sand bars between Marion’s Gardens and down below the Farm Island Polo Field boat launch can produce spectacular fishing. Anglers with side scan can quickly search these sand bars to find pods of active fish.
Spring
As the lake begins to open further, fishing opportunities continue to increase. Most notably, the stilling basin will be the epicenter of fishing efforts. It is safe to say the stilling basin can become the capital of walleye fishing at the capital. This is because significant numbers of walleyes of all sizes will stage in the deeper water of the stilling basin and move up on the surrounding sand and rock bars to feed.
Both pitching and vertical jigging in the stilling basin can produce both numbers of fish, but also quality fish as well. In the spring, the stilling basin provides anglers one of their best opportunities to catch an “over” or a fish greater than 20 inches, with fish significantly larger present as well.
A few miles down river, the large sand bars near the bridges in town can produce excellent fishing as well. A large sand bar infront of Marion’s Gardens is another popular location as large numbers of fish will stage on this sand bar, producing an excellent numbers bite for anglers pitching jigs.
South of town, the Bad River is a large tributary and though the water can be incredibly muddy, it will dump water into the river come spring. At times, this water can be so muddy it can dirty the entire reservoir. When this happens, focus your efforts above the river’s inlet. If the water is not too dirty, fishing opportunities slowly begin to expand downriver.
Once again, the bluffs will produce excellent fishing opportunities as fish will utilize this area as they transition up and down the reservoir. Pitching into very shallow water, sometimes as shallow as 1-3 feet, can produce fish while trolling is also a viable option as well.
As spring progresses, the flats between Stony Point and Fort George will begin holding more and more fish as they move up and down the reservoir. Generally these fish will use the flats as areas to rest and look for a meal, making trolling a perfect way to contact fish and put together a strong bag at the end of the day.
It is worth noting that the winter and spring periods provide anglers their best chance at catching a trophy caliber fish on Lake Sharpe. While Sharpe is known for a numbers fishery, there are fish greater than 8-10 pounds present as well. Anglers competing in tournaments or the Tuesday Night League in Pierre will often see fish in the 5-8 pound bracket brought to the scales.
Summer
As spring turns into summer, fishing on the lower end of the reservoir will pick up. The West Bend area is a favorite spot for many anglers. Down in this area, the reservoir begins to act like a lake as opposed to the river qualities of the upper end. Bottom bouncing the large flats in this area is an excellent way to put a great number of fish in the boat throughout the day.
Don’t rule out the fishing opportunities in Pierre though. Particularly in May, the stilling basin can still produce very good fishing for anglers looking to bottom bounce in the same areas they had been jigging previously. Pulling .8″ Mack’s Lure Smile Blades and nightcrawlers is often the perfect amount of attraction to entice walleyes looking to begin feeding heavily through the summer months.
Even trolling crankbaits in the stilling basin can produce very good fish as well. Shad will often congregate in this area and larger walleyes will be following these schools and will be willing to chase suspended crankbaits. Trolling #5 and #7 Rapala Shad Raps, Berkley Flicker Shads or similar can be the ticket to success.
The Pierre area also provides two different types of areas to target, as the areas near LaFramboise Island and Farm Island can offer different types of areas to fish. Accessible out of Downs Marina, the area along LaFramboise Island will lack the current of the main river and feature areas of weed growth not seen along most of the reservoir. Bottom bouncing with Smile Blades and crawlers in 7-10 feet of water can produce excellent fishing at times.
Throughout the heat of summer, the bulk of the fishing will take place in the lower third of the reservoir. Walleyes that had spent most of the winter and spring in the upper third of the reservoir will transition their way down and spend the summer in this area. Fishing in the West Bend area and near the face of the dam is often the best options.
There will be a certain number of fish that stay in the upper end of the reservoir, primarily within the Oahe Dam tailrace. Fishing in this area can be good through most of the summer, particularly as the sun goes down in the evening. Tying a #9-#11 Floating Rapala to a 1 1/2 oz bottom bouncer and floating in the current can not only produce good numbers of fish, but very large fish as well.
As summer transitions to fall, fish will generally begin moving back up the reservoir around September. Through most of late-August to early-October, fish will be constantly moving up the reservoir. These are fish that had spent a bulk of the summer in the lower end of the reservoir and are moving back up river for winter and spring.
Fishing the large flats between Stony Point and De Grey can produce fish. Particularly in the early fall, fishing can be spotty as fish are “here one day and gone the next” and other days less willing to bite than they had been previously. Covering water and contacting as many fish as possible is key for finding success.
In the early fall, fishing will really begin to take off in the Oahe Dam tailrace. Similar to summer, drifting Floating Rapalas in the current can produce a tremendous bite in the evenings. As more fish continue to move up river, many will look to take advantage of the forage the tailrace has to offer.
Bottom bouncing continues to be the top option in fall, allowing anglers to cover the large flats and contact numerous fish, while still coaxing more neutral fish into biting. Mack’s Lure .8″ Smile Blades in silver, pink, blue and green are top options with a mix of nightcrawlers and minnows as the water temperatures continue to drop.
Another area that can take off during the fall is Hipple Lake. Connected to Lake Sharpe, Hipple Lake is located within Farm Island Recreation Area and while it can provide good fishing throughout much of the year, it can become very good in the fall. Significant numbers of shad can be found in this 6-8 foot fish bowl and trolling crankbaits or bottom bouncing with spinners can produce walleye, northern pike, channel catfish and yellow perch.
As October progresses, pitching jigs again becomes the technique of choice. Pitching jigs on the sand bars, submerged timber and other specific features can produce quick limits of walleyes, especially as the colder weather continues to set in.
The Oahe Dam tailrace can produce excellent fishing all year, thanks to the cold waters coming out of Lake Oahe keeping a consistent forage base, but it can be exceptional come fall especially for shore anglers. Casting crankbaits or jigs and plastics can produce both excellent numbers of walleyes and quality fish as well.
Trophy caliber walleyes will reside in the tailrace year-round and any angler with a line in the water has a chance at one of these fish. For shore anglers, this is the best opportunity to catch a trophy caliber fish on Lake Sharpe.
Overall, expect many of the Lake Sharpe walleyes you encounter to be in the 15-18 inch size variety. Walleyes “over” 20 inches are certainly possible and there is a population of trophy caliber walleyes in the 27-30 inch plus variety too. Strong year-classes keep the fishery running, so expect plenty of fish in a variety of sizes.
Smallmouth Bass Fishing
Outside of walleye, smallmouth are a commonly sought after species. While smallmouth can be caught across most of the reservoir, the best fishing generally takes place on the lower end of the reservoir between West Bend and the face of the dam.
Try casting shallow running crankbaits such as the Rapala Shallow Shad Rap, Rapala Husky Jerk or other similar baits. Targeting rocky shorelines is often the best strategy.
Additionally, Lake Sharpe can produce excellent white bass fishing opportunities. White bass surpassing 17-18 inches are certainly possible for any angler targeting these hard fighting fish and catching fish literally by the bucket full is possible.
Trying casting shallow running crankbaits into the reeds on the upper end of the reservoir. Particularly in May and early June, the white bass fishing can be downright spectacular along LaFramboise Island.
While Sharpe is not known for northern pike fishing, there can be good numbers of pike caught in the areas where there is not a great deal of current and more weed growth. These areas are along the inside of LaFramboise Island and Hipple Lake in Farm Island Recreation Area. Pike can be caught bottom bouncing, trolling crankbaits or even pitching jigs.
Overall, Lake Sharpe is a spectacular action fishery. Whether catching numbers of walleyes, the hard fighting white bass and smallmouth bass or hook up with the abundant channel catfish, bonus northern pike or any other fish in-between anglers will often enjoy a busy day of reeling fish in when out on Lake Sharpe.
Whether you are looking for a fishing trip on Lake Sharpe, turning your South Dakota pheasant hunt into a “blast and cast” or are looking at the other hunting and fishing opportunities the Missouri River region has to offer, the Pierre area has everything you need. A destination for outdoor enthusiasts, find out more about planning your trip to Pierre!
Other Missouri River Reservoirs
Sitting above Oahe Dam in Pierre, the water coming through the dam out of Lake Oahe can greatly impact the fishing on Sharpe in a variety of ways. Find out everything about Oahe in our Lake Oahe Profile.
Francis Case is poster child of a “walleye factory”. This is because of all Missouri River reservoirs, it is widely considered to have some of the best spawning areas and structure. This results in consistent recruitment, keeping walleye available to catch year in and year out.
Learn More About Walleye Fishing on the Missouri River
Many times we hear that 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. In the spring, this is particularly true. In fact, you could even say 95% of the fish are in 5% of the water. We detail everything you need to know to find spring walleyes in Searching for Spring Walleye.
In the early summer, walleye fishing on the Missouri River can be as simple as serving up a meal for hungry and eager to bite fish, find out more in Serving Up Missouri River Walleye.
While fall is one of the best times to fish all year, the transition from summer to early fall can often come with some struggles. Nick breaks down the best approach to finding success in the early fall in Bouncing Around Early Fall Walleyes.
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Nick Harrington and Mason Propst both live and work in Pierre and are constantly on the water. Stay up to date on the latest bites, big catches and see behind the scenes action by following Nick and Mason on Instagram!
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