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 walleye fishing in South Dakota this week. In addition to the Masters Walleye Circuit tournament taking place, Chris Seylar and I did a little exploring in the Mobridge area ourselves.
Fishing Report
Overall, there is really one thing to say about the fishing in the Mobridge area and that is wow! Saying there is a lot of walleyes is an understatement! A tremendous number of fish in the 10-13 inch variety are present to keep anglers busy reeling fish in all day long. Along with these fish, there are plenty of 14-17 inch fish present as well making for a great bag at the end of a day.
The biggest takeaway was when you found the right depth, there were often fish present. The key to success was pinpointing areas that the larger fish were present. The first key to success was depth. Our best depth was between 15-17 feet, but we also caught fish as shallow was 8-12 feet and as deep as 19-22 feet.
The second key to success was finding those areas that held the larger fish. It seemed everywhere we dropped down, we would catch at least some fish. Once you found an area with those better fish, you had to key in on it. This was mainly because those areas were often quite small. I speak of fishing the “spot within the spot” and this was very true. A point may hold fish, but sometimes an area within that point as small as 10-15 yards held the difference from 10-13 inch fish to 15-17 inch fish.
The third key to success was presentation. The top producing baits were .8″ Mack’s Lure Smile Blades with a single bead and a nightcrawler. Top colors were pink, silver and blue, but purple and chartreuse produced fish as well. Nightcrawlers considerably produced more fish than leeches.
The final key to success was checking your baits often. Many times if you had a bite, you might not have missed it like you thought you did!
Other times, the “giant” you’ve got on may not be a walleye! Channel catfish, freshwater drum, yellow perch and smallmouth bass have all been eager to bite as well!
It was also important to pay attention to wind direction and water clarity. The major wind change from Friday to Saturday resulted in areas that produced on Friday not producing near as well on Saturday. Strong winds created significant mudlines, moved forage and in turn moved walleyes as well.
Tournament Recap
We talked about the excellent numbers bite and abundance of fish present, but the Masters Walleye Circuit showed off everything Lake Oahe and the Mobridge area has to offer! Going into the tournament anglers knew it would be important to catch their overs (fish over 20 inches), but it turned out that the trophy caliber fish were the difference maker.
Monte and Josh Olson claimed the top of the leader board with an impressive, 41-09 two-day bag! Two excellent days of fishing brought them the win, but many other anglers were able to put together some excellent days as well.
Steven Senyak and Alek Heier put together an incredible bag on Day 1 with 22-03 pounds with only 4 fish! Justin Cole and Melissa Daughtry were also able to catapult their way up the standings with an incredible 23-06 pound bag for 5 fish on Day 2. Another team that were able to make their overs count was Travis Coffey and Mikael Tupe. While they only brought two fish to the scales on Day 2, they combined for an insane 19-01 pound weight! Talk about giants!
It is also important to note that South Dakota has a state regulation of only one fish over 20 inches per angler. This meant that teams were only allowed to bring 2 fish over 20 inches to the scale. Many teams reporting having to put back 20-24 inch fish, because they just weren’t big enough to be what they needed in their overs. Talk about some incredible fishing!
There really are two takeaways from this week’s tournament. The first is that Lake Oahe features everything! Trophy caliber fish are not a rarity, they are out there and anyone that wets a line has a chance at catching their personal best every time they hit the water! Other teams were able to put together excellent bites with numerous 8-12 pound bags, meaning there are those 15-19 inch fish present as well!
The second takeaway is that South Dakota and the Midwest overall is home to some excellent anglers! South Dakota was able to secure the Top 4 positions, but the top 15 featured North Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin anglers. Combining the Masters Walleye Circuit and South Dakota really brings out some of the best anglers we have to display!
There is also another excellent story to come out of the tournament. The father-son duo of Mason and Bob Propst Jr were able to put together a solid 16th place finish with a two-day weight of 21-04 pounds, thanks to an excellent 12-15 pound bag on Day 2. They were fishing for more than just a weight, they were fishing for a cause.
Mason pledged to donate $10 for every 10 pounds of fish he catches in tournaments. They brought 20 pounds to the stage and Mason doubled his donation, donating $40 to Cure Sanfilippo Foundation. Masters Walleye Circuit also kindly matched his donation. I’m proud to say I’ll be matching all of Mason’s donations he makes throughout the season as well. For more information visit Mason’s Fishing for a Cause website.
Pierre Area
The lower-end of Oahe has also been producing an excellent walleye bite as well. Anglers fishing out of the Spring Creek area have been able to find fish making runs but also staying close.
Okobojo Creek continues to produce an excellent numbers bite. This is another area that is producing a great deal of 10-13 inch fish, showing a lot of promise for the future! Anglers looking to have fun reeling fish in all day and also catch fish for the livewell have been very satisified!
The fishing style has been very similar to the Mobridge area. Try pulling Smile Blades and crawlers in 15-17 feet of water. Depending on wind conditions, don’t be afraid to try as shallow as 8-12 feet or out deeper in 20-23 feet. Nightcrawlers continue to outproduce leeches, but don’t be afraid to experiment!
News and Notes
As mentioned above, Mason Propst’s Fishing for a Cause is an excellent story to follow all season long! In 2017, Mason’s brother Hunter Propst passed away after his journey with Sanfilippo. The mission of Cure Sanfilippo Foundation is near and dear to the Propst Family and this is an excellent way to both raise awareness and raise money for a cure!
Visit Mason’s Fishing for a Cause Website
South Dakota was due to be on the national spotlight for walleye fishing twice this year, with National Walleye Tour (NWT) scheduled to visit Chamberlain in April and Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) scheduled to visit Mobridge in June. Unfortunately, COVID-19 cancelled the NWT event, but luckily we were able to see what MWC could do on Lake Oahe and they did not disappoint! Check out the entire tournament recap on their website.
Summer is heating up (literally) and the bite on Lake Oahe is primed to be excellent all season long! I still have some openings if you are looking to get out and enjoy everything Lake Oahe has to offer!
Book a Trip on the Missouri River
It was an exciting week for fishing on the Missouri River! I hope you all stay cool, stay healthy and are able to get out and enjoy the hot summer bite! Good fishing!
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