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
The lower end of the reservoir continues to produce a great bite! Fishing out of the Spring Creek area puts anglers right in the focal point of all of the action.
Okobojo Creek continues to produce a steady numbers bite, but bigger fish are mixed in as well. Expect the majority of fish in the 12-14 inch range, but 15-16s are present and fish between 19-22 inches can be caught as well. Top presentation continues to be bottom bouncing with a .8″ Mack’s Lure Smile Blade and a nightcrawler. Top colors continue to be silver, pink and blue but chartreuse and purple are catching fish as well.
Depth can vary, but fish are still being found shallow. Wind direction has been a major factor as fishing the windblown shorelines are often producing the best bite. When the wind is blowing, fishing in 10-13 feet has been effective if not even slightly shallower. On calmer days, begin your search in this depth as active fish are often shallower, but slide out to 14-18 feet if you aren’t marking and/or catching fish.
Sully Flats also continues to still draw a great deal of attention. One again, bottom bouncing with Smile Blades continues to be the ticket. Fish various depths and locations along the flat until you contact fish, but fishing in 10-15 feet remains one of the top options when there is some chop.
Fishing within Spring Creek itself has also produced some fish. Once again, targeting those points and shorelines has been key and varying your depth until you contact fish.
As far as speeds, try picking your speeds up to contact the most active fish. Smile Blades can be fished very slowly, but they can also be fished quicker as well. Bumping up to as much as 1.2-1.5 mph can be productive and if you notice aggressive bites, keep picking that speed up.
News and Notes
Last Friday, zebra mussels were discovered in Pickerel Lake. This is very significant, as this is the first confirmed infestation in Day County and more specifically northeastern South Dakota. It is important for all anglers to clean-drain-dry every time they hit the water regardless if you are fishing an infested body of water or not.
Continuing the discussion on aquatic invasive species, expect to encounter roadside checks regardless where you are in the state. I’ve gone through these checkpoints now multiple times and the best advice I can offer is make sure all your plugs are pulled and livewells are drained of water. Also, make it a habitat to trim your motor down every time you get off the water. If you pull your plugs, drain your livewells and trim your motor down, it only takes but a couple minutes to get through the checkpoint.
Visit SDLeastWanted for more information on AIS in South Dakota
Tragedy struck again this week, as there has been another drowning here in South Dakota. Every time you hit the water, always have your life jacket on. Statistically, your odds of surviving an accident on the water go through the roof when you are wearing a life jacket compared to when you are not. The inflatable life jackets have gone a long ways and are much more light-weight and breathable when out on the water.
I still have some openings for August and as we move towards fall. Everything you need to know about booking a trip can be found on my website plus I’d be happy to answer all of your questions you may have!
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I hope you all stay safe, stay cool and are able to get out and enjoy some fishing this week. Good fishing!
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