In our second article, Tailrace Walleye Tactics II: Putting Fish in the Boat, we discussed the most effective ways to target walleyes in tailraces when fishing out of the boat. However, one of the beautiful things about fishing these areas is that it really takes very minimal equipment to have success. In fact, many times shore anglers may have some of the best success in these areas.
To recap, there are four tailrace fishing opportunities in South Dakota. These locations include: Oahe Dam in Pierre, Big Bend Dam in Fort Thompson, Fort Randall Dam in Pickstown and Gavins Point Dam in Yankton. These all offer excellent shorefishing opportunities year-round and we’ll breakdown the best way to attack these areas.
Slack Water Success
While anglers looking to target the tailrace areas from boats often find the flowing water critical to success, shore anglers will do best by taking a different approach. The key to finding success from shore is targeting specific areas of slack water, where walleyes will be both resting and actively foraging.
As the water bounces off the dam, depending on what gates are open on the powerhouse will depend on what areas experience current and what areas are slack. The nature of the tailrace can also create natural slack water areas as walls, rocky points and other areas can break up the current.
While major eddies can develop in the middle of the dam, the bulk of the slack water is often within a cast of shore anglers if not even closer. It is in these areas that walleyes will move in and sit to get out of the fast current or feed on forage that are looking to do exactly the same. When these areas remain in a specific location for a significant amount of time, they are often full of fish.
Before you even wet a line, take a long look at what the entire tailrace looks like at that given time. Where is the fastest current? Where are the slack water areas? Where are transitional areas between these two elements? Also be sure to pay attention for areas that gulls or other birds may be as they are often not far away from where the bulk of the forage is. Once you determine these areas, the perfect shore fishing locations will often present themselves.
Power Cranking
There are really two main types of ways to target these areas: aggressively fishing crankbaits or slow floating jigs and plastics. When fish are active, it is tough to beat casting shallow crankbaits and jerkbaits. This allows you to cover more water, get more casts in and appeals to the aggressive nature of fish.
I have two primary baits I like to deploy for this, the Rapala Shallow Shad Rap and the Rapala Husky Jerk. Each bait does a good job emulating the variety of baits that may be present in the tailrace. The Shallow Shad Rap mimics the gizzard shad while the Husky Jerk replicates herring and smelt.
The key to deploying these baits is not forgetting the lessons learned from other shallow crankbait fishing areas. Regardless whether you are fishing a rocky shoreline in the Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota or a rocky tailrace area on the Missouri River reservoirs the same patterns are going to play out.
While fish can be caught all day, the best fishing generally takes place in the hour surrounding sunrise and sunset each day. The Shallow Shad Rap is one of the most consistent baits throughout the day and night hours. When the light is still bright, natural colors like Purpledescent, Walleye, Silver and Blue can all produce. As the darkness sets in, switch to brighter colors like Hot Steel, Firetiger and Chartreuse.
Another excellent option in the dark is fishing a larger and brighter bait like the Husky Jerk. My top two colors are Pink Chrome and Purple Chrome, but the standard Chrome color can oftentimes produce just as many fish if not more especially when there is an abundance of herring in the area. Mixing in aggressive rips and jerks can often produce best, triggering a reaction strike from nearby walleyes and attracting attention to your bait away from the rest of the forage that may be present.
Slow Floating
While one angler catching fish may be aggressively casting and ripping on crankbaits, another angler may be catching fish doing just the opposite. A light jig and large plastic is another tactic that when deployed effectively can really produce. In past articles like Upsizing Plastics for Goliath Spring Walleye and One-Two Plastic Punch for Spring Walleye we’ve detailed the effectiveness of these presentations in eastern South Dakota. Much like casting crankbaits, these lessons can translate well to the Missouri River reservoirs.
For anglers looking to drift and float their offerings through the strike zone the first key to success is a light jig. While a heavy jig may seem like the logical choice in the fast current, the key is a lighter presentation. While a ⅛ ounce jig can often work, try fishing as light as a 1/16 ounce jig. Thread a larger, 3-4 inch plastic onto this jig and you’re ready to hit the water.
The key to success here is that the bait effectively floats in the current, the light jig and large plastic size allows this to have a more ideal surface area to weight ratio, creating a bait that naturally swims and floats. A heavier jig would sink too quickly and become stuck between the cracks and crevices of the larger boulders.
To fish this option, cast into the current and allow the bait to float down the current seam. As it enters the slack water transition zone, begin popping the bait on the way back in. The goal of this presentation is to emulate a baitfish that has been severely injured and is floating helplessly in the current before struggling to find it’s way back to safety. Many times, this large and vulnerable presentation is just the ticket to making a walleye strike.
The beauty of the tailrace fishing opportunities is that whoever you are and whenever you want to fish, there is often very good fishing waiting for you. Whether you are a looking to put the boat in or find your favorite shore fishing spot, you’re well within each of some of the best fishing you may find all year! Good fishing!
Related Articles
In our three part series on tailrace walleye fishing, we covered a lot of information! Want to learn more about what we’ve discussed? Check out these related articles!
We took a look at the seasonal movements of reservoir walleye and how they related to tailraces. Learn more about how these movements can impact your fishing all year in Life of a Reservoir Walleye.
We discussed in detail how important forage is to understanding tailrace fisheries, but in reality forage matters wherever you are fishing. Learn more about how forage impacts your fishing in What’s on the Menu: Walleye Forage.
We also spent a great deal of time discussing the best colors for fishing in the tailraces, but is color the ultimate factor? Learn how important lure color is in Does Color Matter to Walleye?
