The 4th of July is nearly here, but the fishing continues to be very good on Lake Sharpe! The fishing on Lake Oahe has been stealing the credit of lately, but there is still a lot of fun to be had on Lake Sharpe! We were fortunate to take home the win this past week in our Tuesday Night Walleye Fishing League and this week’s fishing report has all the details on how we did it!
Lake Sharpe Fishing Report
There have been two primary spots where the fishing has been best on Lake Sharpe in Pierre, the stilling basin and Hipple Lake in Farm Island Recreation Area. There are still fish to be caught along the bridges in town, but this bite has been dramatically slowing down.
This past Tuesday, the weather was not looking positive. The winds were blowing 20-30 mph with pop-up storms developing sporadically in the area. It’s no secret as the season goes on, we really focus on the Hipple Lake area in Farm Island as this bite can produce some of the better-quality fish this time of year, though is extremely hit and miss.
This season, the stilling basin has been producing some extremely large walleyes (we captured the Week Four win in the stilling basin) with multiple fish 25 inches or larger coming throughout this season. Similar to Hipple Lake, the bite is extremely hit and miss (we zeroed in Week Five in the stilling basin) and this combination of factors has led to an interesting dynamic this season.
These bites can vary by the day, this Tuesday the stilling basin did not produce. Fortunately for us, Hipple Lake did. The weather forced a few extra boats into the area, but trolling crankbaits we were able to quickly contact a pod of fish and stay on top of them.
Our pass began with four short fish, before putting a 17 1/2 incher in the box. After catching two more short fish, we were able to put an 18 1/2 incher in the box to go with it. Knowing we had the start of a pretty good bag, but with lightning in the background, my priority was to put a five-fish tournament limit in the box.
I turned around on the area and saw minimal action, losing another 17-18 incher at the boat. I turned and went back through the area, which produced a triple. This triple consisted of a 16 incher, RIGHT at 15 incher, and a catfish of course! The priority was a limit, which meant boxing the 16 and the 15. Heading back through the area, we lost yet another 17-18 incher right near the boat. At this point, I was pretty certain we had missed our chance for a good finish.
We turned yet again, notice we were very focused on this particular pod of fish and hitting them as often as possible, and put another 16 incher in the box. This left us three more fish we could catch, so we had the ability to upgrade the 15 and both 16s if given the opportunity. The priority now became upgrading at minimum the 15 incher.
It was at this point the fish started to bite in the right order, with the next fish a 21 1/2 incher. I turned around through this area again (why not!?) and produced a fish that was again RIGHT on the line, but this time 20 inches instead of 15. This filled both my overs and left me looking for one last slot upgrade, which after a couple small fish was a 16 1/2 incher. At this point we had only been fishing about 90 minutes and still had another 75 minutes before we’d have to head in so I decided to throw it back, although it would have been a small upgrade.
I kept the pass going (didn’t even turn around this time!) and was quickly rewarded, boxing an 18 3/4 incher. I couldn’t throw this one back, and didn’t, which meant it was time to head in. We were loaded about an hour early, and it was a very anxious hour sitting at the ramp with the livewell recirculating to keep the fish as fresh as possible. Weighing in at 11.25 pounds, it proved to be just enough and we were able to secure our second win of the season!
This was the start of a stormy week in Pierre. Storms and heavy wind presented challenges for anglers, particularly those looking to fish Lake Oahe. The incoming fronts also put fish in a bit of a funk, but when the wind blows and the bite is tough this is one of my favorite spots to slip into and still enjoy great fishing, any time of the year!
As mentioned above, anglers can also find good fishing in the stilling basin and along the bridges in town. The fishing in the West Bend area is not quite what it had been a few weeks ago, which in fairness is hard to top, but can still produce some good fishing as well.
News and Notes
National Walleye Tour Visits Lake Francis Case
The National Walleye Tour (NWT) visited Lake Francis Case this past week, fishing out of Prairie Dog Bay at North Point Recreation Area near Pickstown/Wagner. The hottest walleye angler on the planet right now, Duane Hjelm, was able to defend his home turf and take home the victory with a winning bag of 27-10 pounds. The Pierre, SD angler not only was able to celebrate the victory, but also his anniversary as well! Congratulations Dewey!!
Fishing vertically was key for many anglers, who were focusing on jigging or ripping over deeper structure. Other popular techniques included pulling livebait or crankbaits suspended over the same or similar deep-water structure. A full tournament recap can be found on the NWT website.
We’d also like to give a special shoutout to our friends Will Graves and James Trimble on notching Top 20 finishes! Will was able to take 17th place with a bag of 22-15 pounds and James was able to take 19th place with a bag of 22-8 pounds! Congratulations boys on an awesome job!
Stay Safe This 4th of July Weekend
The 4th of July holiday is upon us and it’s important to remember to stay safe when out celebrating on the water these coming days! When out on the water, always remember to:
- Have a sober boater or wait to enjoy your drinks when on shore;
- Wear your lifejackets, particularly when enjoying tubing, skiing, jet skis, or other similar activities;
- Use your navigation lights when boating early in the morning or later evening hours;
- Practice clean, drain, dry to do your part to slow the spread of invasive species; and,
- Maintain boat ramp etiquette at all times with the increased traffic.
We hope you all are able to have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday!
Hunt for Habitat Raffle Closing Soon
The deadline to purchase tickets for the South Dakota Hunt for Habitat raffle is 8 a.m. CDT July 11. Three lucky winners will receive an any deer, any elk, and any antelope license and one lucky winner will receive a Custer State Park Trophy Buffalo license. Tickets are $10 for residents and $20 for nonresidents.
