When you ask folks in eastern South Dakota what times of year they get most excited about you might get a few answers: pheasant opener, East River Deer season, duck opener, Christmas, and South Dakota State Jackrabbits playoff football might make the list. One time of year that will for sure be a favorite, is the beginning of ice fishing season.
Somewhere around mid-November, every ice angler turns into a meteorologist, and is looking at the long-range forecast figuring out when they might be able to tap some hard water with a spud bar. The first cold snap brings the augers, shacks, and other ice fishing equipment out of its summer storage and by the time a thin crust has formed over their favorite fisheries they’ve already driven by after work or school to take a peek.
There are a few reasons for this excitement, first of all is that ice fishing is tradition in South Dakota, especially eastern South Dakota. The second, is that early ice can often produce some of the best fishing of the season. Anglers who are paying attention to the conditions, and can get out as soon as ice is safe, are often going to have great success to begin the season.
The Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota, which is essentially the northeast quarter of the state, is known for the abundance of water in the form of smaller sloughs and lakes. A couple large waterbodies highlight the area, such as Bitter Lake and Waubay Lake in Webster, Dry Lake #2 in Clark, and Lake Thompson and Lake Poinsett north of Brookings. While these larger waterbodies draw the attention, many of the smaller fisheries often offer the first, and sometimes the best, early ice fishing.
The vast majority of the waterbodies in the Glacial Lakes region can be categorized by their large basins, variety of structure, and relatively shallow features. A deep lake in this area would be considered 15-20 feet, and few rarely exceed depths of 25-30. The reason for the expansive basins and unique structure would be as the lakes were expanding, the smaller sloughs and lakes would often connect with each other forming a larger complex. As they expanded, they would flood road beds, farm land, rock piles, and other unique features.
Anglers looking to take advantage of these early ice opportunities need to be aware of these features, as they can often be the best spots to target early in the season. This is for a couple reasons; the first is that fish will likely still be relating closely to these shallower structure elements, especially early in the season. The second is that ice conditions often do not allow for great mobility or to get to some of the best main lake structure, which makes keying on these areas the safest and most successful.
Anglers targeting yellow perch are at a particular disadvantage in early ice conditions, as perch will often roam the expansive basins throughout the winter months and require a run-and-gun strategy to successfully stay on top of the schools. However, savvy anglers can identify smaller, featureless waterbodies that perch are often roaming and let the fish come to them. Fishing with a combination of deadsticks and jigging rods, they pick up fish a handful at a time as the schools move through.
Anglers targeting walleye will do the same, identifying shallow structure near the shorelines that are adjacent to deep water. At sunrise and sunset, walleyes will move up onto these structures and continue to feed as they did in the late fall. This makes them both predictable and easy to target, even if anglers are not able to access much of the entire waterbody.
Early ice conditions are also very similar to a calm day of open water. The new ice is quite clear, and 4-6 inches will do little to refract light penetration like waves would on a windy day. The lack of snow cover also presents little effort against light penetration, which means that early ice conditions are still very light dependent. It’s not the dark and ugly situation it will be in the middle of winter.
As great as early ice fishing can be, anglers always need to keep safety top of mind. There is a long season ahead, you want to be there for it and many more seasons to enjoy. Always be mindful of the ice conditions, a minimum of 4 inches is recommended. This is for clear, new ice, these recommendations increase as the ice ages and refreezes.
It is also a good idea to always navigate the ice in light conditions. Darkness blankets any potential dangers such as slush pockets, heaves, or weak areas. Darkness also can turn anglers around, leading them away from a path that they may have gotten on safely before. Always have a spud bar and always hit the ice infront of you, if the spud bar goes through, turn back. It is also a good idea to stop frequently and check ice depths as you head further onto the lake.
It is hard to find a better time to get out on the ice. The early ice bite is often one of the best bites of the season, and is a great way for ice anglers to scratch the itch right away before a long season begins. See for yourself what makes early ice fishing in the Glacial Lakes region out of the best bites of the season. Good fishing!
Find More Early Ice Tips
Early ice is a special time of year in eastern South Dakota! The Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota is famous for its ice fishing opportunities, particularly for both walleye and yellow perch, and one of the best times of year to find success is early ice. Early ice can present unique challenges to anglers, which is why we have ten tips to help find success in the early ice season.
