The premier walleye fishing tournament in South Dakota is set to reach a major milestone in 2024. The 50th South Dakota Governor’s Cup is scheduled to take place July 20-21, 2024. The South Dakota Governor’s Cup is run by The Fishing Crew and launches onto Lake Oahe out of Pierre.
“The Governor’s Cup is one that is always circled on the calendar,” said Mason Propst of Propst Professional Anglers. “This is an important tournament for my family, and I’m proud to continue carrying on our legacy each year.”
The 2024 South Dakota Governor’s Cup will launch out of Spring Creek Recreation Area onto Lake Oahe. Spring Creek Recreation Area is located north of Pierre, on the lower end of Lake Oahe. Anglers enter as two-person teams, and the cost to enter is $450 per team.
“Fishing the Governor’s Cup is just a surreal experience,” said Nick Harrington, Owner of Lip Ripper Fishing. “You’re going out on the biggest, most famous body of water in the state, and on the biggest stage. It’s everything walleye fishing is about.”
Fishing takes place on the lower end of Lake Oahe, with open areas being from the Oahe Dam to just north of Bush’s Landing. Anglers can also go into the Cheyenne River as far as the Minneconjou boat ramp. This gives anglers approximately 50 miles of the expansive waterbody to put together their best bag.
“Lake Oahe is a massive fishery, and it’s a challenge to even the best anglers,” continued Harrington. “The amount of structure and areas to target, dynamics of forage, and variety of techniques to catch walleye tests the skills of every angler.”
Teams are allowed eight (8) tags per day and are able to weigh their best six (6) fish each day. Fish must be at least 15 inches, with only two fish over 20 inches allowed each day. The cumulative Saturday and Sunday weights determine the final finishing order.
“The Governor’s Cup is always a tournament of strategy, because there is always the potential to put together a massive bag on any given day,” stated Propst. “You don’t luck into a win in this one, you need to have a great bite going for both overs and slots and execute perfectly.”
Lake Oahe is known for producing trophy caliber walleyes, and a strong bite for giant walleyes to conclude 2023 has anglers very excited about the coming year.
“We saw the state record broken not once, but twice, in about a month period this past fall,” concluded Harrington. “It’s safe to the say the fishery did its part to get folks excited for this year’s Governor’s Cup.”
Registration opens January 1, 2024, and is available through The Fishing Crew website. Registration is open until filled, there are no other requirements to participate in the tournament.
“Someone is going to get to say they won the 50th Governor’s Cup,” concluded Propst. “That’s etching your name in the history book.”
More information regarding the tournament can be found on The Fishing Crew’s website.
