The warm weather has spring fishing in full swing and hundreds, if not thousands of boats, were out on the Missouri River this past week enjoying the beautiful weather.
Following last week’s Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament in Chamberlain, which ended in a 43rd place finish out of 120 boats, the boys are eager to get back home to Pierre and focus on Lake Sharpe for the upcoming Tuesday Night League season and Sharpe Showdown.
Learn More: Zeman and Kenobbie Win 23rd Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament
The water conditions are playing a major factor in the bite on Lake Sharpe in Pierre, as the Bad River is currently pumping extremely dirty water in the system. This dirty water has muddied much of the reservoir and forced the bulk of the fishing to take place between the Bad River and the Oahe Dam.
The stilling basin has been the most popular spot, with the bulk of the angling pressure taking place directly below the campground. Vertical jigging or dragging jigs with minnows has been the most popular technique.
Interesting enough, there is also a fair number of age-1 salmon that have been moving throughout the back of the stilling basin.
There are also a bit larger salmon, which are constituting the bulk of the bites when attempting to troll crankbaits for walleye on leadcore. That’s right, salmon bites are out numbering walleye bites right now when trolling crankbaits in the stilling basin!
The other popular spot to target fish has been among the bridges in town. A popular spot in the spring, Marions Gardens, has fewer fish on it than often found in the spring, but there are still fish present moving both on and off the sandbar.
Other popular spots between the bridges themselves have also been holding good numbers of fish. Anglers focusing on targeting both the deeper water adjacent to the bar, and on top of the bar, have been most successful.
In addition to walleyes, there are a good number of saugers-especially quality saugers, present among these areas in town as well. Particularly the deeper areas have been holding the best quality saugers.
Overall though, the bite has been very hit or miss. Marking fish is often not the problem, but coaxing them to bite is. Jigging minnows has been the most popular strategy, but many anglers are reporting marking good numbers of fish and putting the jig in their face but being unable to coax a bite.
The bite will pick up and turn off throughout the day, going on both hot streaks and cold streaks. This can be the nature of spring fishing, with water temperatures still hovering around 40 degrees on the main river and 44-45 degrees in the stilling basin. The spawn will likely be peak cycle in about 5-10 days, with the spring cycle in full swing!
The Road Ahead
Tuesday Night League is scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 16, though there are major winds and storms present in the forecast so the first week may be pushed back to April 23.
Sharpe Showdown, which is hosted by the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce and The Fishing Crew, is scheduled to take place April 27-28 out of Downs Marina in Pierre.
Reel in Memories in South Dakota State Parks Update
This year, the annual theme for South Dakota State Parks is Reel in Memories. Anglers who go fishing in a South Dakota State Park or Recreation Area are eligible to submit photos of their adventures to earn stickers and enter to win the ultimate state park fishing package!
This week was the first week Nick Harrington was able to fish in a park, launching out of Oahe Downstream Recreation Area. Stay tuned throughout the year to see how many parks Nick is able to collect!
State Parks Fished: 1
- Oahe Downstream Recreation Area (Lake Sharpe, Pierre)
Find Bonus Fishing Reports
If you’re looking for bonus fishing reports, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where Nick Harrington will be providing bonus fishing reports in real-time throughout the entire season.
Find the latest fishing report, while you’re still planning your weekend fishing, by subscribing to our YouTube!
Behind the Scenes Content
If you’re looking for behind the scenes content, and what happens between bites, follow along on Instagram! You can follow Nick, Mason, and Chris to see what bites they are on, as well as what they’re up to when not on the water!
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Register for Sharpe Showdown
Sharpe Showdown is hosted by the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce. This year’s tournament will take place April 27-28. The entry fee is $450 per team and the tournament will offer a 100% payback.
