The fall season is upon us, and all signs point to a terrific fall season in South Dakota! There is no shortage of opportunities in fall across the state, which means whether you’re looking to walleye fish, pheasant hunt, camp, or just enjoy everything the fall has to offer, conditions are shaping up great for a terrific season!
Missouri River Reservoirs Walleye Fishing
Fall produces one of the best bites on the Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota, and whether you’re looking to target Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case, or Lake Oahe there is often an excellent bite waiting to be had!
Lake Sharpe
One of the most consistent bites of the fall season is on Lake Sharpe, where fish migrating up from the lower end of the reservoir will stage on the large flats east of Pierre. This sets up a consistent bite through September and October, including into November depending on the weather conditions.
Early in the season, the best option is bottom bouncing these large flats and this bite generally gets better and better as September progresses into October. As the temperatures begin to really cool off, generally late-October and into November, the best bite will then be pitching jigs as fish continue to concentrate as the season progresses.
Learn More: Getting Flashy for Fall Missouri River Walleyes
Lake Sharpe featured a strong bite this spring and summer, and there is good numbers of 14-16 inch fish that should keep anglers busy throughout the fall season. Larger fish, 16-19 inches, are also common as well and conditions are pointing to another excellent bite this fall on Lake Sharpe near Pierre.
Lake Oahe
Further up the system sits Lake Oahe, the fishery that produced the hottest walleye bite in the country last fall. Shattering the South Dakota State Record Walleye not once, but twice, the bite on Lake Oahe from October into November was absolutely incredible. The number of quality fish, and the size of these fish, set up for truly a record-breaking season. The top technique throughout this bite was trolling crankbaits along the flats and tree patches between Gettysburg and Mobridge.
Learn More: Lake Oahe: A Trophy Walleye Factory
A good number of large caliber fish are still present in the system, and it would not be a surprise to have a new state record currently swimming throughout the reservoir. Fall presents the time to catch these trophy-caliber fish, as they have had all summer to eat on the high protein prey base and reach their largest sizes of the year as they continue to stockpile calories for the coming winter months.
Lake Francis Case
The bite on Lake Francis Case largely flew under the radar throughout the 2024 season. Dirty water conditions greatly hampered the spring fishing in the Chamberlain area and the bite further down near Platte was inconsistent throughout the summer months.
The fall bite generally begins to pick up in the Chamberlain area again come early October as the annual fall draw-down is completed. This positions shad, and in turn walleye, on targetable pieces of main-lake structure. Specifically, this includes bridge pilings, points, and drop-offs. Fishing vertically with jigs and minnows, spoons, or Jigging Raps is a popular and successful option.
Glacial Lakes Region Walleye Fishing
While the fall bite on the Missouri River is very good, the fishing can be just as good in the Glacial Lakes region of eastern South Dakota. Rocky shorelines, points, contours are often the best options this time of year, and anglers can do well from both a boat or casting from shore. Top options to target each year are Lake Poinsett, Lake Thompson, and 81 Ponds.
Lake Poinsett can produce an excellent walleye bite, particularly for trolling crankbaits, and can also include both perch and crappie. Targeting contours with Salmo Hornets, Rapala Shad Raps, or Berkley Flicker Shads is often the best option. The shore fishing bite can also be very good on the northside near Stone Bridge, where casting jigs and plastics is often the top option.
Learn More: Cranking Up Fall Walleye
Similar to Lake Poinsett, Lake Thompson can produce from both the boat and from shore. Anglers can find success both trolling crankbaits as well as bottom bouncing contours. Anglers fishing from shore will often do best on the Oldham Grade casting slipbobbers on calm days and crankbaits on windy days.
Learn More: Falling for South Dakota Walleye
A top spot for shore anglers is 81 Ponds, which features excellent quality walleye. Casting crankbaits along the rocky shorelines is the top option and this bite tends to get better and better as fall progresses into October and early November.
Pheasant Hunting
South Dakota is the greatest state to pheasant hunt, and things are shaping up for 2024 to be another great season! In 2023, hunters harvested 1,243,000 pheasants throughout the season. Over 135,400 hunters took to the fields, which equates to over 9 birds per hunter.
Following this strong season, the primary pheasant range saw a mild winter and adequate spring and early summer moisture, which set up for ideal primary nesting and brood rearing conditions. The primary pheasant range was also largely unimpacted by the flood evenings that took place in southeast South Dakota.
Reports are coming in of large broods, and great numbers of birds thanks to these ideal nesting and brood rearing conditions. Combined with the quality of habitat, hunters should find birds in many of their favorite spots. Hunters will also have additional areas to target this fall, with over 1,557,000 acres of private land enrolled for public hunting for 2024.
Examples of this private land include the James River Watershed and Big Sioux River Watershed Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), as well as Walk-In Areas (WIA) and Controlled Hunting Access Programs (CHAP). Hunters new to South Dakota will do best targeting these CREP areas, which sit directly in the primary pheasant range and include both the access component as well as high quality pheasant habitat.
Another popular option is Game Production Areas (GPA) that are state-owned land for the purpose of providing quality habitat and public hunting opportunity. New pheasant hunters targeting CREP, GPA, and WIA should expect to enjoy good hunting opportunities across eastern and central South Dakota.
The Youth Only pheasant season will run September 28-October 6, before the Resident Only weekend October 12-14. The Traditional Pheasant Season will then kick off October 19 and run through January 31.
Learn More: 2024 Upland Outlook
Overall, hunters enjoyed a great pheasant season in 2023, but 2024 is shaping up to be even better! Hunters should expect to find great numbers of bird, high quality habitat, and ample public hunting opportunities when they take to the field to chase roosters this fall!
Prairie Grouse Hunting
Similar to the 2023 pheasant season, the 2023 prairie grouse harvest increased for a second consecutive year and was above the 10-year average with over 17,000 hunters harvesting over 69,400 prairie grouse.
The primary range for both greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse, which both are collectively referred to as prairie grouse, is primarily central and western South Dakota. There is overlap with the primary pheasant range as well, which consists of primarily eastern and central South Dakota.
Also similar to the pheasant outlook, the outlook on the 2024 prairie grouse season is extremely positive. The same reasons that have pheasant hunters optimistic is what has prairie grouse hunters optimistic, this includes the mild winter, ideal weather conditions in spring and early summer, and the culmination to excellent nesting and brood rearing habitat.
Hunters will also have additional time to target prairie grouse as the seasons for quail, prairie grouse, and partridge were extended to January 31, aligning with the traditional pheasant season.
Learn More: 2024 Prairie Grouse Forecast
Whether targeting pheasants, prairie grouse, or the multispecies opportunity South Dakota has to offer hunters should be very excited for the coming 2024 season. The mild winter, excellent spring weather conditions, and habitat conditions have set up for an abundance of birds on the landscape for hunters to chase this fall!
Waterfowl Hunting
The same reasons that lend upland game hunters to be excited for the season is also what has duck hunters excited for the coming season. Nesting conditions have been excellent, and spring and summer rains have provided ample slough conditions across eastern South Dakota.
Hunters who may be new to duck hunting are also reminded about an alternative opportunity, which is the three-duck license. When hunters purchase their migratory bird certificate, they can select the traditional or three-duck license. The traditional license allows traditional bag limits, while hunters still learning their duck identification may choose to select the three-duck license, which is as simple as it sounds-three ducks for a limit.
Fall Camping and Modern Lodging Options
The fall season also provides an opportunity to enjoy some of the best camping of the entire year as well. Following Labor Day, many of the crowds have left the campgrounds and campers can find availability at many of the prime spots within the prime campgrounds. In addition to the best sites, they can also enjoy the quiet campgrounds that comes once the summer crowds have subsided.
South Dakota state parks and recreation areas remain open year-round, and water opportunities remain available until approximately October when the freeze begins to set in. This means many great opportunities exist throughout the month of September, leading into the cool, crisp October days as well.
Individuals that may not have a camper, or have already winterized their camper, can also find opportunities with the modern lodging options many state parks and recreation areas have to offer. These cabins include running water and bathrooms, furnace, air conditioning, and full kitchens. These are perfect for both anglers and hunters that may not have a camper or want to pull one, and folks who are looking to extend their camping season without needing the camper.
Learn More: Modern Lodging Options
Fall is the most wonderful time of the year in South Dakota, and for good reason. Whether you’re looking to enjoy the fantastic fishing, greatest pheasant hunting in the country, prairie grouse or waterfowl hunting, or crisp cool nights by a campfire there is an opportunity for you. Make plans to enjoy everything South Dakota has to offer this fall!
Follow Along All Fall
Fall is the most wonderful time of year, and you can expect Nick Harrington to be out on the water taking advantage of the fall bite. You can follow along all season, and see off the water action too, by following Nick Harrington on Instagram!
You can also stay up to date on all the latest fishing reports, tips and tricks, and best bites by following Lip Ripper Fishing on Facebook!
Find Tips for Fall Fishing
If you’re looking to plan your fall fishing trip, but aren’t quite sure where to start, we’ve got you covered! Find out everything you need to know about fishing South Dakota in the fall on our Fall Fishing Tips page!
