The reports are pouring in, and the South Dakota pheasant season is indeed shaping up to be one of the best seasons in a decade, if not more! While the bird numbers have stolen the show, the fishing has been fantastic as well! We have everything you need to know in this week’s report!
Lake Sharpe
First and foremost, let’s talk about the fishing! The fishing on Lake Sharpe has been excellent, and the traditional jigging bite Lake Sharpe is known for has really taken off! Both pitching jigs and vertically jigging is producing fish, and it is truly one of the most fun bites of the year taking place right now!
The fish are predominantly in 5-8 feet of water and concentrating in pods. Continuing to make minor moves and adjustments until you land on one of these pods, then when the bite slows continue to keep moving and finding a new concentration of fish. Fish seem to be grouped up by size, and when the right pod is found a limit can be filled quickly.
There is a good number of fish right around 15 inches in the system, which has been the theme all year on Lake Sharpe, and this is what the bulk of these keepers have been. Fish larger, 16-17 inches are also becoming a bit more common, but the bulk of the fish are of that 15-15 3/4 inch variety.
The shore fishing bite below Lake Oahe dam has also greatly improved, and there are certainly fish to be caught. The bait has moved into the flowing water below the dam and the fish have followed, casting crankbaits from the shoreline in the evenings has been the best and pheasant hunters should bring their fishing rods with them to take advantage of this opportunity!
Pheasant Season Update
Speaking of pheasant hunters, let’s talk about how great this pheasant season has been! The reports from the field are this is some of the best bird numbers hunters have seen in over a decade, with many saying as good as the early 2000s! The expectation was this season would be fantastic for bird numbers, and it is indeed shaping up to be that way!
Hunters are also enjoying good conditions to hit the field. The crop harvest is essentially complete, and that is helping position birds in predictable locations. The recent rains have also help alleviate concerns regarding wildfire, though hunters should always be mindful of where they are parking and ensure they are doing their part to prevent an avoidable fire.
The first few weeks of the season are tradition, but now is the time the best hunting begins. The crops are harvested, the opening day crowds are gone, temperatures are cooling, and the birds are going to be predictable locations. For many South Dakota residents, the season is just beginning, and if you haven’t already enjoyed this season there is still plenty of time to!
Big Tournament News Expected
November 1 is the first day tournament organizers can submit their event applications to South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks for approval, which means we can begin to expect major tournament news out of South Dakota!
On the national front, there has been many questions regarding the National Walleye Tour (NWT) 2025 schedule, which we shared when it was provided earlier this year. This tournament schedule and information has since been removed since NWT’s website, which has raised many questions by anglers. We are anticipating an additional announcement regarding this schedule and will be sure to provide that information as soon as it is available.
The Fishing Crew 2025 schedule announcement is also expected to be forthcoming, and South Dakota is going to be in the national spotlight multiple times this season. Stay tuned for more information, which will all be available on our new Fishing Tournament News page!
In Case You Missed It…..
We just referenced it; we have revamped our Fishing Reports page! The Fishing Reports are the most popular aspect of our website, and we wanted to keep providing high quality information to you. Our fishing reports are going to be in their same place, and we’ve segmented out the additional information to help you find exactly what you’re looking for!
Again, you can find the most recent fishing reports in the exact same place you always have, which is our main Fishing Reports page. Here you’ll find the current fishing report, as well as past fishing reports for that season.
In addition to our traditional reports, there is always news coming out of the South Dakota outdoors. Whether it’s hunting season forecasts, such as what we’ve been highlighting with pheasant season, South Dakota State Park updates, or other updates coming from the field we want to have you covered and you can find all of this in our South Dakota Outdoor News, Reports, and Updates page.
There are also many of you that follow along for the tournament news, and all of the tournament schedules, recaps, and previews are going to be found on the Fishing Tournament News page. As we alluded to above, do not be surprised by some more exciting South Dakota tournament fishing news upcoming!
The last element of our fishing reports page is our South Dakota Fisheries Focus. There are several factors that make our fisheries special, and we’ll take deep dives into what makes these fisheries what they are! Find all of that in our South Dakota Fisheries Focus page!
You can also find all the fishing reports, as well as some bonus reports, by subscribing to our YouTube page as well!
Lastly, Follow the Lip Ripper Fishing Facebook page too! There are lots of options for staying up to date on the bite, and we thank you for your support however you do!
