It has been a bit since the last fishing report! Sorry about that! The last couple weeks were devoted to family, which included a week in Hawaii and fishing has not been on the mind! That said, Pearl Harbor is a must see for any history fan (Day of Infamy by Walter Lord is also the best Pearl Harbor book I have found), Volcanoes National Park is incredibly interesting, and the Hawaiian coast is absolutely gorgeous!
Now let’s focus on the fishing report! Apologies as I do not have a video for this week, so this is the best we have. Fear not I promise to be better as I get back into a normal fishing routine and we head here into the peak of summer!
This past week was the last week the focus will be on Lake Sharpe, before it becomes time to focus on Lake Oahe. The first post-Hawaii fishing trip was Tuesday Night Walleye Fishing League, and in the nature of a disorganized fishing report (again-sorry, still getting back into routine!) let’s hit the League Report first!
This was the final points night for our Tuesday Night Walleye Fishing League in Pierre. The season has nine points weeks, and week ten is the “Fish Off” where the top two teams fish for the championship, third and fourth, fifth and sixth, and so forth. Basically, a head-to-head. So, this was an important one, and the hope was to sneak into the top two for the fish off.
Unfortunately, hope isn’t really a plan and the night reflected that. The bite in Hipple Lake inside Farm Island Recreation Area had been difficult, but again the hope was that it would be one of the nights that the right five chose to bite. While the bulk of the field headed towards the stilling basin and towards the cool water of the dam, the blue tiller headed into Farm Island with five other boats.
Three not exactly right but greater than 15 inches ones chose to bite. They were only good enough for 3.6 pounds, and a tie for 12th place. There were some nice fish brought to the scales, particularly the ones from the stilling basin and tail race areas, with Keller and McComsey bringing in 9.2 pounds for the win. While the league win was nice, the Masters Walleye Championship win from Mobridge is even nicer-congrats on a great couple weeks Tyson!
Tuesday Night Walleye Fishing League Week Nine Top 5
- Keller/McComsey 9.20 pounds
- Zilverburg/Anderson 8.00 pounds
- Sieverding/Saathoff 7.60 pounds
- Bible/Townley 6.60 pounds
- Laube/Menning 6.60 pounds
- Konda Doerr 6.40 pounds
The drum bite was fantastic though!
Also, I have no idea what the weights were from Week Eight while in Hawaii so again, sorry about that.
That brings us into our normal fishing report, which again for the last week the primary focus will be on Lake Sharpe. As mentioned above the best bite on Lake Sharpe right now would be in between the stilling basin and the dam.
As far as the stilling basin, trolling crankbaits, bottom bouncing, and even dragging jigs are all producing fish. The bulk of fish are 15-17 inches, with plenty of shorts as well, though there are some quality fish to be caught as well.
The evening/night shore bite is also picking up in the tailrace area, anglers casting crankbaits and jigs and plastics are doing quite well as the sun sets and darkness takes hold. Traditionally, June is when the summer bite gets very good in the tailrace, as the colder water can attract both fish and bait. The tailrace will then begin to traditionally get very good near the end of September, through October, and into November again.
Despite the poor result Tuesday, Hipple Lake in Farm Island Recreation Area is a viable option for good fishing though too. Trolling crankbaits is always the go-to, but bottom bouncing with nightcrawlers and Colorado blades can produce too. Crankbaits are a bit better for when the fish are actively feeding, the wind is blowing, or light is low. Bottom bouncing is a better option when the sun is high, wind is calm, and fish are less active.
To answer the obligatory West Bend question, it sounds like the bite is good. There’s a good number of walleyes down there and lots of smallmouth bass are biting too. Personally not one that goes down to West Bend Recreation Area, but overall from all reports the bite sounds pretty good.
Looking ahead, the last week of League will be Tuesday. Following that, the focus will shift to Lake Oahe and that will be the focus of the upcoming fishing reports. As we wrap up our focus on Lake Sharpe this spring and early summer, if you haven’t already check out this highlight on Hipple Lake. Even though it didn’t pan out for League this week, it is a pretty fun fishery!
We’re in the final two weeks of the Midwest Walleye Challenge for South Dakota, and based on the leaderboards it’s going to take one or two really big bites to shake up the top spots! The challenge concludes on June 29, but there is still time for someone to land a trophy and capture the top spot for big walleye! It’s going to take some pretty spectacular days to steal the top spot for total walleyes though!
YouTube Channel Continues to Grow!
This year in particular the goal has been to up the YouTube game, so whether you’re looking for the latest fishing reports (except this one-sorry!), bonus fishing reports, tips, and longer form highlight videos make sure to subscribe to our YouTube to catch all the new videos!
South Dakota Firearm Deer Application Period is Closing!
The last day to submit your South Dakota firearm deer application is 8 a.m. CT on Tuesday, June 17. This means it’s time to get those applications submitted as soon as possible!
It’s time to wrap up the last week of league, and head up on the big lake! Until then good luck, have fun, be safe, and good fishing!
