The last month has been dedicated to Lake Oahe, as the South Dakota Governor’s Cup was the sole focus. Now, it’s time to get back to focusing on having fun again! This means it was time to check out the bite on Lake Sharpe, and while the weather was hot the bite was too! Find out all about it in this week’s fishing report!
Lake Sharpe Fishing Report
The theme this year for Lake Sharpe has been an abundance of walleyes, and the same is holding true. There continues to be a strong class of fish between 14-16 inches, and there is an even stronger group of fish between 11-13 inches that are coming up behind them. This means that there is a lot of fish to be caught along Lake Sharpe!
Fish can be found throughout the reservoir, and while the West Bend area is a favorite for mid-summer on Lake Sharpe there is a good amount of fish in the stilling basin as well. These fish are chasing very large clouds of bait, and the key is trigger fishing to bite when they are well fed.
The best way to do this is to cover water, and get your baits in front of as many fish as possible. Trolling crankbaits, both #5 and #7 Rapala Shad Raps and Berkley Flicker Shads are a top option. Purple, blue, and white are all producing fish. When fish are actively feeding, they can be caught suspended. When they are more neutral, the fish are caught closer to the bottom.
There is also a decent bite pitching jigs in the early mornings along the sand bars between the bridges. These fish are the same size class, and the bite is best right away as the sun is coming up and the current begins to pick up.
It may be July and the temperatures may be hot, but the bite on Lake Sharpe continues to produce!
Bonus Lake Sharpe Fishing Report
If you follow along on YouTube and Facebook, you caught the bonus fishing report regarding this bite and there were many anglers who were out taking advantage of it on Sunday! Be sure to subscribe to YouTube and follow along on Facebook to catch these bonus, in the moment, fishing reports too!
Lake Oahe Fishing Report
Lake Oahe stole the show last month, and the bite has fully transitioned into traditional mid-summer patterns. This means fish are holding deeper and focused on main lake structure such as points, islands, humps, and submerged timber.
There is also an abundance of bait in Lake Oahe, and the gizzard shad present in the system can hold fish a bit shallower. This is particularly true as water temperatures warm up in back bays and creeks, but the primary cold water forage of rainbow smelt and lake herring/ciscoe is holding out deeper.
South Dakota Governor’s Cup Results
The 2025 South Dakota Governor’s Cup is in the books, and if you missed the recap it was Beau Schilling and Ben Beadle standing on top of the Schilling Family Show! Four fish at 11 pounds anchored a record-shattering 61.51 pound bag for Beau and Ben, who edged out Beau’s father and sister, Chad and Samantha, who took home second.
Subscribe to YouTube
Now that the tournament season is behind us, one of the priorities for the remainder of the season is to continue to grow and build the YouTube page. Be sure to check it out and give a subscribe if you find the videos interesting!
Follow Nick on Instagram
Stay up to date on the latest bite Nick is on by following along on Instagram, mrwalleyesd! This shows all the latest catches, behind the scenes, and life off the water!
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