It’s not a secret I love targeting walleye in South Dakota. Whether it’s the Missouri River reservoirs or Glacial Lakes region, from the boat, shore, or through the ice, I’ve chased them, I’ve caught them, and I’ve been skunked by them. I love walleye fishing in South Dakota, but that’s actually not what I grew up doing.
I started fishing in eastern Nebraska, where I’m originally from, Gretna, a now-not-so-small town west of Omaha. I began drowning worms for anything that would bite with my dad, grandpa, and uncle, then as I got older, I started going out and targeting largemouth bass and channel catfish myself. From time to time, I stumbled into a walleye too, but that was quite a day when I did!
That’s right, I grew up a bass and catfish angler, but let me tell you targeting highly pressured largemouth bass on Omaha metro lakes forces you to try a lot of different things and really develop your skills. I made weird rigs and tried outside the box things. There wasn’t a playbook to follow, so I made my own.
The bass purists scoffed, but it was mostly rooted in envy as they watched me land quality largemouth after quality largemouth on a slipbobber and leech on a small lake near Ashland. A chatterbait and 5 inch thumper tail plastic seemed like overkill on a lake in the heart of Omaha, but it was the only way I figured out to effectively fish through the weeds.
Cooked shrimp from the seafood section of Hyvee was a staple of my mom’s grocery list in the summer. It was the only thing that could land the big catfish in a back creek off another metro lake. I don’t think people would believe me if I told them how many channel catfish between 5-10 pounds were in there, but that’s mostly because my flip phone didn’t take the best pictures to prove it.
When I went to Brookings for college, I brought that same out of the box mindset with me. I casted shallow crankbaits a lot from the shorelines, and caught some really nice fish doing it. In the spring, I’d twitch and pause jerkbaits the same way I would for lethargic largemouth. That triggered some big bites too. Jigs and minnows were for true walleye anglers, ones that shy away from a 4 or 5 inch plastic that are just for bass anglers. Let me say, they’re not!
As I dedicated my time at South Dakota State University to….learning….I developed new systems. A 1/16 oz jig and a 4 inch plastic floated along the rocky shorelines better than any other bait. An X-Rap suspended over the emerging weed stalks at just the right depth. Slipbobbers along trees wouldn’t get hung up so long as you winched them out before they could run down into the branches. I’d head to class and literally write my own play book of the things I’d learned in my recent outings. I looked like the best note taker in class. I was, just, different notes!
After graduating college in May of 2018, yes, I did indeed graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Management, along with a minor in Rangeland Management and Ecology, I moved to Chamberlain. I got my first boat, and learned about targeting walleye on the Missouri River. I made some rookie mistakes, and had a lot to learn, but I found a fish from time to time!
I then moved to Pierre in September 2018, where I’ve been since! I have fallen in love with Lake Sharpe and enjoy summers on Lake Oahe. Similar to when I first moved to Lake Francis Case I had much to learn, but time is indeed the best teacher.
The fun of fishing is that there’s no right and wrong way to do it. When you get hung up thinking you have to do something the exact way as someone else or what you think is “right” you set yourself up for frustration. Try new things-be successful, fail and try again, that’s what makes fishing fun. Once you do this, and build your own way of doing things, you’ll find your outings that much more enjoyable and productive!
I didn’t start as a South Dakota walleye angler. I started as a Nebraska kid that had to get creative, and that creativity was rewarded with well-earned quality Omaha largemouth and big Nebraska catfish. When I tried to be what I thought a true South Dakota walleye angler was I stunk at it, but when I became my own version, well I have a much nicer phone that takes better pictures now!
Now, my goal is to share my experiences with others. Sharing the biology behind the fishery is important to me, and I feel that the more anglers understand the dynamics of the fishery both the more successful they will be and even more so, more appreciative of the sport. Each day on the water is a challenge, as we target Mother Nature’s creatures in an environment we literally could not survive.
Sharing my favorite fishing spots, techniques, and tricks is also important to me. I’ve enjoyed learning a lot throughout my angling journey, and I enjoy sharing it even more. I also want to continue to challenge myself to learn more, and sharing these stories through videos and articles is a great way to do that!
I strive for authenticity. Each week throughout the open water season I work hard to put together an accurate fishing report for what I’ve been seeing on the water. I hope my fellow anglers find that beneficial. I recently started producing more full-length YouTube videos, which I hope to show an accurate and honest day on the water…. along with some entertainment. Things tend to get a lot less educational when my dad joins the videos, but he taught me everything he knows about fishing…. fortunately, I know a lot more than that now!
Simply put, my goal is to help my fellow anglers catch more fish, learn about different fisheries, and have the best time on the water. Sharing my passion is my favorite, and I hope that shows through in my articles, videos, and posts. Similar to my angling journey, I’m constantly working to learn more, try new techniques, and improve both on and off the water.
I’d like to thank everyone for the support I’ve received over the years! Whether it’s reading my articles, watching my videos, sharing my posts, or just following along I greatly appreciate it! If you’ve read this far, that includes you, so thank you!
Thank you again, and good fishing!
-Nick Harrington
