After enjoying a taste of summer in the middle of March, it was back to classic spring fishing conditions to begin April. Snow showers, colder temperatures, and wind rolled across the Missouri River, but there were still fish to be caught! Find out all about it in this week’s fishing report!
How is Fishing on Lake Sharpe?
The fishing on Lake Sharpe is hit and miss, mostly depending on current. While the changing weather conditions had some impact on the bite, current flows had a significantly more important role on fish mood. An increased amount of forage is also playing a role too.
Current Setting the Tone
The best bite right now is in town fishing among the bridges. This is also why current is so important, because this area is very current dependent. When the current is flowing, the fish are biting. When the current is minimal, so are the total number of bites. Fortunately, anglers can adjust their tactics based on these conditions.
When the current is strong, pitching jigs with minnows or plastics is most effective. A ⅛ oz jig and minnow is the classic staple, but soft plastics can produce too. Fish will likely be holding shallower up along the sand bars, and positioning the boat in 10-12 feet and casting up onto the bar is most effective.
When the current is reduced, those fish will be holding out deeper, often between 12-15 feet. When they are deeper, they are often less active and covering water is the best way to catch them. Trolling crankbaits is the best approach here.
The best crankbaits so far this season have been #5 Rapala Shad Raps, with blue far and away the best color. Purple can produce as well, but overall blue baits are the most effective. Similar to the season so far, these same baits are the most productive fishing in town too.
Trolling along the breaklines near Marions Gardens can be productive, but the best area to target fish with crankbaits is the deeper water hole just below the bridge on the east side across from the water plant. This 14-20 foot hole is full of both sauger and walleye, and they can be caught at a slow, but steady pace, by pulling crankbaits through this area.
Fishing the stilling basin is still best done in the mornings and evenings pitching jigs at the mouth. Trolling crankbaits throughout the basin is still very slow, and while bites can come, this is not a high percentage area yet.
Down river, fish remain scattered along the flats. Trolling crankbaits can be effective, but pitching jigs on large pods seen on side-scan can produce too. However, the primary focus right now is fishing the Marion Gardens and bridges area in town.
Smelt Bring a New Challenge
When they do bite, the fish are in excellent condition. There is a strong number of fish between 15-17 inches, and they are in excellent condition. This is due to an increased amount of forage, with a strong number of rainbow smelt that have come through the Oahe Dam and are now in the upper end of the system.
This is another reason fishing in town is as good as it is, with these smelt offering a unique prey option that is often not present this time of year in lake Sharpe. This has made the bite a bit tougher, because they have more forage than normal, but also has the fish even better fed than normal. It’s also attracting and concentrating fish in the bridges areas.
Coming Up: Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament
This weekend the first event for The Fishing Crew’s season will take place at Cedar Shore Resort in Chamberlain. The event will fish on Lake Francis Case between Big Bend Dam and Highway 44 bridge in Platte. This is the first major tournament in South Dakota this season and should see excellent weights based on the strong bite taking place in the Chamberlain area right now.
Video of the Week: Finding Fish for the Midwest Walleye Challenge
The Midwest Walleye Challenge is underway, and Team Lip Ripper Fishing is working hard to move up the leaderboard. Our video of the week highlights these efforts, and shares the approach for adjusting techniques and locating fishing based on both current and weather conditions.
Thank You for the Support
This past week was a big milestone, surpassing 4,000 Followers on the Lip Ripper Fishing Facebook page. Whether it’s following on Facebook or Instagram, subscribing to YouTube, or reading these fishing reports thank you very much for the support! It is what makes all of this very fun!
