Well, it’s been a little bit since our last fishing report! Sorry about that, in that time I’ve enjoyed a week on Perrault Lake in northwest Ontario, Mets baseball in New York, band concerts in Pennsylvania, turned 30, University of South Dakota Coyotes football, and yet another Buffalo Roundup. Needless to say, fishing reports have been minimal, and this one won’t be much better, but fall is underway and it’s worth an update on several topics
This fishing report will be a little bit different, and I’ll do my best to answer the questions I’ve gotten over the last couple weeks.
How’s the Fishing on Lake Oahe?
By all accounts, including ours, very good! Last week was my first time fishing in South Dakota in well over a month and I jumped in the boat with Josh Bible to test out some prototype Jigging Rap rods. We headed north to Sutton Bay Lakeside Use Area and had an absolutely banner day.
We caught two “overs” and three other perfect eater caliber walleye, as well as a couple smaller ones. By we, I mean Josh, but fortunately the smallmouth bass fishing was so good even I was able to catch them. It really was one of the best bites top to bottom I’ve ever experienced.
Lake Oahe is known for an amazing fall bite, and it looks like this one is well underway. Whether you’re looking to livescope/active target or troll crankbaits it’s time to get up on the big reservoir and try to catch yourself a big walleye.
How’s the Fishing on Lake Sharpe?
I’ve heard a couple different things, some that it’s starting to pick up and others that it’s still a little slow. I went out this morning to try to find out for myself, and didn’t get a lot accomplished. There was no water running, at least up until a pretty strong thunderstorm chased me off, and I only managed one walleye trolling crankbaits along the bluffs.
I did confirm there are a lot of northern pike along LaFramboise Island, I had seven to be honest including two doubles. Kind of surprising for northern pike to be that abundant, but they were all the same size and in the same spot for the most part so I’d imagine it’s a big school of them chasing little perch, white bass, or shad. I did get a few walleyes in there too, including one that only had one eye so that was interesting.
The water was pretty murky, both inside the island and the main body. The main body may have actually even been a little clearer, but again there was a really big thunderstorm right after I got off so it may have gotten a bit dirtier in the time I was literally frying my fish from the morning.
When Will 2026 Lake Survey Reports Come Out?
I’m not sure the exact timeline on these, but on the Missouri River these surveys are generally done in late August and September, and with so many lakes in eastern South Dakota they can take place throughout the summer and into the fall.
Once that data is collected, there are fish that will need to be aged and the report ultimately compiled so there may be a few that come out here, but a good rule of thumb I say is expect to see these closer to the ice season and throughout the winter.
When these are published they automatically are uploaded into the Fisheries Report Viewer, and you can also find this data in the onX Fish app, and that information is shared at the public meetings that occur in the winter months. As always I’ll try to highlight some of this information come winter time too, and that seems to be pretty popular with folks and I do appreciate it.
Other Fall Season Updates
Fall is well underway, which was a big reason I felt compelled to put this report together. I’ve got a few other highlights and information to share.
Grouse Season Underway, Reports Sound Good
Grouse season kicked off last Saturday, and from early reports it sounds like hunting is pretty good! This is the first of the South Dakota upland seasons, which is really its own holiday in the state.
Pheasant Season Looks Very Promising
The next step in the upland game hunting seasons is the youth only pheasant season, which started this Saturday. This leads to the resident only weekend October 10-12, before the traditional pheasant opener October 17.
There’s a lot of optimism about the upcoming pheasant season, and it’s looking like one you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re a seasoned upland game hunter, or might need to dust off your shotgun after a few years, it’s sounding like a very good one to go and walk the fields and chase roosters.
Preference Points Available for Purchase
For big game hunters, or paddlefish anglers, preference points are currently available for purchase. You can purchase one preference point per season, and you must have your preference points purchased by December 15. If you’re anything like me, it’s a good idea to do it now before you forget. (I mentioned this, because I just purchased mine!)
2027 Park Entrance Licenses Available October 1
The 2027 South Dakota State Park Entrance Licenses officially go on sale Thursday, October 1. Park entrance licenses are a great Christmas present, and by purchasing now means you can be confident you’ll be set until May of 2028, which as stated above helps forgetful people like me!
West Bend Recreation Area Boat Launch Seeing Improvements
The West Bend Recreation Area boat launch is currently closed until early December, as the marina is being dredged. While that means the ramp isn’t available for the fall fishing season, this is a much needed improvement that will be ready to be enjoyed the 2027 open water season. There’s also a couple campground improvements taking place as well!
Roy Lake State Park Main Boat Ramp Also Being Improved
The main boat ramp at Roy Lake State Park is also currently closed for construction, and should be complete in about a month depending on weather. The east lakeside use access is still available.
Whitlock Salmon Spawning Station Starts October 8
The salmon spawning station at West Whitlock Recreation Area will open Thursday, October 8. Salmon spawning operations usually continue through the month of October depending on weather and water conditions.
Thanks for the Support!
This has been a different fishing report, but I do hope you found it beneficial and informative. Thank you very much for all the support thus far this season, it’s been an incredible year. My goal is 100,000 website views by the end of the year, and it’s looking iffy, but you reading this especially this far sure helps so thank you very much! Let’s finish the year strong!
