Tournament season is officially here! Spring weather is finally here, the first tournament of the season is this upcoming weekend, and the Midwest Walleye Challenge is underway!
This weekend’s fishing report is dedicated to the Chamberlain area, where Nick has started pre-fishing for the Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament that will be next weekend. We dive deep into all of Lake Francis Case between Fort Thompson and Platte and share a number of updates in this week’s special report!
The best bite this spring has been on Lake Francis Case, particularly in the Chamberlain area. There’s no shortage of anglers out on the water, and we take a deep dive into where and how they are fishing in this week’s report!
The bulk of the fishing has been taking place along the bluffs below the White River, where anglers are both trolling crankbaits and dragging jigs. This is certainly the greatest concentration of anglers along the entire reservoir, and also where both techniques seem to be fairly split half and half.
There are a handful of both trolling crankbaits on the flats and bluffs directly above the White River as well, with a few boats up along the Carpenter Bluffs area too. The bulk of these anglers though have been down on the bluffs below, but ultimately the White River area is the main draw for fishing within the Chamberlain area.
That said, as always there are a number of boats that are north of town and closer to the Big Bend Dam at Fort Thompson. The Kiowa Flats area was overall empty, though there are a handful of boats who are fishing the area along the timber and rip rap shoreline directly north.
Further upriver, a small number of boats are targeting the bluffs below Crow Creek, and a bit more are fishing the submerged timber directly across from it. Overall, the angling pressure north of Chamberlain is lower than what is often seen in the spring.
Within the Chamberlain area itself, there is a fair amount of shore anglers along the highway grade fishing on both the north and south sides. Success, based on a brief holler conversation from the shore and boat, appears to be a bit on the lower side. Fortunately, from the same conversation, it appears that fun is still high! There are a few boats that come fish along these shore anglers particularly in the evening hours as well.
The Platte area is seeing significantly less angling pressure than the Chamberlain area, with the anglers who are fishing in this area targeting the Snake Creek Recreation Area near Dock 44. Anglers are both cranking and jigging in these areas, particularly near the mouth where the creek meets the main body of the reservoir.
Outside of Snake Creek, there are a few anglers that were vertical jigging along the bluffs near Red Rock. Two Johns has also seen a few boats pulling crankbaits, but overall fishing is pretty quiet down in the Platte area.
Generally speaking, based on brief conversations with anglers at the ramp, the bite is tough for overall numbers, but the fish are very quality when they go. This isn’t a tremendous surprise, especially considering what we discussed in our 2025 Lake Francis Case Status and Forecast. The theme is fewer fish, but better fish, and so far that trend appears to be holding true!
This upcoming weekend, April 12-13, is the 24th Annual Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament! This has been the focus of Nick’s pre-fishing this week, and we’ll have a full insider outlook available on our YouTube soon as well!
The weather is looking fantastic, good fish are in the system, and if you’re looking to enter the event the last chance to register is Wednesday, April 9 at midnight. The tournament will pay $13,000 to the winner based on a 125-boat field!
The Midwest Walleye Challenge kicked off for South Dakota April 1, and the event runs until June 29! Nick is signed up for the event, and you can expect weekly updates from the Midwest Walleye Challenge Leaderboard once we get the Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament results!
The event is $25 to register, you’ll receive a $20 Discount Tackle gift card after your first completed trip, and there are numerous other prize opportunities as well!
This year’s Tuesday Night Walleye Fishing League will begin April 15, stay tuned for updates throughout the entire season! Once again, we will be providing a bonus League Report each week which serves as a second fishing report for Lake Sharpe as well!
Thank You for 500 Subscribers
I recently received an email stating I had reached 500 subscribers on my YouTube page, and all I can say is thank you! I never would have expected this many folks to watch and follow my videos and I just really appreciate everyone for the support these last several years!
I’ve bought myself wireless microphones, a tripod, and two other phone mounts and I hope to continue to produce even better videos for you and hope to exceed your expectations of me!
It’s no secret JB Designs Custom Rods are a favorite, and we firmly believe the best rods available on the market! If you’re looking to take your fishing to the next level be sure to check out JB Designs Custom Rods!
Follow along all season, both on and off the water, by following Nick on Instagram at mrwalleyesd!
