Northeast South Dakota, commonly referred to as the Glacial Lakes region, is known for its terrific walleye and yellow perch fishing. When thoughts of jumbo yellow perch and trophy caliber walleye are on the mind it’s easy to forget about other opportunities. As a certified walleye snob, consider me guilty of these as well! This means that there are excellent opportunities that fly under the radar, and perhaps the best example is the bluegills of northeast South Dakota.
Similar to many others, bluegill comprised the bulk of my catch as a young angler. Fishing the Omaha metro area lakes in Nebraska, bluegill continued to be a primary target for me as I grew as an angler. I learned the art of slip bobbering on East and West Okoboji my sophomore year of high school, and felt like I had become a pretty accomplished panfish expert. I thought I had some great bluegill days, but it wasn’t until my first trip to Roy Lake that I learned the true definition of a great bluegill day.
It was September of 2024, and I was checking out the updated suites and cabins at Roy Lake State Park. Of course, walleye on the mind, I put on a ¼ oz jig with half a crawler and went to check out a main lake hump. Bite, lost. Bite, lost. Bite, 18 inch smallmouth. Wow! Still in true walleye snob fashion, this wasn’t quite what I was looking for. It was time to go troll crankbaits along the weed edges.
Shortly after, my rod doubled back and it was a 20 inch walleye. Perfect, finally what I came for! My next fish…9 ½ inch bluegill. On a crankbait. Leave it to me to get one of my largest bluegills ever trolling a crankbait for walleye. My next fish, a 14 inch crappie. At this point, I realized I was missing out on a pretty special panfish fishery. It was time to let the walleyes be, there’s big bluegill and crappie to be caught!
That, in retrospect, was probably an understatement! I thought I had enjoyed some great days panfishing, until the bar was shattered and reset. After switching to 1/16 oz jigs with a combination of crawlers and soft plastics, we proceeded to catch at least 50 bluegill in the course of a day. These weren’t 50 stunted 5 inchers either, every fish was high quality. There were 8 inchers, 9 inchers, and I made several valiant attempts to break the 10 inch mark as well.
It wasn’t just bluegills either, slab crappies offered a pleasant surprise about every ten fish. The occasional northern pike risked jig and plastic every time. The first fish 18 inch smallmouth from the day before had set perhaps an unfair bar, but the hard fighting bronzebacks would make an appearance from time to time as well. It truly was a multispecies showcase, but the star of the show was no doubt the bluegill.
Roy Lake was the scene for this particular show, but there is no shortage of opportunity in the northeast. Enemy Swim Lake was one that I was familiar with, but other good fisheries to target include Clear Lake, Pickerel Lake, and South Buffalo Lake. Of course, be sure to check out other lakes too. The great thing about bluegills is they bite all day long, so they make a great recess in between morning and evening walleye fishing!
Presentation is as simple as it gets. A 1/32-⅛ oz jig depending on depth and wind is best. Tipping that with a nightcrawler seems like a good idea, but you’ll quickly learn that the bite can be so fast you spend more time rebaiting than you do actually fishing! (At least in my experience!) This is why a small, 1-2 inch plastic, can excel. It allows you to keep fishing if you miss a bite, and makes it easier to get back on an active school quickly.
For walleye snobs such as myself, the same vertical jigging rod you use can be a great option. You’ll even find the bluegills put a surprisingly good bend and fight on the rod too. For real panfish anglers, ultralights make the bite even that more fun and effective. Light leaders, 4-6 pound fluorocarbon, can increase your bites in the clear water too.
Start your search around weed edges, but structural elements that feature weeds are your top option. In my case this was a main lake hump that had weed growth at the very top of it. I also learned, by accident, if you ever need to find where the bluegill are hanging out put on a #5 crankbait and try to catch a walleye. When an orange belly is coming in behind the crankbait, mark the spot and head back with your jigs and slip bobbers. Panfish purists may scoff, but that’s just because they’ve been enjoying this bite while we were all walleye fishing!
The Glacial Lakes region is truly a special area for targeting walleye and yellow perch, there’s no denying that. When you need a break, or just want to make the most of the mid-day hours, don’t forget the bluegill and crappie opportunities that are present as well. If you’re looking to stay right on some of these best fisheries, check out Roy Lake State Park and Pickerel Lake Recreation Area. The suites and modern cabins make it even easier to park the boat, plug in, and maximize your time on the water!
(Image Credit South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks)
