The 2026 National Walleye Tour event on Lake Oahe was nothing short of a heavy weight fight, with big fish, big waves, and big weather. When the scales settled, it was South Dakota angler Jason Stahl on top.
After two days of fishing, it was South Dakota’s own Jason Stahl at the top of the leaderboard with 46 pounds 12 ounces.
“The plan came together, both days I had a big over,” said Stahl. “I had a 32 yesterday and a 30 today within the last half hour that helped push me over the top.”
Stahl focused his presentation on plastics with ¾ ounce tungsten jigs.
“Z Man Scented Jerk Shads that’s the only thing I used for pitching,” continued Stahl. “We did have a cranking pass we were pulling some Bombers on.”
Sitting right behind in second place was Eric McQuoid with 45 pounds 9 ounces.
“These fish move a lot, but we kept our heads down and kept grinding,” said McQuoid. “The fish basically moved a couple miles each day, but we kept running these fish down.”
McQuoid used a combination of the Acme Hyperrattle in Blue Chrome and the Acme Hammer Jerkminnow to catch his fish.
In third was another local angler, Beau Schilling. Beau brought 44 pounds and 10 ounces to the scales across the event. Despite only having two fish on Day Two, Schilling had the right quality of fish to finish in the third position.
“We were fishing those 30 foot range fish,” said Schilling. “It didn’t really matter what you threw at them, you just had to throw at a lot of them, because when they wanted to bite they would bite anything.”
Schilling fished the back of bays for slot fish, which he focused on after catching his overs. The challenge on Day Two was it simply took too long to catch the overs first.
Gage Gordon came in fourth with 43 pounds 2 ounces and Nick Schlattmann had 42 pounds 5 ounces to round out the Top Five. In total, eight anglers brought over 40 pounds across the two days of fishing.
Lake Oahe maintained its reputation as both a trophy walleye factory as well as an expansive and challenging reservoir. Anglers experienced strong winds and big waves, which made navigating the reservoir a challenge. Dirty water conditions, a strong cold front, and an abundance of forage all contributed to a difficult bite for anglers.
Despite the conditions, anglers spoke highly of the fishery.
“The fishing couldn’t be any better, this system right now is absolutely phenomenal,” said Rick Darling. “The big fish that are here, you just know coming in you’re going to have to have two fish that are 30 inches to compete and they’re there. The number of big fish we caught pre-fishing and in the tournament is just incredible.”
Darling’s combined two day weight of 42 pounds earned him the honor of Co-Angler Champion.
In total, 160 boats launched out of Indian Creek Recreation Area in Mobridge. The big field, big fish, and big winnings all combined to show once again that Lake Oahe is truly a crown-jewel walleye fishery.
(Images Courtesy National Walleye Tour Facebook Page)
