The Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota is known for both excellent walleye and yellow perching fishing, offering year-round opportunities for anglers fishing from the boat, shore, or through the ice. The abundance of fisheries, ranging from small sloughs to expansive and thoroughly connected waterbodies, can all provide good fishing opportunities on any given year.
The number of fisheries in the area means that hot bites can come and go quickly, with some lakes producing for a whole season while others may fire for just a couple weeks. This diversity gives anglers the opportunity to enjoy a larger, consistent fishery or hope to strike gold on a smaller, lesser known body of water.
Generally speaking, the largest waterbodies in the area often produce the most consistent fishing, and in turn draw the most number of anglers as well. These lakes offer the best walleye and perch fisheries, providing opportunities across both the open water and ice fishing seasons.
Bitter Lake
Bitter Lake is the walleye factory of northeast South Dakota. Bitter Lake naturally produces consistent year classes of walleyes, which leads to walleye of all sizes available on any given year. Anglers can reasonably expect to find walleyes from 10 inches to 10 pounds, with both “eater” and trophy caliber fish present in the fishery.
Supplemental stockings by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) can also provide large year classes, which support the consistent natural reproduction in the fishery. This also means the fishery can support consistent angling harvest, which helps accelerate growth rates.
While Bitter Lake is primarily a walleye fishery, anglers can also reasonably expect to catch yellow perch as well. While limits may be harder to come by, quality yellow perch can serve as a great bonus fish in a day walleye fishing.
Waubay Lake
Waubay Lake offers one of the most consistent fisheries in northeast South Dakota, providing opportunities for both walleye and perch.
Similar to Bitter Lake, walleye anglers can reasonably expect to catch fish anywhere between 8 to 28 inches when they are out on the water. While natural reproduction is not as strong as Bitter Lake, the combination of natural reproduction and supplemental stockings by GFP maintains steady walleye abundance.
Waubay Lake has been the most consistent fishery for yellow perch, seeing steady angling pressure through the ice fishing season. The perch grow relatively quickly, reaching just shy of 10 inches by age-3. Anglers can reasonably expect to target perch, and have the opportunity for a limit, particularly throughout the ice season.
Lake Poinsett
Further south than Waubay and Bitter lakes, Lake Poinsett offers one of the largest and most consistent fisheries near both Watertown and Brookings. Anglers fishing Lake Poinsett can reasonably expect to catch both walleye and perch, with smallmouth bass, crappie, northern pike, and white bass all providing opportunities for anglers as well.
Lake Poinsett can provide opportunities for both “eater” caliber walleye, as well as have the opportunity to catch a trophy. Both open water and ice fishing seasons can be productive.
While cyclic, Lake Poinsett has the opportunity to provide both good numbers of fish, as well as trophy caliber yellow perch. Ice fishing is the most popular time to target these fish, though they can be caught throughout the open water season as well.
Lake Thompson
Similar to Lake Poinsett, Lake Thompson offers a large, fish-bowl style lake relatively close to Brookings. Anglers will find a number of species including walleye, yellow perch, crappie, northern pike, and white bass.
While known as a walleye fishery, Lake Thompson provides very good crappie fishing with quality fish present. Anglers will find success targeting these fish throughout both the open water and ice seasons.
Walleye fishing itself is very good. Anglers will find success from the boat, shore, and through the ice. Anglers can expect to find fish of all sizes, ranging from eater caliber fish to trophy caliber fish. Large walleye in particular continue to draw anglers to one of the largest fisheries in eastern South Dakota.
Lake Whitewood
Very near Lake Thompson sits Lake Whitewood, which can provide both excellent yellow perch and walleye fishing through both the open and ice seasons. Lake Whitewood is a particular favorite among ice anglers, as the shallow waterbody often provides some of the first safe ice opportunities in the area.
Anglers who target the fishery year-round are often rewarded though, and covering water can produce excellent numbers of walleye throughout the open water season. While the basin style lake is rather featureless, this leads to plenty of area for boats to spread out and anglers to find success.
81 Ponds
One of the best trophy walleye fisheries in the Brookings area, 81 Ponds is a shore angler’s paradise. Fishing along the rocky grades of Highway 81 south of Arlington, anglers have a chance at catching a trophy caliber walleye every time they hit the water.
Despite being one of the few muskie fisheries in South Dakota, and producing quality northern pike and smallmouth bass, 81 Ponds is known for being a trophy walleye factory in eastern South Dakota. Feeding on juvenile white bass and yellow perch, these walleyes will aggressively hit a crankbait or jig and plastic.
Opitz Lake
Historically another walleye factory in northeast South Dakota, though in recent years abundance is lower, Opitz Lake continues to provide a good walleye fishery for anglers seeking a limit of eater caliber fish.
Contrary to other fisheries in the area, anglers will find more of an action style fishery with most of the fish between 12-17 inches. The fishery sees average growth rates, with fish reaching 15 inches by age-3 and 17 inches by age-4. Supplemental stockings by GFP helps with maintaining steady catch rates.
Yellow perch are also present in the system, and good growth rates keep a relatively consistent supply of fish around 10 inches. These two species combine to make a strong action fishery in northeast South Dakota.
Anglers seeking quality walleye and perch fishing opportunities should also consider Antelope Lake near Webster, Hazeldon Lake, Dry Lake #2, Indian Springs/Antelope Lake near Clark, and Lake Alice.
There is an abundance of opportunities for both walleye and perch anglers in the Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota, and whether fishing from the boat, shore, or through the ice there is always a hot bite to be found throughout the region!
