Northeast South Dakota, commonly referred to as the Glacial Lakes region, has an abundance of fisheries for anglers to enjoy. Best known for walleye and yellow perch fishing, anglers can also find fantastic bluegill, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, northern pike, and even lake sturgeon. With so many fisheries and so little time, we’ve got a guide to help you plan your trip!
Walleye and Perch Fishing
The most popular species in the Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota is both walleye and yellow perch. Drawing attention from anglers throughout both the open water and ice fishing seasons, anglers come to the Webster, Watertown, and Brookings areas year-round to enjoy these opportunities.
Walleye fishing is most consistent on the larger waterbodies, though smaller sloughs can provide some of the best trophy walleye opportunities. While many walleye anglers will focus their efforts from the boat or through the ice, shore anglers can enjoy just as good if not sometimes even better fishing opportunities particularly in the spring and fall seasons.
Yellow perch fishing is most popular among ice anglers, but anglers targeting perch from the boat can also find success depending on the fishery and time of year. Known for their proportionately small heads to large bodies, these “jumbo” yellow perch grow big quickly on the invertebrates that present themselves as easy meals in the highly fertile fisheries.
Best Walleye and Perch Fisheries:
- Bitter Lake
- Waubay Lake
- Lake Poinsett
- Lake Thompson
- Lake Whitewood
- 81 Ponds
- Opitz Lake
- Antelope Lake
- Hazeldon Lake
- Dry Lake #2
- Indian Springs/Antelope Lake
- Lake Alice
To learn more about the walleye and yellow perch fishing in northeast South Dakota, check out The Best Walleye and Perch Fisheries in the Glacial Lakes Region of South Dakota.
Bluegill and Bass Fishing
The presence of curly-leaf pondweed has resulted in many waterbodies transitioning into more traditional bluegill and bass fisheries as opposed to walleye and perch fisheries. These are resulting in multispecies fishing opportunities for anglers, with walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, largemouth bass, crappie, and northern pike all present throughout the area.
Reintroduction efforts for lake sturgeon into Big Stone Lake have also been incredibly successful, and the lake sturgeon fishery is in fantastic shape. This is another example of the multispecies fishing opportunities present in the area.
Best Multispecies Fisheries:
- Big Stone Lake
- Roy Lake
- Lake Albert
- Lake Sinai
- Clear Lake (Marshall County)
- Cattail/Kettle Lake
- Pickerel Lake
- North and South Buffalo Lakes
- Enemy Swim Lake
- Horseshoe Lake
To learn more about the multispecies opportunities in northeast South Dakota, check out The Best Multispecies Fisheries in the Glacial Lakes Region of South Dakota.
Whether you’re fishing the Webster, Watertown, or Brookings area you’re going to find great fishing in eastern South Dakota. Find everything you need to know to plan your trip on the Glacial Lakes Region page!
