Fall is one of the most exciting times to be a walleye angler. As fellow anglers climb into deer stands, put out waterfowl decoys and walk the fields for pheasants, the fishing gets better and better!
Fall often provides some of the best fishing of the year as fish stock up on calories for winter and fall into predictable feeding patterns. Whether you are looking to fill a stringer or catch your biggest walleye ever, fall is the best time to hit the water!
Fall Walleye Fishing in South Dakota
It’s easy to love fall in South Dakota. The greatest pheasant hunting in the country. The gorgeous colors of the Black Hills. The crunch of the leaves as a deer walks under your stand. Don’t forget the quiet, cool camping nights as well. There are so many things to love about fall in South Dakota, that sometimes we tend to forget about what we had so much fun doing throughout the spring and fall.
Fall presents one of the best bites of the year wherever you fish, but the bite seems to be exceptional on the Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota. Specifically, the bite can become truly spectacular on both Lake Sharpe and Lake Francis Case as the calendar turns from September into October.
Bottom bouncing is one of the most effective ways to target fall walleye on the Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota. Walleyes are often scattered out across the expansive flats on Lake Sharpe and Lake Francis Case, and the most effective anglers are going to pay attention to the fine details of their presentation to maximize their bites. An overlooked aspect of this is boat control.
Trolling crankbaits is a popular way to target walleye especially in the summer months, but as the leaves begin to change and the brisk fall air takes hold don’t put those crankbaits away quite yet! Indeed, crankbaits can play a major part of your success especially in the early and mid-fall.
While fall is one of the best times to fish all year, the transition from summer to early fall can often come with some struggles. Nick breaks down the best approach to finding success in the early fall in Bouncing Around Early Fall Walleyes.
South Dakota offers some of the best fall walleye fishing in the country! Thanks to the Missouri River reservoirs and the Glacial Lakes region, the state offers a nearly 24 hour walleye bite. However, it is tough to beat the twilight period! Find out everything you need to know in Night Time is the Right Time for Fall Walleye.
The most important factor in having success in the fall is finding the high percentage areas that the trophy walleyes are going to be. With football season in full swing, walleye anglers need to find their own Red Zone. In Staying in the Red Zone for Trophy Fall Walleye, Nick details everything you need to know to find your Red Zone for trophy walleye.
Once you’re in the Red Zone, it’s all about running the right play to score. In Over-sized Baits for Over-sized Fall Walleye, Nick details the presentations he likes to run to score those trophy walleyes of fall!
Fall Walleye Baits
Shopping for hard baits can be tough. With so many options on the market, it can be tough to find the perfect hard bait for your situation. In Know Your Hard Baits, Nick breaks down the factors to look at the next time you go shopping for crankbaits, jerkbaits and everything in-between.
When the water cools, the fish might not be as welling to chase as they were a few short weeks before. Learn about the best way to catch fish all day long by combing jigs and bottom bouncers in, Jigs and Bouncers: The Perfect Marriage.
Tailrace Walleye Fishing
The tailrace areas below the dams on the Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota provide some of the best fishing opportunities on the entire system, especially in the fall. Learn about targeting these areas in Tailrace Walleye Tactics.
These tailrace areas are full of opportunity for both anglers fishing out of a boat and anglers fishing from shore. Find out how to target these areas out of a boat in Tailrace Walleye Tactics II: Putting Fish in the Boat.
If you are an angler who relies on their own feet to get around or are just looking to sneak out for a quick couple casts, tailraces provide some of the best shorefishing opportunities on the entire system. Find out how to target these areas from shore in Tailrace Walleye Tactics III: Shoreline Strategies.
Winter Open Water Walleye Fishing
Walleye fishing is year-round in South Dakota. There is no closed season, you can target walleyes on every waterbody, on every day of the year. Lake Sharpe, along with other stretches of the Missouri River, take this to the next level. You can catch walleyes out of your boat year-round and in fact, experience some really good fishing overall throughout the winter months too!
For many anglers, winter means ice fishing, and while this is true across much of South Dakota there are a select few who refuse to put their boats away as snow blankets the landscape. How might this be? Most winters, the area below the Oahe Dam in Pierre, Big Bend Dam in Fort Thompson, Fort Randall Dam in Pickstown, and Gavins Point Dam in Yankton will remain open all winter long due to the flowing water from the powerhouse.
The end of fall doesn’t mean that you need to put your boat and long rods away! Find out everything you need to know about the open water opportunities across South Dakota in Winter Walleyes: Open Water Opportunities!
