The Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota are walleye fishing destinations for anglers from all across the nation. This is for good reason. The term “walleye factory” is often thrown around when discussing these reservoirs. Both Mason Propst and Nick Harrington live and fish out of Pierre on these reservoirs. The Propst family has spent well over 4 decades fishing the river and have experienced great success in both tournaments and guiding.
The system is known for producing numbers of walleye, but there is also a trophy potential all along the river. Smallmouth bass also are a terrific angling opportunity with some giant fish present as well. In June 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series traveled to Pierre to make it’s first visit to South Dakota in pursuit of these giants. Yellow perch also are present along with channel catfish, northern pike, crappie, freshwater drum, goldeye and paddlefish for anglers looking to purchase a snagging permit.
Missouri River Destinations
The Missouri River region is home to numerous fishing destinations. These locations host tournament anglers ever year, several guide services to pick from and of course thousands of anglers looking to enjoy the fishing the river has to offer. When you visit these destinations, you’ll be sure to enjoy your time both on and off the water!
Pierre Area
Sitting on not one, but two destination fisheries, anglers have no shortage of options when planning a fishing trip to Pierre. Anglers fishing the Pierre area can enjoy the numbers fishery of Lake Sharpe or the trophy fishing opportunities that Lake Oahe has to offer. Additionally, there are great fishing opportunities for smallmouth bass, chinook and Atlantic salmon, northern pike, white bass and channel catfish!
Chamberlain Area
The Chamberlain area is often the epicenter of spring walleye fishing in South Dakota. A destination for anglers from across the midwest and often home to national tournaments, Chamberlain is on many walleye anglers’ bucket list. This is for good reason, the small town charm and the fishing opportunities on the river makes this truly a special destination for anglers!
Missouri River Reservoirs
Lake Oahe
Lake Oahe is a true trophy destination. Oahe offers trophy caliber walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike. Oahe is often classified as a “boom or bust” fishery, as it has experienced baitfish crashes that have seriously impacted the walleyes. The most recent of these was during the flood of 2011, but baitfish numbers have recovered and the walleyes are back to where they were before.
Oahe offers both warm and cold water prey species. The most important of these, is the lake herring and smelt populations. These cold water species provide year-round food options to many game species in Oahe. Their numbers will very much impact the size of the fish you will be catching.
When strong, Oahe gives anglers every year the opportunity to catch a walleye over 10 pounds. In fact, walleyes in the 10-14 pound categories are not unreasonable! A large expansive reservoir, Oahe can pose challenges to anglers. Large waves and pop up thunderstorms can present hazards, but preparation can ensure you can have a great day on the water!
Lake Sharpe
Sitting directly below Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe offers a completely different fishery. While Oahe offers both cold water and warm water forage species, Sharpe is nearly an exclusive gizzard shad forage base. Because of this, the fishing is often best in the spring, while shad numbers are down and walleyes are looking for food.
In the summer, fishing can slow down as the gizzard shad are abundant. Come fall, the fishing can often pick back up again. Because of the limited forage base, Sharpe often produces more 15-18 inch walleyes. These are perfect for a great fish fry!
Don’t be fooled though, there are still plenty of trophy caliber walleyes. In particular, the Oahe Dam tailrace can offer year-round cold water and this results in walleye that gorge on baitfish and grow to trophy caliber sizes.
Lake Francis Case
Lake Francis Case is one of the most nationally known spring walleye destinations. Often opening up in February, if not sooner, Francis Case provides boat anglers and shore anglers excellent opportunities all spring.
Francis Case is poster child of a “walleye factory”. This is because of all Missouri River reservoirs, it is widely considered to have some of the best spawning areas and structure. This results in consistent recruitment, keeping walleye available to catch year in and year out.
Fort Randall Tailrace
The area below Fort Randall dam can offer tremendous fishing year-round, but it is often best in the early spring and late fall. Much like Lake Francis Case, this tailrace and below river stretch will either stay open year-round or lock up for only a few short weeks.
The walleye fishing can be excellent, with often a strong “quality” fishery and also “numbers” at times as well. This makes the location of the best “winter” walleye destinations for boat anglers.
Missouri River Strategies
The Missouri River offers excellent fishing year-round. In the following articles, we break down how we approach the Missouri River throughout the seasons.
The Missouri River becomes the epicenter of walleye fishing in the Midwest in the spring. The river not only features numerous areas to fish, but also numerous ways to fish. Nick Harrington and Mason Propst take a look at various presentations that can work this time of year in Early Season Buffet on the Missouri River.
Nick Harrington discusses how he finds the most success when he keeps his approach as simple as possible when targeting fish on the Missouri River reservoirs in Keeping it Simple for Missouri River Reservoir Walleye.
Nick Harrington discusses early summer walleye tactics on the Missouri River reservoirs in Serving Up Missouri River Walleye.
Walleye fishing on the Missouri River reservoirs can get tough in summer, but fish can still be caught. Find out what Nick Harrington does to put fish in the boat in Cool Presentations for Hot Summer Walleye!
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.
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.
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!
