South Dakota Outdoors Blog — South Dakota Outdoors · Exploring the Great Outdoors of South Dakota

May

Missouri River Fishing Report

by Justin Larson on May 6, 2013 · 0 comments

SD MISSOURI RIVER FISHING/HUNTING REPORT – May 6, 2013

Provided by: Great Lakes of SD Tourism Association

info@sdgreatlakes.org

The weather report for this upcoming week couldn’t be better. Most days will be in the 70s, with possible showers later in the week. Looking out on Oahe this morning from the Great Lakes Tourism offices above it’s nothing but beautiful! Not a ripple on the lake and warming up!

We suggest you call one of our members listed at the end of the report, to see what is happening the day you are venturing up here. That way you’ll be assured of a great trip!

Lake Oahe

In the Pollock area, at Mobridge, at Akaska and at Gettysburg fishing is starting and will be picking up most likely this week with the great weather they have predicted for Central South Dakota! Anglers are using jigs and minnows. The water temp on the river should be going up this week, so watch for things to start happening. At Akaska anglers are pitching jigs, some using bouncers and all using minnows. Anglers need to go slow on the lake or they’ll motor right past the fish. Some northern are still being caught in these areas.

Around Spring Creek / Cow Creek from the Oahe Dam to the Cheyenne River and Miniconjou fishing was very good this past weekend with limits of nice fishing coming in. Anglers are using lights jigs and minnows. Walleye are close to spawning. There are plenty of fish! Northern are still being caught on chubs, smelt or herring. Night fishing has been good on the face of the dam by the intakes.

Lake Sharpe

Fishing on Lake Sharpe is very good from the Oahe Dam to Pierre and Fort Pierre and down to West Bend. Anglers are using light jigs and minnows in 10-20 feet. The walleye are just starting to spawn in this area. The fish are stacked up, so a good time to get out on Sharpe. Suggestion might be to come out during the week when it’s less crowded!

Francis Case

Around Chamberlain , on Francis Case the bite was very good this past weekend and everyone is geared up for this to last most of the summer! Anglers are jigging off the rocks, using jigs and minnows or pulling plugs in around 20-30 foot water depth. Outside of Chamberlain fishing is good from the rock to the channel. Good areas are Carpenter Bluffs and Crow Creek. Shore fishing has been good also. A few catfish are starting to show up too.

In the Platte area it was a busy weekend with Platte fishing tournament being held on Saturday. The winning total (weighing 7 fish per team) was just under 22 lbs. On Friday, which was the pre-fishing day an angler caught a 12 lb. walleye – quite sure he was thinking how great that would have been to have pulled that in on Saturday! Around the Dock 44 area fishing was very good this past weekend and also at Red Rock, Two Johns and Five Mile areas in about 30 feet of water. Pitching jigs into boulders about 7 to 8 miles north of the Platte bridge was also very good. Anglers are fishing in 8-12 feet of water in most areas using jigs & minnows. The spawn is pretty well completed here and the fish look very healthy and in excellent shape. It should be a super year of fishing in the Platte area!

At the Pickstown - Wagner – Lake Andes area fishing below Fort Randall Dam has slowed because of little water release. The bite is starting in this area above the Fort Randall Dam and again the water needs to warm up. The river here is deeper and will take a bit longer for the temps to go up. Anglers are using jigs and minnows in 20 feet of water or less. A few boats are coming in with bass, perch and northern. Walleye are starting to spawn.

On the Missouri River shore fisherman are at the wall, the bubble area, or near the handicapped dock on the Nebraska side. They are catching a few catfish, crappie, drum, northern, sauger and walleye. Boaters are doing a little better and jigs and minnows seem to be the best bait. Drifting with spinners tipped with minnows or worms, or pulling plugs are other tactics to try. Be careful around the rock reconstruction that is still going on.

Lewis & Clark Lake – The lake area is beginning to be fished. Most fish are in the shallow waters using your favorite color jig and minor or scented baits. In the Springfield area anglers are catching sauger, walleye and crappies.

Lake Yankton – Anglers are starting to catch a few bluegills, crappies and bass using minnows or worms.

*Please remember that the fishing conditions on the Missouri River change constantly and this report is simply a guideline – a snapshot in time.*

For more information and up-to-the-minute reports on fishing Lake Oahe, please call West Pollock Resort, 605-889-2448; Kemnitz MoRest Motel in Mobridge at 605-845-3668. At Akaska call Akaska Bait Shop at 605-649-7847. Call Bob’s Resort at 605-765-2500 or South Whitlock Resort at 605-765-9762 in Gettysburg. On the lower end of Lake Oahe, Outpost Lodge at 605-264-5450 and Lake Oahe/Lake Sharpe call Carl’s Bait Shop at 605-223-9453. On Lake Francis Case, contact Cedar Shore Resort at 605-734-6376 or Platte Chamber of Commerce at 888-297-8175 and Circle H Motel in Lake Andes at 605-487-7652.

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Posted in Fishing

Apr

Spring is here, I think!

by Justin Larson on April 30, 2013 · 0 comments

Thatching my yard one day and shoveling a foot of snow out of my driveway the next. Yep, South Dakota spring is here! Although the moisture is welcomed with open arms, I wouldn’t mind a little bit of a break from the weather to sneak out and try to catch a spring walleye. The good news is, it appears warmer temps are on the way and anglers from around the country will be enjoying hot summer days casting for trophy fish in South Dakota. Here is the latest fishing report from the Missouri River Reservoir system:

Above Oahe Dam sits Lake Oahe Reservoir and South Dakota Game Fish and Parks fish biologist, Mark Fincel says, “Lake Oahe is more dependent on reservoir elevation particularly for rainbow smelt, the primary food source for Lake Oahe sport fish. This latest spring snow storm may hopefully help produce a rising reservoir elevation that benefits most species in the Lake.” Lake Oahe has recorded a close to record harvest of walleye the past couple of years and this year should be no different.

The Cabela’s Master Walleye Circuit will be coming back to Lake Oahe this summer. June 7-8 the tournament will be headquartered out of Spring Creek Reservoir. More than $50,000 in cash and prizes were awarded at last year’s event. Don’t miss out on a chance to fish against the pros. You can register here www.masterswalleyecircuit.com

Fincel, says, “Lake Sharpe walleye recruitment is expected to be good as the water levels are the most stable throughout the reservoir system and is coming off the second highest Gizzard Shad reproduction on record.” With plenty of bait fish in the system anglers should expect great fishing all along Lake Sharpe this spring and summer. I must say the small mouth bass population is booming in Lake Sharpe as well. It was not uncommon to catch multiple 3-4 pound “smallies” last summer.

Lake St. Francis Case is also dependent on water levels and Fincel states, “The spawn outlook is very unpredictable until we know what the water levels will be later this spring.” However, anglers should experience great fishing this year. Speaking with anglers that participated in The Fishing Crew Team Tournament Trail on Lake St. Francis Case this past weekend was great. Although the weather was well below average the walleye that were caught were healthy and active. All the fish were released back into the reservoir to preserve the spring spawn.

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Posted in Fishing,General Outdoors

Apr

Fishing Update for the Missouri River

by Justin Larson on April 15, 2013 · 0 comments

Provided by: Great Lakes of SD Tourism Association

Well, it’s April in South Dakota and what an April is has been so far. From inches and inches of snow, to high winds, to ice storms, power outages and closed roads – we’ve seen it all. Spring is taking its sweet time getting here!

We suggest you call one of our members listed at the end of the report, to see what is happening with the weather before you venture up here. That way you’ll be assured of a great trip!

Lake Oahe

In the Pollock area, at Mobridge, at Akaska and at Gettysburg they received over a foot of snow yesterday (Sunday, April 14). And, the river has just opened. This week there is another front coming through on Wednesday, with more snow reported – of course the weather man at this point isn’t sure where it will hit, but we’re quite sure some areas along the river will have additional snow.

We need the moisture, so no one is complaining (much) about the wet heavy snow!

Around Spring Creek / Cow Creek from the Oahe Dam to the Cheyenne River fishing has been very good – walleye are biting – WEATHER PERMITTING. Northern are also hitting on smelt or herring on the bottom. WEATHER PERMITTING!

Lake Sharpe

Fishing on Lake Sharpe is very good from the Oahe Dam to Pierre and Fort Pierre and down to Fort George – WEATHER PERMITTING. Anglers are using a jig and minnow, pitching into the shallows. If you can get on the water the walleye bite has been good – but that’s the challenge – getting on the water.

Francis Case

Around Chamberlain , again – if you can get on the water there is a walleye bite. But the WEATHER PERMITTING seems to be the trend all up and down the Missouri River!

In the Platte area it’s the same report as you’ve just read – boats were on the water the last couple of Saturdays – walleye are going well – weather permitting!

At the Pickstown – Wagner – Lake Andes area fishing below Fort Randall Dam has been good all winter. Walleye are hitting on jigs and minnows. Above the dam between Pease Creek and North Point the fishing has been good in 30-40 feet, with anglers using jigs and minnows or pulling plugs. Here too, getting on the water is the challenge.

On the Missouri River around Yankton some walleye are being caught with a jig and minnow. Mainly from boats and below the dam.

*Please remember that the fishing conditions on the Missouri River change constantly and this report is simply a guideline – a snapshot in time.*

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Posted in Fishing,General Outdoors,Hunting

Apr

The South Dakota Kayak Challenge: A History

by Justin Larson on April 1, 2013 · 0 comments

By Jarett C. Bies

One die-hard racer.

That was the only registration that took place in the ill-fated first go-round for South Dakota’s premier kayak and canoe race, the South Dakota Kayak Challenge. In 2008, founders Steven Dahlmeier and Jarett Bies hoped to offer a race of true challenge.

They set the bar a bit high, picking one of South Dakota’s most challenging stretches of water before an audience that for the most part was a bit leery. Based solely on Lake Oahe, the initial plan was to have racers begin at the Highway 212 bridge and face the big, dark-blue waters of the state’s largest reservoir traveling to the Oahe Dam. In the remote area around what locals know as Little Bend, paddlers would face not only sea-like waves and amazing South Dakota winds, but the remote nature of the land known to be friendlier to rattlesnakes than to paddlers with nothing but fiberglass or plastic between them and the elements.

The race team recalibrated. They scouted other locations. They wanted moving water and infrastructure on either end of the race, so out-of-state racers might have the things they needed to make it more than a test of mettle. The allure of the wildest stretch of the Missouri River, between Yankton and Sioux City, made a tremendous amount of sense. In 2009, they announced a new South Dakota Kayak Challenge. And the response was tremendous.

In just a few weeks, more than 80 racers from 13 states and Canada sent in registrations for the 2010 inaugural run of the 72-mile event. The organizers made a key decision in adding Cory Diedrich to the team, and as a trio, they recruited a corps of stalwart volunteers that made the first year’s run of the race a fantastic success. The action on the water didn’t disappoint, with a blazing sub-10-hour completion of the course.

The race lived up to its name due to winds and high temperatures. Stretches of the river held standing waves, but more than 70 percent of those who started were able to reach the finish, some on Sunday morning. Regardless of finish times, racers applauded the event, volunteers celebrated the contact high of helping them, and plans were set to do it again in 2011.

Of course, Mother Nature has the final say on anything outdoors. A historic winter snowpack in Montana along with substantial spring rains led to flooding all along the Missouri River. Less than 30 hours before the start of the 2011 Challenge, the organizers had to pull the plug and contact all participants that it’d be impossible to hold the race. The response was bittersweet, but more than 80 percent of racers said “Hold my registration; I’ll be back in 2012.”

They did not lie. On May 26, 2012, nearly 160 racers claimed their spots along the starting line at Riverside Park in Yankton. While they faced overcast skies and South Dakota’s constant winds, they attacked the course. A new record – 8 hours, 50 minutes – was set, and again, a majority of participants were able to make the Challenge their own, finishing as they saw fit. A noteworthy figure among those returning participants was that same die-hard racer who signed up in 2008! She’s taken part in every one, and she’s already signed up for 2013’s race.

As this year’s Challenge approaches, dozens of new racers, as well as those returning, look to the event as a great way to start the paddling season. Many come to the course to confront their own limits and last year’s results. No matter the motivation, the South Dakota Kayak Challenge is a “big-tent” event, open to anyone with the desire to try, regardless of experience on big or small waters. The 100-percent success rate of its organizing team, along with the countless allies of the event, which include federal, state, county and local agencies, makes the anticipation for May 25-26 race palpable.

Steven, Cory and Jarett, as well as their entire volunteer team, hope you’ll consider the South Dakota Kayak Challenge in your plans for this spring. There’s plenty of room for you, whether it’s in a cockpit of a kayak, in the seat of a canoe or in a day-glow t-shirt of the volunteer army. Like the river that hosts it, the Challenge is one-of-a-kind. You can make it anything you want, so join us.

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Posted in General Outdoors

Mar

New Lake Oahe Walleye Limit

by Justin Larson on March 22, 2013 · 0 comments

Stretching just over 230 miles in length and covering more than 370,000 acres is a body of water waiting for you to explore. Walleye are the prominent species that anglers come to Lake Oahe for but also offers great Northern Pike, Small Mouth Bass and Chinook salmon fishing. With the walleye season open year round it is an attractive body of water for anglers whether it be by boat or ice shack.

Record spawns in past years have set the reservoir up for outstanding fishing for years to come. Anglers targeting walleye on Lake Oahe will be met with new regulations in 2013. In response to large numbers of small walleyes produced during concurrent high water years and forage issues stemming from the 2011 flood, Game, Fish and Parks has opted to provide additional opportunity to anglers while it is available through increased daily and possession limits.

The 2013 walleye regulations include a daily limit of 8 walleye with the following size restrictions: no more than 4 walleye can be 15 inches or greater in length per day and at most 1 walleye can be 20 inches or greater per day. This means anglers are allowed to harvest up to 8 walleye per day under 15 inches or combinations of as long as only 4 walleye are greater than 15 inches with only 1 walleye greater than 20 inches. The possession limit also increased to allow for higher harvest. The current possession limit is 24 walleye after a minimum of 3 days of fishing with the above per day length restrictions.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Feb

Pheasant Fest 2013

by Justin Larson on February 21, 2013 · 0 comments

Another Pheasant Fest Show is in the books and planning is underway for the 2014 show that will be held in Milwaukee, WI. This year’s show marked the 30^th Anniversary of the Pheasants Forever organization and, rightfully so, was brought back to their home in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. South Dakota was proud to have an overwhelming presence again at the show with the “South Dakota Pavilion.” The pavilion was made up of 24 booths with 16 different partners. Ourpartners ranged from statewide tourism entities, hunting lodges, hunting accessory and outdoor businesses.

Roughly 28,000 people attended the 3-day show and after talking with our partners it was definitely one of the best trade shows we have attended. The Midwest states rely heavily on one another to support each other’s economies and we all know pheasant hunting contributes to a large part of South Dakota’s economy. Our residents thrive on the tradition of pheasant hunting and understand the difficulties that lie ahead of us with conservation efforts. Working side by side with organizations like Pheasants Forever is one way our great state can assure we stay number one in the pheasant hunting industry. Working together we are assuring the younger generations will have similar hunting opportunities that we have grown up with.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism would like to thank all of the South Dakota businesses that attended Pheasant Fest 2013 and helped shine a light on the great outdoor opportunities South Dakota has to offer. A special thanks also to Josh Spies (artist), Benny Spies (host of Gun-It outdoor show) and Jason Makkula (owner/operator of Bank Brewing Co.) for donating items for our “South Dakota Prize Package Giveaway.”

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Posted in General Outdoors,Hunting,Uncategorized

Feb

Extended Season

by Justin Larson on February 12, 2013 · 0 comments

One advantage about living in Pierre is our Canadian goose season stays open until the third weekend of February. We are part of “Section 2” that runs along the river and allows us to shoot these average tasting creatures into February. This past Friday I had Gary Howey (host of Outdoorsmen Adventures) and team members Larry Myrhe and Tom Mitchell up for a little goose hunting. Unlike the more popular “Section 1” in the state, “Section 2” always has plenty of left-over non-resident waterfowl tags available. These tags can be bought online or over the counter when you arrive and are good for any private land hunt.

We gathered about 8am Friday morning at Steffen Brothers Expeditions hunting lodge to set out for some late season honkers. It took a good hour to get the decoy spread put out. Once finished we pulled the trucks and trailers away and jumped in to the pit. It wasn’t more than 5 minutes before we had the first group of geese coming into our decoys. “Take ’em!”, our pit captain Paul Steffen yells out, and just like that we had our first five geese on the ground. A little embarrassed to say this after living in Pierre for the past 6 years but it was my first Canadian goose kill, head shot of course! It wasn’t long and another large group of geese ate us up and we dropped another four; 15 minutes in the pit and we had 9 on the ground. It wasn’t going to take long to fill our 15-bird limit at this rate.

It was constant action the whole morning as we picked off 6 more and enjoyed watching some of the groups land in our decoys to assure we got plenty of video to tell the story of the day. My wife probably won’t enjoy the same amount of enthusiasm for my new found love but I think I can expect to be back in a goose pit in the near future!

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Posted in General Outdoors,Hunting,Winter Sports

Feb

Go-To Gear of the Pheasant Hunting Experts

by Justin Larson on February 5, 2013 · 0 comments

This last week I had the priviledge to be considered an “expert” in pheasant hunting. Those of you who have seen me shoot will know that is far from the truth but I do know how to look the part in the field! Please take a minute and read a blog post by Bob St. Pierre, Vice President of Marketing at Pheasants Forever and Co-host of FAN Outdoors radio on KFAN. I loved the idea of this post that I had to share it on our site as well. Enjoy.

http://www.pheasantblog.org/go-to-gear-of-the-pheasant-hunting-experts/

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Posted in General Outdoors,Hunting

Dec

Trying something new

by Justin Larson on December 18, 2012 · 0 comments

Someone once told me you burn an average of 550 calories for every hour of snowshoeing. I, for one, had never tried snowshoeing, so when it was an activity option on a work trip I decided to try it out. Mount Roosevelt was our challenge that day; eight of us strapped on the shoes and started up the trail. The road to the top isn’t maintained during the winter months so its perfect for a winter hike. It wasn’t long into the trek and I realized why so many people enjoy doing it; the peacefulness of the woods surrounded the group as we moved along the trail watching for wild life. There were some deer in the distance watching us “tackle” the trail to the top as did the wild turkeys in the valley below. We weren’t going to set any records getting to the top but with the sun shining, little to no wind, and the temperatures close to 40 degrees, there was no hurry to go anywhere. The slot machines in Deadwood would have to wait a couple hours for our group to return.

When we finally reached the top we were pleasantly surprised by a 32-foot tower. Not knowing that there was anything at the top, besides a great view, we pushed on to the tower to check it out. This tower is referred to as “Friendship Tower” and was put here as a memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. The Tower was Seth Bullock’s idea and it was dedicated on July 4th, 1919.

On this day I was lucky enough to survive the hike, discover something new in the area and got to enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills National Forest. Oh, and burning all those calories!

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Posted in General Outdoors,Hiking,Winter Sports

Nov

Better late then never

by Justin Larson on November 26, 2012 · 0 comments

The anticipation of South Dakota East River deer season can turn a grown man into a six-year-old on Christmas Eve. The hours can’t go by fast enough in the week leading up to the opener.

This year I was fortunate enough to hunt a very nice chunk of private land in West Sully County about 30 miles north of Pierre, SD. Friday evening I raced up to the piece of land before sundown to do a little scouting. As I glassed the fields around me, I watched around 30 deer in the area feeding in cut corn fields and making their way to nearby cover to bed down for the evening. I had my eye on a decent buck that I had spooked up a couple weeks prior and I was pretty sure I could see him in the distance chasing some does and headed for a slough on the neighbor’s property. Knowing that the neighbors would be hunting that piece of land the next morning I figured I would get a look at him again. But would I get the first shot? My plan was to sit near an old stock dam and glass the area in the morning to see what was moving around. Sunrise was at 7:41 so that meant 7:11 was shooting time.

2:30 a.m.; yep that is the time I woke up and was wide awake. Not needing to get out of bed until 5:30, I laid in bed thinking about the plan. At some point I fell back asleep and to my demise I woke up at 7:08 a.m. You can imagine the words that I yelled as I raced ran around the house collecting all my gear. How on earth did I over sleep on opening morning? I quickly got everything loaded and headed down the road to my spot. Forty minutes later I was leaned up against an old tree and glassing the area. I could see 30 plus deer moving around but nothing worth shooting. Within twenty minutes “my deer” appeared in the distance. He was working a fence line along the property line chasing some does. A couple shots fired in the area, they weren’t shooting at this deer but it got him anxious and he started to trot right towards me. He had no idea I was watching him and he wanted in that stock dam badly! Since he is the one I had been watching I decided to take him. Boom! He dropped quickly and then all of a sudden got up and took off. Unfortunately, I had hit him in the back hip. Let’s just say the Marines won’t be calling me anytime soon to train their snipers. Luckily he didn’t run far and I was able to finish the deal. It wasn’t the clean kill I would have liked but he was a decent buck and I considered the hunt a success! As I tell all my friends that shoot “monster” deer, “Shooting the average buck is way cheaper, no need to shoulder mount them!”

Below I have put together some pictures of other deer harvested this season in South Dakota. Enjoy.

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Posted in Uncategorized

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Missouri River Fishing Report

Lake Oahe

Spring is here, I think!

Fishing Update for the Missouri River

The South Dakota Kayak Challenge: A History

New Lake Oahe Walleye Limit

Pheasant Fest 2013

Extended Season

Go-To Gear of the Pheasant Hunting Experts

Trying something new

Better late then never

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