Karl's Fishing Report

Friday, July 09, 2010

Lake Oahe,
The Walleye bite on Oahe is still shallow. 20 foot or less and the bite is alot better with some wind and waves. On a flat calm day the fish seem to scatter and suspend. The Walleye fishing on Lake Oahe continues to improve every week. With the warm temps we have been having the Walleyes are moving downstream. The best bite is still above the Cheyenne River to the 212 bridge. The Walleyes are fat and healthy, lots of forage fish in the system right now. The higher water makes the Walleyes a little hard to find somedays but when you do land on them the Walleyes are great. Lots of different sizes of Walleye in Oahe right now. Fishing will be fantastic for years to come. The fishing is not super fast right now by any means but the quality of the Walleyes is world class. Keep moving untill you find some active fish! The high water makes for some interesting fishing as the fish are up shallow chasing bait. Be patient / keep working and at the end of the day you will have a great stringer of fat Oahe Walleyes and there are some real nice Smallmouth up shallow that will keep you busy. My best presentation for Walleyes on Oahe is a bottom bouncer rigged with a plain hook/bead. On the windy days I have been running a bouncer rigged with a spinner. Both rigs work best when baited with a crawler or a leech. I have been working the main lake points and there is a bite going on further back in the bays also. Hit the main and secondary points just inside the bays and be sure to fish on the windy side of the lake. When the mudlines from the waves are just developing just roll right up shallow and work the mudline hard. I am looking for cloudy/stained water in that situation not chocolate milk... You can troll crankbaits up shallow for Walleye or live bait the choice is yours as both techniques are working and dont overlook the great catfishing to be had in the backs of the major bays. Lots of action and there is no daily limit on Catfish.
Lake Oahe Salmon fishing has been good all in all. One day I pound on them and the next it is slow. Typical Salmon fishing..... The size of the Chinooks this year on Oahe is GREAT! The big ones run 10 to 14 pounds. I see 4 different sizes of Salmon on Oahe right now, Looks promising for years to come. Lots of forage and high water to work through. The Salmon I have been catching are keying on herring at the 65 to 95 foot range. I have been fishing in 100 to 180 foot of water. I have been catching my Salmon on Flasher/squid/trolling fly rigs. Blue/blue, purple/purple, green/chartruese and pink/blue are the color combos that are working for me. I have talked to other Salmon fisherman and everyone seems to be catching Salmon on different colors... Seems if you find the Salmon they will bite. The face of Oahe Dam and the berm area near the intakes, Chantier / Spring Creeks and Snake and Deep Creeks are your best areas for catching Salmon right now. Keep fishing hard and the Salmon will come.... Hang on when you do hook one up as Salmon make huge runs and fight to the death. Lots of fun and very exciting when you get a 10 pound plus Salmon on!

Lake Sharpe,
Lake Sharpe is still on fire. LOTS of Walleyes are being caught on the lower end of Sharpe right now. Joe Creek and West Bend are being hit the hardest. Not uncommon to catch over 40 Walleyes a day that run from 14 to 17 inches. The Smallmouth on Sharpe are world class and most of the bass you catch are 15 to 17 inches long. There are a few perch and White Bass being caught right now also.
My rig of choice on Lake Sharpe is again the bouncer/plain hook/bead rig. Trolling crankbaits is working good also but you are busy cleaning your crankbaits of weeds. Bouncer rig is just more effective right now. My best depth on Sharpe has been 12 to 18 foot and I have been working the old channel edges and sunken islands. The Walleyes and Bass on Sharpe look great, lots of forage and the fish are really healthy looking. Minnow/crawlers/leeches are all working on Lake Sharpe right now. Lake Sharpe is a Walleye factory!

Hey the summer bite is here and please contact me for a guided fishing trip that you will remember for years to come. Bring your friends and family and kids are WELCOME! Lake Oahe and Lake Sharpe are some of the best fisheries in the lower 48 and I can put you on some WORLD CLASS fishing that South Dakota is famous for.

Thank you,
Karl