South Dakota Ice Fishing
Saturday, 12 May 2007However, as anglers move farther to eastern South Dakota, the water levels of the lakes become much lower, which means the fishing prospect is not so favorable. Usually this is because the water conditions in the area are not that conducive to fishing. If you are experiencing a winter which has lots of snow, then there is great possibility of a winter kill across South Dakota. Such phenomenon is likely to seriously affect the marginal lakes. Generally however, most ice fishing activities during a South Dakota winter are excellent as there are great fish populations in the lakes.
The most popular species targeted for ice fishing in southeast South Dakota is the yellow perch. Most local and out-of-state anglers love to catch them, especially in lakes like Madison, Long, Sinai, and Lake Thompson. If you love to catch yellow perch, you might be able to fish some 8 to 10-inch beauties.
The southeastern state has some lakes that freeze a little late in the winter season because of their location. Usually snow and ice are not until late in the month of January. In these areas, much of the ice fishing activities occur in late January or start of February.
Many South Dakota ice-fishermen utilize a minnow or Kastmaster for rigging. Another popular rig is the use of the leadhead and a wax worm.
There are actually less ice fishing activities in the southeast area than there are in northeastern part of the state. The latter is where the ice fishing activities have always been great. South Dakota, especially the northeast part, has earned the reputation of having one of the best ice fishing opportunities around.
During winter, smaller fish grow a couple of inches more, providing the fishery with larger that the average size fish. In Lakes Whitewood, Preston and Thompson, there are large sized pike with a fairly good sized population. Some of the fish range in size of about 3 to 6 pounds, while there are few pikes that actually weigh over 15 pounds. These lakes can be very attractive for anglers who love to catch pike species.
Of course, ice fishing for some anglers will not be complete without a good catch of walleye fish. This fish is likewise very much favored by the anglers of South Dakota. Lake Thompson is also considered as one of the best walleye waters in the whole of South Dakota. Other great water areas for walleye are Madison, East Vermillion, Herman, Sinai and Brant. Most walleye anglers in these lakes are locals as out of state fishermen have yet to discover these lakes as walleye territories.
