The Best Fishing Spots in South Dakota
South Dakota offers diverse fishing across prairie lakes, big reservoirs and mountain streams. The Missouri River system and large reservoirs like Lake Oahe, Lake Francis Case and Lewis and Clark Lake are famous for trophy walleye, plentiful sauger and large northern pike, while many eastern glacial lakes and farm ponds hold healthy largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and other panfish. In the Black Hills, cold clear streams and reservoirs such as Pactola Reservoir and Rapid Creek produce good trout (rainbow and brown) fishing and occasional kokanee, and warm-water tailwaters and backwaters offer reliable catfish angling. Overall, South Dakota provides a wide range of angler opportunities by water type and season.
Top Cities For Fishing
River Fishing
Lake Fishing
Lake Francis Case
Lake Oahe
Lake Traverse
Top Freshwater Fishing Spots
Big Stone Lake
Straddling the border with Minnesota , Big Stone Lake is a shallow, fertile fishery famous for spring walleye and year-round bluegill and crappie; drifting the mid-lake trough and pitching jigs to rubble shorelines are staples, with excellent ice panfish bites in protected bays.
Pickerel Lake
A deep, clear gem in the northeast, Pickerel Lake supports quality walleye, smallmouth bass, and crappie; anglers focus on rock bars and deep weed edges with rigs and crankbaits in summer, and take advantage of low-light bites along drops during spring and fall transitions.
Bitter Lake
Expansive and fertile, Bitter Lake near Waubay produces heavyweight walleye, jumbo perch, and aggressive pike; trolling crankbaits over submerged structure is productive in summer, with early and late ice delivering some of the most consistent perch and walleye action of the year.
Blue Dog Lake
Part of the Day County cluster near Waubay , Blue Dog Lake is known for strong perch and solid walleye; anglers key on mid-lake structure and weed edges in open water, and enjoy popular ice bites for jumbo perch over soft-bottom basins adjacent to points.
Enemy Swim Lake
Near Waubay , Enemy Swim Lake offers clear-water action for smallmouth bass, solid walleye, and bluegill; finesse presentations around rock/weed transitions and isolated boulders excel, with evening walleye bites along windblown points and shorelines.
Lake Kampeska
Adjacent to Watertown , Lake Kampeska offers accessible walleye, strong smallmouth bass, and plentiful crappie; anglers target rocky points and shoreline riprap early, then troll basin edges and weedlines as water warms, with steady winter action for panfish and walleyes.
Lake Francis Case
Running from Fort Randall Dam to Big Bend Dam , Lake Francis Case is a famed walleye destination with excellent smallmouth bass and crappie bites; anglers drift live bait along breaks in spring, pull crankbaits across expansive main-lake points in summer, and take advantage of fall migrations stacking fish on windward shorelines.
Lake Sharpe
Below Oahe Dam to Big Bend Dam , Lake Sharpe offers consistent walleye action anchored by current, with strong numbers of smallmouth bass, white bass, and seasonal catfish; pitching jigs to riprap and wing dams shines in spring, while summer trolling and fall live-bait rigging around channel edges and flats are reliable producers.
Lewis and Clark Lake
Backed by Gavins Point Dam near Yankton , Lewis and Clark Lake mixes river current and basin flats to deliver strong walleye, abundant white bass, and dependable crappie, with summer trolling runs along the old river channel and spring jig bites in warm coves like Weigand and the upper lake sloughs.
Lake Madison
Close to Madison , Lake Madison is a convenient spot for walleye, pike, and seasonal crappie; spring shoreline casting gives way to summer trolling along weedlines and basin edges, with winter anglers targeting panfish on inside turns and hard-bottom transitions.
Lake Poinsett
A popular destination north of Arlington , Lake Poinsett offers strong walleye and seasonal crappie and perch; working windblown shorelines with jigs and spinners in spring transitions to summer trolling along the main-lake basin edges, with winter anglers finding panfish and walleyes on classic points and humps.
Lake Thompson
One of the state’s largest natural lakes, Lake Thompson near De Smet features abundant walleye, perch, and northern pike; anglers focus on emerging weedlines and rock/gravel transitions in spring, pull spinners and cranks over expansive flats in summer, and ice-fish classic basin edges for roaming schools.
Waubay Lake
Part of the glacial lakes region near Waubay , Waubay Lake is renowned for eater and trophy walleye, plus big yellow perch and northern pike; anglers work flooded roadbeds and weed edges with jigs and spinner rigs in open water, and enjoy excellent ice bites on mid-lake humps and transition lines.
Angostura Reservoir
South of Hot Springs , Angostura Reservoir provides clear-water fishing for walleye, smallmouth bass, and northern pike; sandy points and submerged roadbeds shine in spring, while summer patterns include trolling windblown banks and working rocky humps with crankbaits or jerkbaits.
Belle Fourche Reservoir
Also known as Orman Lake near Belle Fourche , Belle Fourche Reservoir is a classic prairie fishery for walleye, strong crappie year-classes, and big channel catfish; trolling over submerged creek channels is productive in summer, with spring jig bites around flooded brush and riprap.
Lake Oahe
Stretching from just above Pierre to Bismarck , Lake Oahe is South Dakota’s premier multi-species fishery, known for trophy walleye, hard-fighting smallmouth bass, spring-run Chinook salmon near the dam, plus northern pike and catfish; anglers troll long points and flooded timber through summer, work current seams below the dam in spring and fall, and find excellent ice action on sheltered bays when conditions allow.
Pactola Reservoir
In the Black Hills near Rapid City , deep, clear Pactola Reservoir is unique for its cold-water lake trout and brown trout alongside smallmouth bass and pike; downriggers and jigging spoons excel for lakers over the basin, while rocky points, submerged timber, and marinas hold bass and trout through spring and fall.
Sheridan Lake
Set in the Black Hills near Hill City , Sheridan Lake mixes smallmouth bass and northern pike with stocked trout; anglers fish rocky shorelines and timber with finesse plastics and spinnerbaits, and find spring and fall trout cruises along the dam face and inflow areas.