When is it too late to start preparing for the state’s most prized fish? Tens of thousands of anglers will be crossing the border this spring to take advantage of South Dakota fisheries, and the bite is starting now. Arguably some of the best bodies of water capable of putting filets in the freezer but where do you go when the ice is unsafe and you can’t launch a boat in any of the prairie lakes. Reports of the Missouri River bite have been popping up from Sioux City all the way to Pierre. Several areas of the river stay open 365 days a year, and do offer limited fishing opportunities but now the weather is starting to warm up the fish are gearing up for their annual cycle. Even before the pre-spawn rituals and before the ice fades away, fish start acting out what they will be doing when the water temperatures rise and that is only a few weeks away. Two Places to look for hungry fish. Obviously the Missouri River provides ample opportunities to find fish but most all the natural lakes have an inlet or outlet with open water. Locate the open water near bridges and culverts where temperatures burn through to the surface. Fish will move through here!
Capitalize on the bite!
As we speak, limits of quality fish are being landed up and down the river while the fish are preparing to migrate to spawning grounds. The feed bags are on! Boat or land you can take advantage of feeding fish on both the river and at the mouth of lakes. Just because the fish are feeding doesn’t mean you can catch them anywhere, you will need to locate a suitable staging ground. To locate feeding walleyes look for suitable spawning habitat. Walleyes tend to spawn by rock or gravel shorelines, point, bars, or rip-rap in relatively shallow water. The fish will not necessarily be in the spawning grounds but staging in nearby underwater structure, drop-offs, or breaks where deep water is at their disposal.