ROOM AVAILABLE FOR TRUCKERS TOURNAMENT

Due to a cancelation Pike Haven has a room available June 16th-19th. If you are fishing in the Truckers tournament or are interested in fishing in it and need a room, give us a call. I am sure it is going to go fast.

June 14th 2010 "The Fish are Biting"

The fishing is starting to turn on!!!
Most anglers are catching some nice looking fish right at the mouth of the cheyenne.
Check out these pics...

Pheasants Survive Winter Around Pike Haven

Our winter was worst than recent years, but due to excellent cover and a lot of grain left in the fields, pheasants have wintered well. We see lots of roosters and hens scurrying about, and hear cackling frequently. Hopefully the weather is favorable to a good hatch.

Lake Oahe Update

In the Little Bend area the ice is mostly gone on the south side, but mostly there on the north side. The dam area is mostly free of ice. We can't see into the Cheyenne River well enough to tell what is happening there. As far as fishing goes, we haven't been out yet, nor do I have any additional information over my last report. I was hoping to fish this weekend, but the weather is not cooperating.

Iceout Update

Here's a short report. We returned from Mpls to find more open water along the shorelines. Enough to fish from shore. We received reports that a few pike have been caught in Twin Bays and Spring Creek. Water is rising about 4 inches per day. We hope to try some pike fishing sometime this week.

Iceout Update

We were at a Fishing and Hunting show in Sioux Falls this past weekend. The show and slightly warmer weather seemed to be helping victims of cabin fever. We did find, however, that fishing fever was widespread.

Upon returning to the shores of Lake Oahe we found a ribbon of water along these shorelines. Due mostly I think to the one-foot rise in water level over the past week. Not a lot of open water, but something for the wind to work with. I took a couple of pictures at the Little Bend boat ramp.

Lake Oahe 2010 Fishing Outlook

Ice depth is well over 12 inches. With the 30-day weather forecast of normal temperatures ahead of us, it will probably be near April before the water is open for boat use in our area.

Lake Oahe water levels: The lake is currently at about 1,608 feet above sea level. The latest Corps of Engineers forecast shows about an 8-foot increase in water level this spring, putting it at about 1,616 feet during June. This is a couple of feet higher than June 2009.

Ice spearing reports this winter show plentiful walleyes, along with large schools of smelt of all sizes, but not as much shad as recent years. Other bait fish, such as lake herring and perch, have been seen through the ice.

The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks reports excellent walleye populations in Lake Oahe. The lower third of the lake contains the most and largest walleyes at this time. Their 2010 Outlook report shows that over 25% of the walleyes in lower Lake Oahe are over 20 inches, which is exactly consistent with the limit of one 20+ incher out of the four daily limit.

Smallmouth bass fishing should continue to be excellent also. Last year oodles of 19-inch smallies were caught. They ought to be a little bigger this year. Many fishermen on Oahe release caught smallies, preferring to eat walleye, however, they are a riot to catch because of their aggressiveness and tendency to jump out of the water. You can start catching them regularly in mid-May, along with the peaking white bass bite.

Salmon fishing is predicted to be good again. You can start catching them in this area in late May in shallow water. Expect sizes from 7 to 15 pounds. They are great eating.

Large northern pike are not plentiful, but are here. Spawning conditions have been good the past couple of years, so look for some hammer handles to hit your line.

As the lake starts to open, we will provide postings on the progress as well as spring pike fishing success.